The portion of the dadhi nauti of Baldevjew temple from which the stone block fell. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, April 13: A stone block fell from the summit of the 300-year-old Baldevjew temple last night, exposing the dismal state of the medieval period temple.

Called dadhi nauti, the summit structure of the temple had developed a major crack a couple of years ago. A month later, some portions of the bhog ghar (lord’s kitchen) caved in. The latest incident only adds to the woes of the temple.

The state archaeology department has turned a blind eye to the structure. It has not taken up its repair and restoration work. An inspection carried out earlier by archaeologists was followed by an announcement that a comprehensive blueprint was being prepared to give the crumbling structure a much-needed facelift. However, the announcements have remained on paper, as there are no signs of the maintenance work starting.

“It’s criminal negligence on the part of the state archaeological department not to undertake the required repair and renovation work. But the authorities are looking the other way,” said Akshaya Kumar Pani, a trustee member of the temple.

“There was commotion last night as stone block was precariously hanging after it got separated from the summit point,” Pani said.

There are cracks and fissures in the structure and there is an urgent need of conservation. “It remains to be seen when the government agencies will wake up from slumber. Lack of maintenance is taking its toll on the temple. Nothing has been done yet to fix the crack,” Pani said.

“There is no denying the fact that the temple is in urgent need of conservation. But paucity of funds has led to the delayed renovation of the endangered heritage site

“However, the conservation project will be undertaken shortly. The 13th finance commission grants for state-protected heritage sites have been earmarked in this regard,” said Ashwini Kumar Satapathy, the superintendent in charge of the state archaeological department (SAD).

“The administration is deeply concerned about the development. We have drawn the attention of the SAD and department of culture to conserve the temple. As it is a SAD-protected site, the administration is not authorised to undertake the repair work,” said Kendrapara collector Pradipta Kishore Pattnaik.

The temple was built in 1707 during the rule of Marahatta Subedar.