To combat waterlogging, 650-yr-old temple in Khurda dist lifted by 5-ft | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Armed with 450 wooden logs and 150 mechanical jacks, a 650-year-old temple of Lord Sri Gopaljew was lifted 5-feet from the ground to address waterlogging problems that plagued the area in Rathijema village of Khurda district.
With 10 labourers working 32 days, the temple weighing 600 tonnes and made of laterite stone was lifted without affecting its antiquity or damaging any of its parts.
“Over the years, the height of the road increased, and the floor of the temple went down, leading to severe waterlogging. During rainy days, waterlogging made it difficult for devotees to access the temple. Dirty water entering the temple was also a worrying problem as it was damaging the structure,” said Chaitanya Sahu, secretary of Sri Sri Gopaljew, Gopinath mutt committee.
To address the issue, villagers got together and decided that the temple height should be raised. “We decided to lift the temple height by about five feet,” Chaitanya said.
Having read reports of similar efforts in some parts of the country, the villagers zeroed in on Shri Ram Building Lifting (Atham Ram and Sons) from Kurukshetra in Haryana, a company that specialises in lifting structures.
Around 120 households in the village pulled in money to cover the cost of nearly Rs 7 lakh for the realignment. “Villagers contributed as per their capacity,” Sridhar Sahu, president of the temple committee said, adding that some savings from govt trust was also used in the project.
“The temple was lifted using a technique my grandfather had developed in 1973. The bottom of the structure was dug 2-3 feet deep and was balanced on screw jacks and wooden logs. The lifting was totally safe, and no damage was caused to the centuries-old structure,” said Vikas Sisodia, managing director of the company.
He said using this technique, the company had already lifted three ancient temples and shifted several multi-storied buildings from their original place. “Due to various reasons like construction and expansion of roads, and natural disasters, many ancient monuments are getting damaged. We can preserve our heritage using this technique,” Vikas said.
Villagers expressed happiness with the work. “This was a troublesome job, but the whole process went off smoothly. The successful completion of this project brought relief to the local community, ensuring that worship at the temple can continue without disruptions caused by waterlogging,” said Sridhar.
With 10 labourers working 32 days, the temple weighing 600 tonnes and made of laterite stone was lifted without affecting its antiquity or damaging any of its parts.
“Over the years, the height of the road increased, and the floor of the temple went down, leading to severe waterlogging. During rainy days, waterlogging made it difficult for devotees to access the temple. Dirty water entering the temple was also a worrying problem as it was damaging the structure,” said Chaitanya Sahu, secretary of Sri Sri Gopaljew, Gopinath mutt committee.
To address the issue, villagers got together and decided that the temple height should be raised. “We decided to lift the temple height by about five feet,” Chaitanya said.
Having read reports of similar efforts in some parts of the country, the villagers zeroed in on Shri Ram Building Lifting (Atham Ram and Sons) from Kurukshetra in Haryana, a company that specialises in lifting structures.
Around 120 households in the village pulled in money to cover the cost of nearly Rs 7 lakh for the realignment. “Villagers contributed as per their capacity,” Sridhar Sahu, president of the temple committee said, adding that some savings from govt trust was also used in the project.
“The temple was lifted using a technique my grandfather had developed in 1973. The bottom of the structure was dug 2-3 feet deep and was balanced on screw jacks and wooden logs. The lifting was totally safe, and no damage was caused to the centuries-old structure,” said Vikas Sisodia, managing director of the company.
He said using this technique, the company had already lifted three ancient temples and shifted several multi-storied buildings from their original place. “Due to various reasons like construction and expansion of roads, and natural disasters, many ancient monuments are getting damaged. We can preserve our heritage using this technique,” Vikas said.
Villagers expressed happiness with the work. “This was a troublesome job, but the whole process went off smoothly. The successful completion of this project brought relief to the local community, ensuring that worship at the temple can continue without disruptions caused by waterlogging,” said Sridhar.
