Aradi: Following low pressure-induced incessant rain that has been battering the district for the last 24 hours, rainwater flooded Monday morning the famous Shaivite Akhandalamani shrine at Aradi in Bhadrak. The water has entered the Garva Gruha of the temple and is flowing at a height of more than one foot above the ground. As a result, the idol of Mani Baba has been partly submerged under water. Pumps were pressed into service to drain out the water, a servitor of the temple said.
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Due to the flooding, the daily rituals of the deity including Mangal Arati got delayed for hours. However, servitors and officials of the shrine said that this is not a new situation to them. The shrine gets submerged under water during floods or when there is heavy rainfall incessantly.
Despite repairing the walls of the Shaivite shrine’s Garva Gruha, water continues to flood into it, said a servitor. Local devotees have demanded a permanent solution to the problem.
PNN