Global Sun Temple to be set up in Odisha

TNI Bureau: A meeting was jointly held by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and the Kalinga Heritage Preservation Trust (KHPT) at Bhubaneswar today in the matter of the making of a Global Sun Temple in Odisha.

Amiya Bhushan Tripathy, IPS (Retd.), Convener of Intach Odisha said that both INTACH and KHPT have had several meetings and seminars on the subject of Konark and its conservation in the last decade. Being the only UNESCO world heritage site in the State, Konark is tottering on the brink of becoming a glorious ruin. Due to the ravages of time and nature, and because of inadequate measures for conservation, Konark may be reduced to a mound of shapeless stones in the near future.

Anil De, the Chairman and Founder of the KPTH Trust said that Konark is great not only for its beautiful stone sculptures; it has a lot of intangible heritage presented in the stone art. These intangible heritage deserves to be preserved in a new form as they are important for the contemporary society.

In a research spanning over a decade, KHPT has designed a Global Sun Temple in the architectural, spiritual and social essence of the fallen Konark. It has been designed as a modern temple for the contemporary world, without being a carbon copy of the existing temple. It will showcase the art and architecture of Odishan temples and its iconography. This secular temple of the Sun God will also attract tourists and visitors from far and wise due to its novel concept and presentation. The project cost is envisaged to be around Rs 400 crores.

It was decided that a memorandum in this regard will be sent to the Chief Minister of Odisha. The members have expressed that it would be nigh impossible to undertake such a grand and herculean project without the support of the Government of Odisha. The members have expressed that the Ram Mandir at Ajodhya was successfully completed as it was a matter of national pride, the Sun Temple will be a structure of a global pride.

The meeting was attended by senior Intach members indluding Sanjib Hota, Anil Dhir, Narendra Mishra, Kulamoni Deo, Manoranjan Mohanty, Debi Prasanna Pattnaik and Nihar Hota.