500-year-old temple
A 500-year-old temple that is believed to be submerged during the 19th century, has resurfaced in the Mahanadi river in Odisha's Nayagarh district. A team of explorers from Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), working under Project Assistant Deepak Kumar Nayak, discovered the ancient temple that dates back to the 15th or 16th century in Mahanadi upstream from Cuttack.
500-year-old temple resurfaces in Odisha's Mahanadi
The top of the 60 ft submerged temple was discovered in the mid-river near Baideswar village in the Padmavati area near Cuttack. As per reports, the temple becomes visible during summers and it was last seen 11-years-ago. The INTACH team started the Documentation of the Heritage of the Mahanadi Valley last year.
500-year-old temple resurfaces in Odisha's Mahanadi
The team believes that the temple has the construction style of the 'mastaka' and it is dedicated to Lord Gopinath Dev, a form of Lord Vishnu. The Padmavati village where the temple has been found used to be regarded as a part of Satapatana, a combination of seven villages.
As the river changing its course due to catastrophic flooding, Mahanadi's flow changed and the entire village submerged. In the mid-19th century, the idols of deities in the temple were removed and installed in safer places for worship.
500-year-old temple resurfaces in Odisha's Mahanadi
Villagers believe that there are 22 such temples in the area but only ‘mastaka’ of Gopinath Deba temple is visible from some years as it is the tallest among all.
