Conservationists restoring a neglected 11th-century Shiva temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district have made a groundbreaking engineering discovery. While reinforcing the foundation, the team found a series of hollowed-out stone channels filled with a mixture of liquid lead and charcoal, which functioned as early anti-seismic dampers to protect the massive stone shikhara from tremors.
This sophisticated engineering suggests that Paramara dynasty architects possessed advanced knowledge of metallurgy and structural physics. The restoration project, funded by a national heritage grant, is now documenting these 'metal-core' foundations before proceeding with the stabilization of the temple's upper tiers, which feature rare celestial musician carvings.