“Inscription uncovers details about Chitreswari temple’s construction”

Cuttack (Deepak Nayak) : Historical details behind the constuction of Goddess Chitreswari temple situated at Chitreswari village in Kakatpur block of Puri district are revealed with the decipherment of stone inscription by the epigraphists of Kalinga Epigraphical Research Society (K.E.R.S.). The inscription is found engraved over the Padapadma pitha of Goddess Chitreswari’s stone image. Members of K.E.R.S. Satyajit Swain, Bikram Kumar Nayak, Mihir Bahinipati, Bishnu Mohan Adhikari & Deepak Kumar Nayak carried out this epigraphical research jointly. 

Sharing more details on this Epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari has said we noticed three lines of writings in Odia script & Sanskrit language inscribed over the lotus pedestal in Goddess Chitreswari’s stone image. Considering the script used, the inscription can be assigned to the beginning part of 19th Century CE. We have deciphered the writings as below :

Line 1- He maa taba charana kinkara_ _

Line 2- nrupa sadalaye chitreswari nabinam_cha prabhuta jena

Line 3- silpibarah Sreepati  namadheya

From the above writings it is understood that a sculptor named Sreepati had sculpted the idol of Goddess Chitreswari during the construction of the new temple, said Adhikari. 

As per history researcher Deepak Kumar Nayak, the worshiping of Goddess Chitreswari is being carried out in the Prachi River Valley since ancient times. Mentions of Goddess Chitreswari & Utpaleswara Mahadev are found in the Prachi Mahatmya, a mythological account on the Prachi river. Chitreswari was the presiding Goddess of Golaragada which is situated very close to this site. The local rulers of Golaragada were deployed by the Eastern Ganga Kings to protect & safeguard the naval borders near the estuary of Prachi & Chitrotpala rivers. They held the title Muhana Kimbhira (Crocodile of Estuary) for their fearless services in protecting the naval borders. Goddess Chitreswari was a revered Goddess for maritimers those used to pass through River Chitrotpala (a branch river of Prachi). The original abode of the Goddess was said to be near the estuary of Prachi river. However due to some unknown reasons the royal family of Golaragada became poor and ineffective thereby resulting negligence in the worshiping of Chitreswari. In later period, a new temple was constructed at the current site in front of the ruined Shiva temple & a new image of goddess was also sculptured by Shilpibara Sreepati whose name is known from the inscription. Although, the inscription does not provide any data on the construction date of the temple or the image of the Goddess, however the script used indicates the construction towards early part of 19th Century, said Deepak Nayak.