Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested the Centre to relocate and restore a 500-year-old temple submerged in River Mahanadi in Nayagarh district.
Dharmendra made the request in a letter to Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
Dharmendra informed Patel that the 60-foot-tall feet temple dedicated to Lord Gopinath, a form of Lord Vishnu, was discovered mid-river near Baideswar at Padmavati village near Nayagarh. It dates back to the late 15th or early 16th century considering its construction style and materials used for the construction, he added.
The minister also mentioned a study by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) that says the temple has major historical significance and is in a good state of preservation.
“Since the temple has the intangible historical, cultural and religious significance for the people of Odisha, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) should be directed to undertake the restoration and relocation of the temple to a suitable site,” he wrote.
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