Kamakhyanagar: As it seems, the Dhenkanal district administration is least bothered about the historical Lord Kapileswar shrine under Kamakhyanagar block which dates back to the Ganga dynasty.
Crores of rupees are being spent every year by the state government on restoration, beautification and development works of historical monuments across Odisha. But the apathetic attitude of Dhenkanal district administration has astonished local denizens and intelligentsia.
Also read: Facts about the ancient temple that emerged from River Mahanadi in Nayagarh
Kapileswar shrine bears testimony of exquisite craftsmanship of the then artistes in stone carving. Due to lack of administrative empathy as well as adequate maintenance, the shivaite shrine has run down over the years and is on the verge of losing its existence.
Flood waters have been constantly posing a threat to the temple every year. One would reach Badasuanlo Chhak after covering a distance of nearly 7 km on Kamakhyanagar-Bhuban national highway (NH-53). Again, after proceeding around 2 km further from there on Hatuari-Jagannathpur road, one can reach the Kapileswar temple.
Notably, the shrine is entirely surrounded by River Ramial.
In 1994-95, the management of this temple was entrusted to the endowment department. Due to lack of proper coordination between servitors and the endowment department, the Lord’s properties gradually went to the possession of local encroachers.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took over the maintenance in 1996. For over 20 years there was no development. A master plan was then chalked out for constructing a compound wall of stone around the temple. As against this, ASI carried out stone-packing works only at a few places of the shrine in 2015.
“The dilapidated condition of Kapileswar temple might fail to stand the test of time, if not repaired. Being hit often by flood water, west side of the temple has developed large cracks. Parswa Devatas around the shrine have almost lost their existence”, some villagers fumed.
However, local residents belonging to 15 villages of Jagannathpur, Baligorada and Badasuanlo panchayats had attempted several times for restoration of the temple in between 2010-12.
On being contacted, renowned researcher and Angul Additional Collector Tapan Kumar Satpathy said, “It is believed that Kapileswar shrine was built in 12th century AD, during the reign of Ganga dynasty. As Hindu royal families at that time were mostly devoted to Lord Shiva, Ganga rulers had constructed the temple.”
Attempts should be made at all levels for restoration of the temple. If given proper maintenance, this old historical monument of Dhenkanal district could ever remain a good testimony of our past and a source of information for researchers, Satpathy added.
PNN