By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The sacred Baitarani River, celebrated in ancient texts, has long nurtured a civilization rich in archaeology, history and heritage. Along its banks once flourished the capital of Odisha’s Bhaumakaras and Somavamsis—Guheshwarapataka, which later became Yajnanagara and is known today as Jajpur. The presiding deity of Jajpur, Maa Biraja, remains the most significant Shakti Peetha of the valley. Historical evidence confirms that this river valley has been a center of Devi worship since ages, where countless deities have been venerated as village goddesses under diverse names. While some of these sacred shrines continue to be revered, many lie abandoned and neglected.
With the objective of tracing these forgotten shrines and documenting them for future archaeological records, the Rediscover Lost Heritage (RLH) Group has initiated a heritage exploration program. On Sunday, 14th September, members of the group undertook a detailed survey of the Baitarani river valley.
The program was led by young heritage researcher from Jajpur, Nrupati Nihar Siala, and actively supported by Deepak Kumar Nayak, Suman Prakash Swain, Bikram Kumar Nayak, Madhabananda Bhoi, and Barada Prasad Jena, among others. The team visited several ancient sites, engaged with local communities about their historical and archaeological importance, and emphasized the need for preservation.
Providing further details, researcher Nrupati Nihar Siala stated that their team documented seven ancient goddess shrines during the survey. Although locally worshipped as village deities with unique names, many of these shrines in fact represent the cultural and religious practices of Jain, Buddhist, and Brahmanical traditions that once thrived in the Baitarani valley.
Among the sites documented were: the Subarnamukhi shrine in Nerada (Bhadrak district), Satabhauṇi Thakurani of Habeleshwar (Keonjhar district), Pancharatna Temple, Sunamuhin and Jagulei Thakurani of Mukundapur, Saanal Thakurani of Ranpur, and Brahmani Thakurani of Nuagada (Jajpur District). From these locations, the team discovered ancient idols, ruined temple remains, votive stupas, hero stones, and inscribed stones etc. A detailed research report will be published soon.
Speaking on the occasion, heritage researcher and founding member of RLH Group, Deepak Kumar Nayak, highlighted that for the past four years, the organization has been consistently working towards the documentation and preservation of Odisha’s neglected heritage. Earlier, the group has conducted similar documentation along the Prachi, Kushabhadra, and Ratnachira river valleys. Looking ahead, RLH plans to conduct three more heritage explorations in the Baitarani valley during 2026, culminating in a comprehensive report to be submitted to the Department of Culture, Government of Odisha.
