KENDRAPARA: The 400-year-old Ma Panchubarahi temple at the rehabilitation colony at Bagapatia under Rajnagar block of Kendrapara district is all set to be brought under the tourism map, where only Dalit women of the fishing community act as priestess. Men are forbidden from touching the deities.
The district tourism office has recently suggested before the State tourism department to include this unique temple in the State’s tourist map and the department is contemplating to give tourist tag to the temple, said Bijaya Mohanty, the district tourist officer of Kendrapara on Thursday.
The original temple was relocated from the sea-erosion hit Satabhaya village on April 20 to Bagapatia, 12 km from its original abode, to save the temple from the advancing sea.About 571 families of Satabhaya were also rehabilitated at the rehabilitation colony at Bagapatia. Satabhaya is an inaccessible seaside village as one has to cross a crocodile-infested Bausagadi river and trek 12 km long bad road to reach the temple for which only a few are able to visit the temple.
“The new address of the temple at Bagapatia is well connected with good road for which we decided to suggest the government to include this temple in tourist map to attract more visitors to this newly built temple,” added Mohanty.
At present, five priestesses have been worshipping the deities in the temple on rotation basic. Men are disallowed to act as priests. So are the widows. Male members are also debarred from touching the Goddesses for which many tourists will visit this rare temple in the State after its inclusion in the tourist map,” added Mohanty.
The temple situates within Bhitarkanika National Park for which many tourists, including overseas tourists who visit Bhitarkanika, will also visit the rare temple during their journey to the India’s second largest mangrove forest, added Mohanty.
Recently, the officials of tourist department and other officials visited the famous temple. “We are happy that the district administration has recently decided to include this temple in the State’s tourist map to attract more people to this unique temple,” said Rasmita Sahani, Sarapanch of Satabhaya Gram Panchayat.