Bhubaneswar, March 29 -- Amid growing discussion over suspected underground structures detected around the Jagannath Temple in Puri, historians and archaeologists have suggested that such tunnel-like features may have been historically used for movement by kings, sevayats, and other functionaries connected to the shrine.

The observations follow a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey conducted by IIT Gandhinagar, the draft report of which was submitted to the Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation (OBCC). The survey identified a major subsurface feature measuring nearly 6 metres in width and around 90 metres in length in the south-east zone of the temple. The structure is believed to be part of an underground network, possibly an ancient...