Kendrapara: A temple dedicated to Sanskrit poet Kalidasa at a non-descript village in this district is soon going to hog the limelight as plans are afoot to accord the status of a tourist site to the temple.
Kalidasa is widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the ancient language of Sanskrit. He lived around 4th-5th century CE and wrote some literary classics which are still regarded as masterpieces.
The villagers in Babkarpur under Mahakalapara block have been worshipping Kalidasa since 1802 by establishing an idol of the poet.
The administration’s move to accord tourist site tag to the temple comes at a time when the use of Sanskrit is on the wane and limited only to research.
District tourism officer Bijay Kumar Mohanty told media persons that more research would be done on the temple and a recommendation will be made to the state government to accord tourist site tag to the temple. This temple can be reached by travelling 12 km on Baladevjew temple-Angulai road in the town.
The villagers worship the poet with all reverence while rituals are performed daily by reciting hymns written by Kalidasa in his literary works.
“One can go to any temple and see the deities being worshipped with hymns taken from religious texts; but here Kalidasa is worshipped by reciting the Sanskrit hymns written by the poet himself,” Dr Bhairab Charan Jena, a native of the village and a teacher at Biju Patnaik College of Science and Education in Bhubaneswar, said.
The temple came into existence after the then zamindar Balaram Bhramarbar who was a great admirer of the poet got a stone idol of Kalidasa installed in the temple and started worshipping the poet. The villagers took over the responsibilities of the temple management after the death of the Zamindar in 1832.
Priest Uttam Kumar Mishra said the temple has become a seat of faith for the villagers. They get peace of mind when they listen to the recitation of Abhijnanashakuntalam, Rutusambhara and Meghadutam written by Kalidasa. In an effort to make the temple more attractive for visitors, the villagers have added Saraswati Puja, Kalidasa Jayanti, Ashta Prahar Nama Yajna to the annual programme list, Mishra added.
Nayanmani Samal of nearby Rajgad village said the poet who wrote many immortal classics during the rule of King Vikramaditya has touched the hearts of people. People visit the temple to pay their tributes to one of the greatest Sanskrit poets of ancient times. PNN
