Puri: The famous Beleswar temple in Puri district of Odisha is said to be in danger due to Prachi River bank erosion. The strong water current coming from the Keluni River mouth is heavily hitting the sandbank very close to the temple. In a desperate attempt the nearby villagers have started to put sand bags in the River to divert the River water. However, they say that this temporary dam will be washed away once rain comes. The locals have appealed the administration to take some strong steps immediately to save this famous temple.
According to some researchers the Prachi river of Odisha is older than Ganga. There are many temples built in the basin of Prachi River. It includes Ekadasa (11) Madhava and Dwadasa (12) Sambhu shrines.
The age old Beleswar temple is situated near the mouth of River Keluni at the confluence of three rivers namely Prachi, Devi and Kadua. The temple is located in the triangle of the Keluni mouth. The shrine has a lot of significance.
Devotees come here by boat during low tide and return when the river bed becomes dry after the tide recedes.
While it is the most famous Shiva pitha of Astarang area, hundreds of devotees can be seen visiting here on various festivals like Sankranti, Jagara and Purnima Tithi.
The natural beauty of the place attracts tourists and devotees to come here again and again. The view of the confluence of the rivers Prachi, Devi and Kadua in the north with the ocean in the south and the sea in the west gives this Shiva pitha a unique image.
However, danger has been witnessed at the mouth of the Keluni River and Prachi River. The strong current of the river has been eroding the sand of the temple, which has created a threat to the shrine.
On the other hand, the strong current coming from the Keluni mouth eating away the sandbank where the Beleshwar Shiv Peetha is located. As the temple is only a few feet away from the River that has created danger. The locals are worried over it.
Approximately Rs 9 lakhs has been sanctioned under 5T initiative in for the beautification of this temple. However, the temple is now on the verge of extinction due to erosion.
So far no government or administrative help has been granted to handle this acute issue of River erosion to keep the temple safe. It is time now to protect this shrine from the currents of rivers and seas.
The residents of seven villages such as Natara, Karala, Badgola, Belang, Keutjunga, Raideruha, Raikana of the Korana Panchayat have started work to protect the temple.
They collected plastic bags from every house in their villages, filled those bags with sand and put them on their heads and started trying to build a dam in the river to stop the flow of the river.
Hundreds of villagers have started efforts to create a dam by dumping five thousand sandbags into the river for five days now.
As per the locals the sea at this place takes a terrible shape during low pressure in rainy days and during full moon nights. The high tides of the sea hit the sand very close to the temple. As a result, the sandbank is fatally eroded that creates peril for the temple.
Beleswar Mahadev temple which has immense mythological value, is now heading towards ruin. While the state government is undertaking various works to restore temples, the locals have appealed for some permanent solution to protect the temple.
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Ms Kalinga