New concrete bridge connecting Dhabaleswar shrine thrown open for devotees 

The newly-constructed concrete bridge connecting Dhabaleswar Temple at Athagarh area in Cuttack district will be opened for devotees from today.

Though the construction work is yet to be completed, the devotees will be allowed to use the bridge to visit the 16th century shrine, informed Athagarh MLA and Odisha Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment Minister, Ranendra Pratap Swain.

“The bridge connecting Dhabaleswar shrine will be opened for devotees and kawadiyas in view of the holy Shravan month. Once the project work gets over, the bridge will be officially inaugurated,” Swain said.

Notably, the Dhabaleswar temple located on an island of the Mahanadi remained out of bounds for devotees after a temporary road connecting the shrine was washed away on June 30 due to incessant rain.

Earlier, the suspension bridge connecting the temple was also closed for public use following the detection of cracks by an expert team. 

The construction of the 276-metre long and 6.2-metre-wide bridge began in 2021. The bridge connecting Mancheswar village to Dhabaleswar temple has been constructed at an expense of Rs 22.28 crore.

Besides, two 360-meter-long connecting roads to the bridge have also been constructed.