Explorers Discovered A Submerged 500-Year-Old Temple In An Odisha River

Recently, a group of explorers has just discovered a submerged ancient temple that is from the 15th or 16th century. The archaeological survey team from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage claimed that the submerged temple was found in the Mahanadi upstream, Cuttack.

After repeated attempts of Project Assistant Deepak Kumar Nayak, the team successfully located the temple. They discovered the top of the temple in the mid-river that is near Baideswar, Padmavati area.

The submerged temple is 60ft underwater is believed to come from the late 15th or early 16th century given the Mastaka’s construction style as well as the materials. The temple used to be visible during the summers. The last time it was seen was eleven years ago. Last year, INTACH launched its Documentation of the Heritage of the Mahanadi Valley project.

The submerged temple was built to worship Gopinath Dev. In the early days, the region used to be considered as “Satapatana.” However, catastrophic flooding led to the change of the river, affecting its flow. Soon enough, the river eroded the entire village. In the mid-19th century, people removed the deities inside the vulnerable temple and installed them in a higher and safer place, which is now the Gopinath Dev temple in Padmavati village.

The Mahanadi Project’s Project Coordinator, Anil Dhir, who had finished the Old Jagannath Sadak as well as the Prachi Valley Documentation, says that to date, the diversity and richness of the Mahanadi Valley haven’t been properly studied.

Dhir also says that it is possible to relocate and restore the submerged temple. Many of the temples that are located in the Hirakud reservoir can also be dismantled and reconstructed.

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