Dhabaleswar out of bounds for devotees as temporary road connecting shrine washes away

The temporary road connecting Dhabaleswar temple in Athagarh area in Cuttack district has been washed away.

As per reports, the temporary road has washed away following a heavy inflow of water in the Mahanadi River.

Due to the collapse of the road, a large number of devotees coming from different areas of the State, have been deprived of getting darshan of Lord Dhabaleswar.

While devotees were using the temporary road to reach the Dhabaleswar temple, its damage has left the shrine inaccessible for them. Many devotees were seen returning home out of frustration for not able to reach the shrine and offer their worship to Lord Dhabaleswar.

Earlier, the suspension bridge connecting the temple was closed for public use following the detection of cracks by an expert team. Subsequently, Section 144 was imposed and darshan of Lord Dhabaleswar was prohibited.

However, after closure of darshan for the devotees for few months, the administration constructed a temporary road on Mahanadi river on January11, 2023.

With the temporary road being washed away and the construction of the permanent concrete bridge underway, question mark has been raised how devotees will get darshan of Lord Dhabaleswar.

“I had come from Kendrapara with my two-month-old son to offer worship to Lord Dhabaleswar. But with the temporary road being washed away due to deluge of water in Mahanadi, there is no way to visit the shrine. We are left frustrated now as we have no option but to return home without getting darshan of the Lord. We don’t know when we will get the opportunity again to visit the shrine,” said a woman devotee.

“We request the administration to complete the construction of the permanent bridge as soon as possible. Then several devotees like me coming from faraway places will get the opportunity to get darshan of Lord Dhabaleswar and offer prayer,” she added.