There is no threat from any angle to the 13th century Sun Temple at Konark, a UNESCO world heritage site, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said Monday.
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Stating that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to him to express his concerns over the safety of the Black Pagoda, as Konark is called, Sharma said: "The examination report by technical experts from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) found that the safety standard of Konark Temple is more than five times higher than the minimum level."
"There is no threat to the temple from any angle," Sharma said while rejecting the allegation that stones with carvings were replaced with plain ones by the ASI.
Since 1997, not a single plain stone has been used in the monument, he insisted.
Patnaik had written to him that plain stones were being used to replace those with intricate carvings at the sprawling temple complex which draws a large number of visitors from across the world.
Sharma said a particular guideline is followed for UNESCO heritage sites and the ASI cannot make any change to the original structures.
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