Konarak structure stabilising c. 1903-09: Conservation & engineering heritage story
Author(s): Deepak Bhattacharya and Er. Gyana Ranjan Mohanty
Abstract: The structural stabilisation of Konarak’s Jagamohana between 1903 and 1909 represents a pivotal yet underexplored episode in India’s conservation and engineering heritage. By the mid-19th century, repeated seismic shocks, material fatigue and progressive structural failures had reduced this khondalite load-bearing monument once acclaimed by Abul Fazal in the 16th century to a state of collapse. British involvement in its rescue accelerated after the 1857 Revolt, as heritage protection became a tool of political consolidation. Under the Public Works Department, Bengal-Orissa Circle, engineers M.H. Arnot and Bishen Swarup executed rapid, technically driven stabilisation rather than art conservation. Newly located engineering drawings reveal two major interventions: 1903-04 and 1909. These included extensive floor strengthening, vertical stone revetments, internal pillars, external buttresses and a shock-absorbing sand-fill core. The work transformed a sinking ruin into a structurally secure monument, enabling its later recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and highlighting Swarup’s overlooked engineering legacy.
