A major restoration project at a remote 10th-century temple in Chhattisgarh's Maikal Hills has yielded an extraordinary discovery: a series of copper-plate astral maps hidden within the ceiling of the Sun God's sanctum. Attributed to the Kalachuri-Chedi dynasty, the temple was undergoing structural stabilization when engineers noticed loose masonry in the sikhara. The copper plates detail the precise movement of the sun and seven planets through the zodiac as observed a millennium ago.
Conservationists are now using non-invasive laser cleaning to reveal the original sandstone carvings, which were covered by centuries of thick moss and lichen. The temple's design includes a unique 'light-funnel' that directs the first rays of the morning sun through a series of apertures to illuminate the heart of the copper maps during the vernal equinox. This finding highlights the advanced astronomical knowledge integrated into the sacred architecture of the Kalachuri period.