A major fire broke out inside the premises of the famous Taratarini temple at Purusottampur in Ganjam district on Tuesday when a large number of devotees had congregated on account of the Maha Saptami.
A fire brigade team rushed to the spot which doused the flames and brought the situation under control. There has been no report of any injury or casualty in the mishap.
As per reports, the fire broke out in the Dwipa Gruha (room for lighting earthen lamps) of the temple at around 11 am when devotees had crowded the temple premises on the auspicious Maha Saptami to offer prayers. As over hundreds of earthen lamps were lit inside the temple, the flames spread in the interiors of the room, informed sources.
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"Several devotees swarmed the temple to offer prayers and witness the auspicious rituals of Maha Saptami of the deities at the temple. However, they threw the ghee containers and packs of incense sticks within the premises after lighting up the diyas. We believe that the flames spread within the room from the diyas and caught the inflammable materials lying scattered. We can't also deny the possibilities of a short circuit behind the fire," said Dhruba Charan Rana, a temple priest.
"Following the mishap, we immediately informed the fire brigade. The team immediately arrived at the spot and brought the fire under control," added Rana.
Though no casualties were reported, property within the room was gutted in the blaze, informed sources.
"Fire service personnel successfully doused the flames before the fire could spread further and cause damage to the structure," said a fire brigade official.
Later in the day, Ganjam Collector and District Magistrate's official handle Tweeted: "A small fire accident took place at Dip Ghar of Maa Taratarini temple. Immediately fire was controlled by Fire Department. No damage For temple. Jai Maa Taratarini"