The Antiquities of Orissa v2.c18.34

v2.c18.34

near the coast. The inconvenience of this was so much felt that about two centuries•since, in the Mughal time, the crew of a ship landed at a distance and stealing down the coast, attacked the temple, scaled the tower and carried off the loadstone. The priests, alarmed at this violation of the sanctity of the place, removed the image of the god with all its paraphernalia to Puri, where they have ever since remained, and from that date the temple became deserted and went rapidly to ruin. As above intimated, the origin of its dilapidation may obviously be ascribed either to an earthquake or to lightning. But many causes have concurred to accelerate the progress of destruction when once a beginning had been made. To say nothing of the effects of weather on a deserted building and of the vegetation that always takes root under such circumstances, it is clear that much injury has been done by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, in forcing out the iron clamps which held the stones together, for the sake of the metal; and it is well known that the officers of the Marhatta government actually beat down a part of the walls, to procure materials for building some insignificant temples at Puri’¹⁰.