Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur –
History
The
original temple is said to have been constructed by Jajati Keshari in 10th
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.
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