A 500-year-old temple dedicated to an incarnation of Lord Vishnu once stood on the banks of the Mahanadi River in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, a place of worship for seven nearby villages. But after a flood in the 1800s, the river changed course, forcing villagers to abandon the temple and their homes to disappear under the rushing waters. For generations, no one knew the temple’s exact location, despite efforts by the Indian Trust for Conservation of Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
However, the temple suddenly reappeared earlier this week when the water level of the Mahanadi River dropped so low that the top of the structure was exposed. Anil Dhir, who led the search, said his team had successfully found several temples in the Mahanadi River valley, but all efforts to locate the 18-meter-high temple had been in vain.
"The temple was located between seven villages collectively called Satapatana. Between 1830 and 1850, after a severe flood, the river began to change course and swallow the villages. The villages were abandoned or moved away, but the temple remained intact. The statue of Lord Vishnu was moved to another place. The villagers built a new temple and installed the statue there in 1855. The old temple was submerged under the river and remained in the water for the following years," Dhir said.
According to Dhir, the temple used to rise about 1.5 meters every year during the summer months. However, after the dam was built, the river level rose and the temple has not been exposed for 20 years. Photos taken by the INTACH team show the stone disc-shaped structure at the top of the main tower of the Hindu temple close to the water.
Anil said the temple was built by a local king in the 16th-17th century in the Kalingan architectural style. He stressed that the local government has no plans to excavate the temple at present as the river is very dangerous and the water is fast flowing.
