11th-century Siva Tirtha Samadhis rise from ruins
■ Activist spots 16 samadhis in Odisha capital
The emergence of 16 old Samadhis of the Siva Tirtha Mutt in the Old Town is drawing a lot of interest from locals, scholars and historians.
The existence of these Samadhis was recently explored by historian and heritage expert Anil Dhir, and reported to the authorities and the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Samadhis, half buried under rubble and vegetation, had been long forgotten and had been encroached upon from all sides.
The six buildings in front of it were slated for demolition after the no objection certificates (NOCs) had been obtained from the owners.
“Had the existence of the Samadhis not been reported, they would have been buried under the debris and removed with the rubble. The present
demolition was done in a controlled and careful manner, ensuring that no damage was done to the Samadhis. In fact the demolition stopped just two feet away from the structures,” the historian told this newspaper on Friday.
Mr Dhir said that these groups of Samadhis are of the earlier mahants of the Siva Tirtha Mutt which dates back to the late 11th century and its origin is contemporary with that of
the Lingaraj Temple.
“The mutt, which has lost a lot of its relevance, was once an important centre and had many responsibilities in the day to day affairs of the temple. Various religious functions were assigned to it, including many rituals during the annual Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraj which Prime Mininster Narendra Modi had visited in 2017,” he said.