Nayagarh: Following the re-appearance of 500-year-old submerged Gopinath temple in River Mahanadi after 11 years, a team of experts will visit the temple for inspection in Padmabati village in Bhapur block of Nayagarh district, Tuesday.
The team comprises of Dr Rajiv Lochan Mishra from IIT, Bhubaneswar and an archaeologist from Uttar Pradesh’s Rohilkhand University, Prof Anup Ranjan Mishra.
Sources said that locals found the ‘mastaka’, or the top-part of the temple in the Mahanadi. It was last seen 11 years ago when the Mahanadi’s water level reduced significantly. Since the re-emergence of the temple top, different theories are doing the rounds. While some claim that the submerged village was then known as ‘Hatuari’, some others say ‘Barohi’ was the name of the village.
At the same time, archeology expert Surendra Mishra was sanguine about the existence of the ancient temple. “Since the top portion of the temple still exists, it suggests that the whole structure including the foundation should be intact. It is believed that the temple was constructed during the time of Surya dynasty ruler Purusottam Dev,” Mishra said.
“During Kanchi Abhiyan, the then kings of Nayagarh, Ranpur, Khandapara and Daspalla assisted Purusottam Dev. In the years that followed, several temples were constructed under the auspices of Surya dynasty,” Mishra added.
However, local residents urged the government to take steps to recover the temple as it can throw more light on the temple architecture of that era.
PNN
