Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Jameshwar Temple suffered extensive damage from a lightning strike on Saturday. A deep crack has developed on the 11th century temple's wall and a chunk of its ornate exterior is hanging precariously.

Lightning has also burnt the flag of the venerable Anant Vasudev temple in the city.

The incident has brought under the spotlight the poor condition of heritage monuments across the state with conservation measures leaving much to be desired.

Local people have been coming to see the damaged temple since yesterday and raising questions on the lackadaisical attitude of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials.

"We had asked the ASI to install lightning arresters following lightning strikes over the past few years. But they did nothing. The temple priest had also complained about the waterlogging problems on the premises, but nothing was done on that front as well," said Manmath Swain, who lives close by.

Historians find the temple significant because of its architectural similarities with the Sun Temple at Konark.

"This temple is older than the Sun Temple. It is believed that this was one of the inspirations for building the more famous temple," said historian Dilip Sahu.

The crown of an auxiliary shrine on the premises of the 11th century Lingaraj Temple was destroyed in a lightning strike a few years ago. Last year, also similar incidents damaged some temples in the city's Old Town area.

Archaeologists have expressed their concern over the lack of adequate protection measures in most historical monuments of the state.

There are around 78 protected monuments in the ASI Bhubaneswar Circle. But apart from a few shrines such as Lingaraj, Konark and the Jagannath temple in Puri, most do not have lightning arresters.

"There is need for a proper survey by experts, after which a strategy could be formed so that all the temples in the area are covered. Advanced lightning arresters that can cover a wide area are now available. So, if three or four are fitted on top of a temple, the entire area can be protected against lightning strikes," said eminent archaeologist, K.K. Basa.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has also expressed its concern over the phenomenon. The association not only rued the negligence of the ASI, but also criticised the lack of co-ordination between the state government and the ASI.

"A number of heritage monuments under the ASI's protection have been damaged in the past five years. The number of foreign tourists coming to the state is already low and if the ASI does not ensure protection of the state's historical monuments, we will lose all the major tourist sites and in turn, the number of tourists," said IATO chairman, Odisha chapter, Gagan Sarangi.

Odisha State Archaeology fixes lightning arresters on monuments that are more than 50ft high. There are 218 monuments that the state archaeology manages and in view of the latest incident it has been decided to review the lightning protocol.

"We will now take extra care to ensure that lightning conductors are properly designed and maintained. Irrespective of the height of the temples, we will install lightning arresters and also take note of fire prevention measures in some temples," said a senior official from the state archaeology.

The state tourism department has also decided to tie-up with the ASI to develop major tourist locations. "It is high time that a proper roadmap is prepared to conserve the state's monuments. We will sit with tourism stakeholders and ASI officials shortly to create ways for all-round development of important locations," said tourism secretary Gagan Dhal.

The BJP yesterday wrote to Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene in the matter and take steps to facilitate setting up of lightning arresters at popular shrines.

Following the incident, a team of five ASI officials visited the affected Jameshwar Temple and assured that proper restoration would be carried out. "We have taken pictures of the site and we will start installing lightning arresters shortly," said surveyor Pradeep Rout.