The workers digging earth for construction of the District Planning Office in front of Collectorate located at the Jumma Mosque side here on Wednesday stumbled upon the remains of a Hindu temple, said official sources.
After digging for more than three feet, the workers unearthed the remnants of the structure, which, according to some, is a citadel whereas some others opined that it is the arch stone of a Hindu shrine.
District Collector Durga Prasad Behera asked the State Archeology Department (SAD) to visit Kendrapada to study the excavated remnants. Meanwhile, the district administration took possession of the remnants and stored them at the Collectorate in the presence of the police.
As per the legend, the original Baladevjew Temple, which was earlier at the spot from where the remnants were unearthed, was demolished by Khan-i-Duran (1660-1667 AD), the then Subedar of Odisha during the time of Moghul Emperor Aurangazeb on April 2, 1661 AD.
He constructed Jumma Masjid on the foundation of the dismantled temple in the year 1663. Devotees of lord Baladevjew took the deity in disguise in a boat through the river Govari and kept the deity in a secret place near Baranga (Chhedara) Jungle.
Afterwards, it was shifted to Sakhibata at Balarampur near the river luna.Baladevjew was worshipped at Sakhibata for nine years before the construction of the lord’s own abode at Ichhapur in Kendrapada.