Odisha CM inaugurates redeveloped Samaleswari Temple, days after Jagannath shrine project

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated the redeveloped Samaleswari Temple in Sambalpur district, one of the most revered shrines in the western region of the state.

The 16th-century Samaleswari Temple on the banks of the Mahanadi has undergone a transformation over 39 acres of its peripheral area under a Rs 200-crore project.

Amenities such as a boarding house for pilgrims, a park, a cafeteria, a new Trust Board Office and a museum came up as part of the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) project.

The programme was held 10 days after the opening of the Heritage Corridor Project in the Jagannath Tempe in Puri, under which several amenities were added to the 12th-century shrine.

Patnaik unveiled the SAMALEI project after offering prayers at Maa Samaleswari temple in the presence of dignitaries, temple priests and servitors.

Programmes at the Jagannath temple on January 17 and Samaleswari Temple on Saturday were strategically timed with the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.

The Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC), which implemented the Heritage Corridor Project in Puri, was also assigned the transformation of the SAMALEI project.

Patnaik in a video message to the people said that Odisha will always remember those who volunteered to forego their land for the SAMALEI project.

The Chief Minister also said that the SAMALEI project would help boost tourism and local economy in the Western region of the state.

He said the project could be completed with the blessings of Maa Samaleswari despite the obstacles created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The work for the project started in February 2021.

Five mandaps have been set up on the temple premises where yajna will be performed till January 30. As many as 51 priests from 11 districts of Sambalpur led by Pandit Mahendra Kumar Pujari of Sambalpur have been performing the rituals at the temple. Prior to the inauguration, on Friday a Kalash Yatra was taken out with the participation of 1100 women besides cultural troupes. The water brought during the Yatra will be used for the holy bath of the deity.

Following the yajna, the Chief Minister visited the newly developed facilities on the premises including Mission Shakti Café. He interacted with the Self Help Group (SHG) women members. Later, the CM extended his gratefulness to the individuals who contributed to the project, including seven Padmashree awardees from the region.

The Gopal Jee Matha adjacent to the temple has been brought under the temple premises, the Matha Mahanta, Hrusikesh Dash was also felicitated by the CM for donating land to the project.

In the first phase of redevelopment, a heritage corridor was developed over an area of 1km. In the first phase, Bhog mandap, a room for devotees, a cloakroom, an information centre, a watch tower and a cafeteria were unveiled. Another major attraction is the Arati Ghat developed at the Mahanadi riverfront which is 350 meters long and 25 meters wide. A 31-meter-wide platform has been made for the purpose of evening arati. Official sources said that while until now, the temple was witnessing a footfall of 5000-10,000 devotees a day, and post-inauguration, it is expected to attract more than 20 thousand devotees regularly, with the potential to host up to 1 lakh people during festivals. The festive fervour was visible in the evening also. While the first Mahanadi arati was performed on the riverfront amid participation of over 1000 spectators, it was followed by a cultural programme and light and sound show on the temple premises.