Bhubaneswar, April 22 -- The process of removing sand from the sanctum sanctorum of the iconic Konark Sun Temple in Puri district has advanced a step further on Wednesday, with authorities undertaking critical structural assessments to ensure the monument's safety.

Officials informed that the condition of stones at the proposed tunnel construction site will be examined in detail. Two additional core drillings are scheduled, following which an expert team from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras will analyse the status of the sand inside the sanctum.

Earlier, two core drillings were conducted to study samples of the sand and stone layers within the temple structure. These samples were collected and sent to IIT Madras for sci...