Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur – History

Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur – History

The original temple is said to have been constructed by Jajati Keshari in 10^th century CE. Few believe that King Anangabhima Dev-III of Eastern Ganga Dynasty has built the original temple and suffered destruction by the Muslim general Kalapahad in 1568 CE. The temple was completely destroyed in 1661 CE by Khan-I-Duran, the subedar of Odisha during the reign of  Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He  built a mosque on the remains of the temple.

The devotees took the deity, crossed the Gobari River and kept the idols in a safe place near Baranga Jungle and  later shifted to  Balarampur village near Luna river at Sakhi Bata. When normalcy was restored, they finally shifted the idol to the present day Icchapur temple. The present temple was constructed in 1761 CE during the Maratha rule in Odisha. It was constructed by the king of Kujanga, Raja Gopal Sandha and Zamindar of Chhedara Killah, Srinivas Narendra Mahapatra.

Sadhu Gopi Das and Sairatak Giri convinced the then Maratha Chief Janoji to construct the Jagamohana, Bhoga Mandapa of the main temple, Gundicha temple and compound wall. The Maratha ruler agreed and built them accordingly. The Manika Debi and Jagannath Temple was built by first Mahanta Ramanuja Das. As per local belief, the temple was built by Raghuji Bhonsle, the Maratha king of Nagpur. The temple is currently under the administrative control of Endowment Department, Government of Odisha.