ODISHA 1 SAKSHI GOPAL TEMPLE

GLIMPSES OF ODISHA

Like intricate latticework on a window lets in warmth and shows you only glimpses at a time of the beauty it hides on the other side; Odisha as a state with beautiful temples, great beaches, and monuments reveal more and more as one explores its vast lands.

Located on the southeastern coast of India Odisha has a gorgeous coastline of 485 kms that is a yet unravished by swarms of tourists.  Since as a state it has something for everyone we decided to begin our explorations with locations closest to Bhubaneswar which is the main airport in Odisha is connected by flights to various cities.

From Bhubaneswar all important tourist spots are approachable by road and the nearest point is the Sakshi Gopal Temple which is about 60 kms away. My wife is an ardent believer of Lord Krishna and hence we wanted to visit this temple dedicated to him first. The temple is locally known as Satyabadi Gopinatha Temple.

When we arrived at the temple we heard the interesting story of its origins. It is said that a poor young man in the village, called Sakhigopala, fell in love with the daughter of the village headman. However, being of a higher economic status, the headman opposed marriage between this young man and his daughter.  Every year all the villagers, used to undertake a pilgrimage to Kashi. This year was no different and everyone including the headman and the young man went on the pilgrimage to Kashi. Enroute the village headman fell ill and was abandoned by fellow villagers.  Fortunately for him, the young man tended to him so well that he soon got well and, in gratitude, promised his daughter in marriage to the young man. They happily completed their pilgrimage together and returned home. However, as soon as they returned to the village, the headman went back on his promise, asking the young man to produce a witness in support of his claim. The young man was distraught and did not know what to do. He could not bear to live in the village anymore and so set up a small hutment on the outskirts spending his days in prayer to Lord Gopala and seeking his help.

Lord Gopala, impressed by the young man's devotion, agreed to come and bear witness to the promise on one condition: that the young man lead the way and he would follow, but the young man must never look back. He led the way to the village, passing a mound of sand. As they passed, the man could not hear the Lord's footsteps and turned back. Immediately the Lord turned into a statue of stone rooted to the spot. Some of the villagers passing were witnesses to this and soon the news spread through the entire village. The villagers were still so impressed that God himself came to back the young man's claim that they permitted the youngsters to get married despite the headman’s protests. The young couple was later appointed as the first priests of the temple built in Lord Gopala's honour at the spot where the Lord had turned into a statue of stone.  Since the Lord himself had descended to bear witness they decided to name the temple SakshiGopala temple. The Sanskrit word for witness is Sakshi. Sakshi Gopala literally translating into Lord Gopala the witness.

The temple has one vimana (Gopuram). The idol of Krishna is of black granite and is about 5 ft tall. It is said that one must visit this temple before visiting the Jagannatha Temple at Puri. The temple is built in Kalinga style and has umpteen bells inside the main verandah. The hall is equipped with beautiful encrypted designs. His lovable sakhis portraits are also engraved beautifully inside the main mandapam. It was built exactly like Jagannath Temple and has the same architecture.

(Appa insert a photo of the temple here and write a few more words about its architecture if you like)

The locals' love for this temple is heightened as they believe this is a true example of how Lord Krishna will always be there for you. Their faith leads them to share more details during our drive back. 

I smile inwardly as I think of how true the people are to their culture. A lesser-known fact is that the state was earlier called Orissa modified from Oriya which means “Oral”. It was an area that was known for its oral storytellers, passing tales and folklore down verbally for centuries.

At the temple, we met a local villager who tells us about the Gajapati King of Orissa Sri Purusottam Dev who brought the statue from Vidyanagar (1467 to 1495).The King installed the statue at his fort at Cuttack which was worshipped by Lord Chaitanya on his way to Puri. After a Muslim invasion, the statue was shifted from place to place by the Khurda chiefs and at last, it was stationed at Alasa. It is told the other name of Sakshigopala is Alasa, but at present, there is a small village called Alasa near Sakshigopala. Alasa has a few dhabas for a quick lunch. There rea no places for overnight stay.

Anyway, Puri is just a 30-minute drive away with a number of resorts and hotels.

Tomorrow we head to Jagannath Temple and while we are excited to pay our obeisance’s I am also thrilled with the anticipation of its beauty. If Saskshigopala temple which is considered the stepping to Jagannath is so beautiful; I can't imagine how enthralling Jagannath Temple will be!