A Short circuit led to the fire

Temple will reopen for Diwali

A Short circuit led to the fire

Temple will reopen for Diwali

If you have been wondering why the main temple at the grand Akshardham complex in east Delhi has been closed for almost a month now, here is the dope. The temple and the six ashtadhatu statues inside it, including the 10-feet-high Swaminarayan idol, were damaged in a fire that broke out on the intervening night of June 4 and 5.

The authorities are tight-lipped about the incident. While devotees are being told the temple is shut for 'regular renovation', inside, work is on at a war footing to ready it for a Diwali reopening. A senior member of the temple management, wishing not to be identified, said the fire gutted the wooden pedestal on which the six statues were placed. As the burnt platform gave way, the idols toppled over and were damaged.u00a0

"The blaze was reported at 3 am when one of the pedestal fans installed to cool the idols had a short circuit. Within minutes all the items in the main temple caught fire. It has been closed for public viewing and restoration work has started," said the senior official.

However, the temple administration is singing another tune. "The main temple has been closed for regular renovation. It will be thrown open for public viewing during Diwali," said Akshardham's Chief Public Relation Officer Dr Janak Dave.

Extent of damage
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While the fire has not harmed the exterior of the temple, the idols inside have been damaged. "The right hand of the Swaminarayan idol has been broken. In the other statues, fingers and body parts were damaged. However, there is no big loss," said the official.

It is for the first time that the temple has been closed for such a long period. "Such incidents happen and it is no evil omen. The damage is not easily visible and nobody would have noticed even if we had not repaired the idols. But religious texts say damaged idols should not be worshiped, so we are repairing them," said the official.

Repair work

The damaged idols will not be replaced; only the broken parts will be repaired. "As the idols were built of metal, they can be easily repaired and re-installed.

However, if they had been carved out of wood or stone we would have no option but to build new ones. We do not know the exact value of the idols but they are worth crores," said the official.

The idols will be re-installed during Diwali and a team of 25 to 30 labourers, specially brought from Rajasthan, is repairing the idols and constructing a new pedestal for them.

"The original wooden platform is being replaced with a stone one. The granite-like stone is being brought from a remote village in Rajasthan. The stone should deter any such accident in the future," the official said.

When contacted, the local police confirmed the fire. "The incident was reported a few days back.u00a0 Fire tenders were called and the flames were doused within half-an-hour. However, no police case has been registered," said a local police official.

Officials play safe
Dr Dave, the Akshardham PRO, said, "Though the main temple has been closed for maintenance work, the exhibitions and shows are open. Footfall has not reduced. It's off-season now and we are getting about 5,000 to 7,000 visitors per day. During peak time, the number goes up to about 10,000 per day."

What has been damaged
The right hand of the 10-feet-high Swaminarayan idol has been broken. Some of the six-feet-high statues of his disciples have lost fingers and other body parts. The carved wooden pedestal that was brought in from Gandhinagar in Gujarat has been gutted.

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