Sambalpur: The light and sound show at the 16th-century Samaleswari Temple in Western Odisha’s Sambalpur city has resumed after six months, an official said Saturday.
The Samaleswari Temple Trust Board will run and manage the light and sound show, said president of the trust, Sanjay Baboo.
He said the script for the light and sound show has been stopped since September 2024 due to a technical snag. The script has been prepared both in Odia and Hindi. “We are also planning to prepare scripts in Sambalpuri language soon,” he said.
The duration of the show will be around ten minutes, during which the history of Samaleswari Temple, rituals and festivals celebrated, and the culture of Western Odisha are also being exhibited in the light and sound show, he added.
The light and sound show will be an added attraction for tourists visiting the temple. It is also expected that the show will be helpful in attracting more numbers of tourists to this holy shrine.
The 16th-century Samalesewari Temple, which was constructed by the first Chauhan king of Sambalpur, Balram Dev, is a major tourist attraction of this region. Devotees and tourists from across the state come to the temple for a glimpse of the deity, Samaleswari.
The state government has set up the Samalei (Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economic Initiative) corridor project over 42 acres of land adjacent to the temple at an expenditure of Rs 200 crore. The facility was inaugurated in January last year.
Second phase construction of this project slated to be completed by February next year, an official said, adding that the first phase of this project includes beautification, river front development, construction of ghat, four gates, cafeteria, renovation of heritage pond, haat (shopping complex), parking area, bhoga mandapam, war watch tower and line system for devotees.
PTI
