Bhopal, Feb. 24: The Archaeological Survey of India has curbed vehicular traffic to protect Khajuraho temples from pollution, two years after the area was declared a “no-fly zone”.

All vehicles will now stop a kilometre before the world heritage structure and visitors will switch to battery-powered road vehicles, built by Bhel.

“We have scientifically examined the temple walls and found that fumes from vehicles were slowly damaging them,” said K.K. Muhammad, the ASI superintending archaeologist, Bhopal circle.

In December 2006, the ASI had persuaded the Union civil aviation department to ensure that aircraft did not fly over the ancient temples.

Local authorities are now constructing a concrete two-lane road for the battery-powered vehicles. “We will make the area around the Khajuraho temples pollution-free on the lines of the Taj Mahal in Agra,” said Muhammad, who has earned a distinction for adopting unconventional methods to protect ASI monuments.

“The battery-operated vehicles will run from the entrance to the shrine. The two-lane road will be decorated with colourful stones and a walkway will also be laid.”

A few months ago, the archaeologist had created a flutter by seeking “cooperation” from dreaded Chambal dacoits for reconstruction of Bateshwar temples.

The temples, which date back to the reign of the Pratihara dynasty in the 6th and 9th centuries, were reportedly used as a hideout by dacoits and construction workers refused to work at the site without an undertaking from them.

“We told them (dacoits) that these temples were of the same deities they worshipped. We tried to convince them that we were neither from police nor their informers. Fortunately, they were able to see reason and assured us that they would not disturb our work,” Muhammad said.

Till date, the dacoits have stayed away from the area.

On another occasion, Muhammad wrote to RSS chief K. Sudarshan seeking his intervention to protect ancient monuments in Morena district whose existence was under threat because of large-scale illegal mining in the region.

Muhammad had defended his action, saying “more harm was being done to temples by illegal mining than to the temples broken by Mohammed Ghazni and Mohammed Ghauri in the medieval times”. The illegal mining stopped.

The Khajuraho group of temples attracts thousands of tourists — national and international — every year.

Next on Muhammad’s agenda is to request tourists to use a particular type of socks (which will be provided free of charge) that will not damage or corrode the temple floors.

“Pollutants are damaging the walls and floors of the temples. Unesco has asked us to make the area around the temple a pollution-free zone.”