Patna, July 8: The World Heritage Site of Mahabodhi Mahavihara is intact. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) today concluded that it had not sustained any structural damage in the serial blasts.

A central team of the ASI led by Sanjeev Mittal, the joint secretary of the ministry of culture, today reached Bodhgaya and checked the shrine structures at the blast spots thoroughly.

The team comprising the newly appointed superintending archaeologist of Patna circle, M.S. Chauhan, and archaeological engineers inspected every spot and took photographs.

“Fortunately, the original structure of Mahabodhi Mahavihara has not sustained any damage. Some structures developed in the modern times suffered minor damage,” said Chauhan.

The staircase near the Vajrasana — the diamond throne near Bodhi tree — is one such site.

“Several steps made of cement in the modern times have been damaged in the explosions. But archeologically it is not very significant,” said one of the members of the ASI team.

The team also found minor damages to some Votive stupas (smaller stupas) on the shrine premises.

“The Votive stupas are not a part of the original structure and they were probably given by visiting kings or offered by monks and pilgrims in the modern times. The damage is not significant from archaeological point of view,” said the ASI official.

The ASI team also found a layer of dust on the large footstep of Lord Buddha near the Bodhi temple. It was cleaned.

The ASI sources claimed that there was no need to carry out any major restoration work for damage caused by the blasts but it would do the same upon request from the state government or the temple management committee.

The ASI team would send the report based on its site inspection to their headquarters as well as to the conservation director of the ASI, who also looks after the heritage sites of Unesco in India.