Dhamnagar: There are so many ancient shrines having mythological and architectural significance in this block of Bhadrak district that badly need renovation.
The Ambiliswar Shiva temple of Ambiligaon under Bayangdihi panchayat is one of them.
According to locals, there is an interesting legend behind the name of the temple. Though no one knows about the exact year of the manifestation of the deity, the devotees named him Ambiliswar as the holy water often tastes sour (Ambila in Oriya). As the nearby hamlet had a significant number of servitors of the deity, the area, with the passage of time, came to be known as Ambiligaon.
Legend has it that five shrines of Lord Shiva located within a few km radius of Birajakhetra in Jajpur on the banks of Baitarani are for the protection of Goddess Biraja, the presiding deity of Jajpur. They are Siddheswar near Jajpur, Kilateswar at Khangara, Ambileswar at Ambiligaon, Bileswar near Betaligaon and Baba Akhandalamani in the east.
The Maratha rulers, after spotting the Ambileswar shrine, offered homestead and cultivated land to a servitor named Purnananda Panda to carry out the rituals. At present, 16 Brahmin families are conducting the rituals in turns. Earlier, the deity was being worshipped under a roof made from palm leaves but subsequently it converted into a thatched roof and later into a concrete temple in 1967.
According to some old timers of Ambiligaon, Golak Sahoo of Nadigaon village had completed the temple’s construction after he dreamed an oracle regarding this. As the Shiva linga inside the temple manifested from the earth, the villagers, to save it from flood waters, tried to raise its height by excavating the ground. However, they failed in their effort. The devotees have now consecrated seven more lingas near the main linga.
Though a number of festivals are celebrated across the year, the shrine received massive footfall during Mahashivaratri, Rahas Purnima, Dola Utsav, Sheetal Shasthi and Pana Sankranti. The servitors follow the daily rituals with utmost sanctity.
Brahmananda Panda is the chief servitor of the temple while Giridhari Panda is a senior servitor who oversees the affairs of the shrine.
Despite its popularity and considerable antiquity, Ambileswar shrine is lying in a state of neglect.
The roads connecting the temple are in a miserable state, said Giridhari panda.
In the absence of information signage, devotees face a lot of difficulties in reaching the site, he added.
Chief servitor Panda said there is a need for erecting a boundary wall around the temple and an attractive gate. Apart from this, he demanded tourist destination tag for the ancient shrine. PNN
