Bhubaneswar, 10th Oct 2025: Due to heavy rainfall on Wednesday, sewage water overflowed and flooded the premises of the sacred Kedargouri Temple in Bhubaneswar. The filthy water remained stagnant for several hours, covering the temple premises in inches of dirty, overflowing drain water. The temple priests and servitors had to manually clean the premises themselves.
However, a serious concern now arises — since this contaminated water has entered the Kedara and other holy tanks (kundas), from tomorrow onwards, the daily bathing of the deities (Dian’s ceremonial bath) and the preparation of sacred offerings (Bhoga) would have to be done using this unclean water, which has deeply worried the temple servitors.
Reasons Behind the Crisis:
According to some senior servitors, the incomplete drainage construction work being carried out by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) near the Mukteshwar Temple area is a major reason for this issue. The drain is still unfinished, and as a result, the excess rainwater gushed into the temple premises through these open and incomplete channels.
Moreover, poor drainage and lack of a proper water exit system meant the flooded water could not be drained out from the temple compound. The sewage water and rainwater mixed together, contaminating everything.
One of the servitors expressed concern:
> “We cannot imagine how such filthy water will now be used for the ritual bathing of the deities or preparation of sacred offerings. It’s completely unacceptable.”
They further added that during the last week of August, a young man was rescued in a critical condition from an open drain in the same area. Back then, BMC officials showed some urgency, but soon after, they went silent again. Even today, the drains in the area remain open and poorly maintained.
Final Appeal from the Servitors:
All the temple servitors are demanding immediate action from BMC, urging them to wake up from their slumber and take proper steps to resolve the issue and ensure cleanliness and sanctity of the temple surroundings.
The overflow of sewage water into the sacred Kedargouri Temple due to delayed drain construction by BMC has contaminated ritual spaces. This poses a direct threat to the purity of daily religious rituals, leaving temple servitors and devotees concerned and angry.
No responses yet