A 500-Yr-Old Temple That Was Submerged In 19th Century Has Just Resurfaced In An Odisha River

An ancient temple that dates back to the 15th or 16th century that has been submerged for decades has been located by a group of explorers. The archaeological survey team of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has claimed that they have discovered an ancient submerged temple in the Mahanadi upstream from Cuttack.

Intach

The temple was successfully located after repeated attempts by Intach¡¯s Project Assistant Deepak Kumar Nayak. The top of the submerged temple was discovered in the mid-river near Baideswar in the Padmavati area near Cuttack.

It is believed that the 60 ft submerged temple dates back to late 15th or early 16th century, considering the construction style of the Mastaka and the materials used for the construction. According to reports, the location of the temple was known and it used to be visible in the summers and was last seen eleven years ago. INTACH had launched its project on the Documentation of the Heritage of the Mahanadi Valley early last year.

intach

A systemic survey of all tangible and intangible heritages of the entire length of the Mahanadi from the source to the sea covering a distance of nearly 1700 km is in its final stage of completion. A multi-volume report of the nearly 800 monuments that have been documented would be released early next year. INTACH State convener Amiya Bhusan Tripathy says this will be the first-of-its-type study on any river in India and is the pilot project of the INTACH.

A comprehensive survey of the heritage on either bank has been undertaken in the nine districts through which the Mahanadi flows.

intach

The temple was dedicated to Gopinath Dev. The region used to be regarded as ¡°Satapatana¡± in early days; however, with the river changing its course due to catastrophic flooding, its flow changed and the entire village was eroded by the river. In the mid-19th Century, the deities of the vulnerable temple were removed and installed in a safer and higher place, which is presently the Gopinath Dev temple of Padmavati village.

intach

Anil Dhir, the Project Coordinator of the Mahanadi Project, who had earlier completed the Old Jagannath Sadak and the Prachi Valley Documentation, is of the opinion that the richness and diversity of the entire Mahanadi Valley has not been properly studied till date. He said that the teams had made major new discoveries, both tangible and intangible, which have earlier not been recorded.

Dhir said that the submerged temple can be relocated from the river bed and restored. Many of the temples in the Hirakud reservoir too can be dismantled and reconstructed.