[top photo: Heavenly beauty... built with red sandstone and black granite, the Sun Temple doesn't need any help to stand out, although a few dancers don't hurt.]

WHEN a few loose stones reportedly fell off the Sun Temple in Konark last month, the incident created a hue and cry. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) immediately rushed a team of experts to the site. Its verdict - the temple is safe.

The Orissa state government also decided to appoint a team to inspect the 800-year-old monument. Such is the reverence that the temple evokes among the people of Orissa.

The Sun Temple, built between 1238 and 1264 during the Ganga dynasty, is one of India's most favoured tourist attractions and a Unesco world heritage site. The 130 ft-tall temple honouring the sun god attracts hundreds of tourists every day. Last year, the ASI collected nearly Rs1.8 crores in entry fees.

Earlier this year, the Sun Temple was voted one of the seven wonders of India in a nationwide poll conducted by NDTV. The others are the Red Fort, Nalanda University, Jaisalmer Fort, the Dholavira site and the Khajuraho and Meenakshi temples.

The seven wonders are in addition to the Taj Mahal, which is India's contribution to the seven wonders of the world. Last month, tabla! featured the Taj and in subsequent months we will be featuring the other six wonders of India.

The Sun Temple, located about 35km from the famous religious and seaside resort Puri and 65km from Orissa's capital city of Bhubaneshwar, was designed in the shape of a colossal chariot with seven horses and 24 wheels.

Each wheel is about 10 feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate carvings.

The temple was built using red sandstone and black granite during the reign of King Raja Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the 13th century.

As the ASI keeps assuring one and all of the conservation measures it has adopted to keep the ancient temple structure safe, a team from the Indian Oil Foundation visited the site in the last week of June. The Times Of India reported that the aim of the team was to finalise a plan to give a new look to the Sun Temple.

Sources told the paper that the plan includes construction of an interpretation centre, facilities for a sound-and-light programme, a cafeteria, a souvenir stall and public toilets.

Since the tourist site lacks facilities, most visitors do not like to spend much time at Konark and prefer to spend the night at Puri. The newspaper also reported that the new look plan has not appealed to the ASI, which fears the new structures could harm the temple.

tabla@sph.com.sg