Odisha's Chandaneswar Shiva temple wallows in neglect
BALASORE: The famous Chandaneswar temple, a pilgrimage site for devotees of Lord Shiva not only from Odisha but also from West Bengal, Bihar and other states, continues to languish in the deep-rooted apathy of the government.
The holy shrine is in dire need of protection of its structure. Cracks have appeared on the temple roof and sanctum santorum, yet, these remain unattended enhancing the risk to the temple by each passing day. The temple also lacks in basic facilities like drinking water, lighting, visitor sheds and other amenities.
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Surendra Kumar Polei, a devotee from 24 Parganas district of West Bengal said there has been little change in the temple since the last time he visited it 12 years back.
He said rather than getting better, infrastructure of the temple has only got worse over the years. Polei said devotees visit the shrine from far-flung places and they need a place to rest after worshipping the deities.
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Chandaneswar is one of the holiest religious sites of North Odisha. Chadak Mela is an important festival, which is celebrated at the shrine.
Thousands of devotees from Odisha and outside visit the temple during the festival in the month of April. Besides, Bol Bom devotees offer holy water on the Shiva Lingam here during the holy month of Shravan.
Sources said a Trust board was formed to manage the temple’s affairs in 1981 with the Collector of
Balasore as its chairman, Bhograi MLA and former Higher Education Minister Ananta Das as the president and tehsildar as the executive authority.
However, the servitors of the temple have resented the functioning of the board. They said the walls of the temple have developed cracks and the servitors face a lot of inconvenience while conducting the daily rituals due to leakage of rainwater during monsoon.
Servitors Mihir Panda and Tarun Panda said at least four doors of the main temple complex have been damaged. They said the Trust board had assured to repair the doors but the work is yet to start.
Meanwhile, Das said the meeting of the Trust board was held recently and discussions held on developing the temple and its infrastructure. He said the board will provide all funds for the restoration works.