ASI prepares to restore 1,100-year-old rock-cut Jain temple in Vidisha

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is preparing to conserve a roughly 1,100-year-old rock-cut Jain temple in Gyaraspur, Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh. The work, expected to take more than two years, will involve carefully dismantling the structure and rebuilding it under expert supervision.

Conservation plan for the temple

Part of the temple was cut from natural rock, while the rest was built with carved stones. Its existing platform is weak and dilapidated, so the ASI is preparing a new supporting platform. Before dismantling, teams will document the structure, assign an identity to each stone and digitally record its sculptures, carvings and other artworks. The stones will be reinstalled in a set order.

The temple has been closed to visitors for years. An earlier conservation attempt by the Gwalior princely state in 1930 made little progress. The ASI has prepared a structural drawing of the temple.

Important Facts for Exams

• Intervention criteria: Architectural conservation decisions about when and how to intervene are value-based, weighing artistic, contextual and informational considerations.
• ASI statutory remit: The Archaeological Survey of India is an attached office of the Ministry of Culture and administers protected monuments under the 1958 Act.
• Anastylosis principle: Anastylosis reassembles a monument from its original displaced parts; under the Venice Charter, additions must be recognisable and reconstruction is otherwise ruled out.
• Tirthankara emblems: Jain images of the 24 Tirthankaras are typically identified by individual lāñchanas, or emblems, which help distinguish otherwise similar figures.