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NEWS : Jet noise rocks ancient Indian temples
[I found the following articles in one of the newsgroups]
NEW DELHI, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Archeologists say India's 1,000-year-old
Khajuraho temples, famed for their erotic carvings, are being seriously
damaged by the vibrations from airplanes taking off and landing at a
nearby airport, according to a report published Friday.
The airport, built specifically to bring tourists to Khajuraho, is so
close to the 9th century temples that pilots are forced to fly over the
ancient structures as they take off and land, The Indian Express
newspaper reported.
The vibrations from the planes are damaging the fragile facade, the
report said. The deterioration has sped up in recent years due to the
increased number of tourists visiting the remote central Indian village.
Officials from the State Archaeological Department complained to
civil aviation authorities, but government experts decided the
archeologists were overreacting, the report said.
Khajuraho, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, has 22
surviving temples that were commissioned by rulers from the Chandella
dynasty between 950 and 1050 A.D.
The temples are famous for their depiction of nymphs in erotic
positions described in the Kama Sutra, the ancient Indian manual on love
and sex.
The temples are a major tourist attraction, drawing thousands of
foreign and Indian tourists each year. Many newlywed Indians visit the
temples on their honeymoons.
But preservationists say the government has not properly maintained
the cultural site.
The temples are infested with bats that litter the area with feces,
but the government has done nothing to clear the creatures out, the
report said.
The Indian government has also ignored several huge trees whose roots
are weakening the temples' foundation.
