Fungal deterioration of historical monument with reference to Jaleshwarnath temple of Shivpur, Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

Stone objects may support novel communities of microorganisms that are active in bio-deterioration process. Bio-film on the sandstone monuments contains a complex of consortia of Bryophyta and Fungi. The Bryophyta make up the photosynthetic part of the bio-film while hyphae, filaments and spores take part as fungal components. These structures make a dense layer by intertwining over the surface of sandstone monuments. In the present investigation 10 samples were collected from different sites of Jaleshwarnath temple of Shivpur of Chhattisgarh and their surroundings. The five (05) fungal species were isolated which have dominance over sandstone structures of the monuments. During investigation period it was observed that Aspergillus sp. was found most dominant. The identified micro fungi cause discoloration as well as mechanical exfoliation of building stone material that was analyzed through mechanical hyphae penetration and production of dark pigments and organic acids.