ASI declares Odisha's Swapneswar Mahadev temple as protected monument

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared Swapneswar Mahadev temple, built in 6th-century, as a protected monument site.

The Shiva temple is located at Punjiama village in Banpur block of Khurda district.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by...the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the Central Government hereby declares that the ancient monument specified...to be of national importance," read a Gazette notification issued by the ASI on July 2 this year.

Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, who is looking after the endowment commission, has expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and G Kishan Reddy for their special contributions in preserving Odisha's ancient temple.

In a post on X, Harichandan said his father Biswabhusan Harichandan in 1977-78, when he was the then Minister of Culture in Odisha, has given the responsibility of the temple to the state endowment commission for its maintenance and protection.

Later, the shrine fell into a state of neglect. After Prime Minister Modi assumed the charge at Centre, the ASI initiated the process of taking over the responsibility of the temple, he said.

After the formation of the double-engine government in Odisha in 2024, the process was accelerated due to the tireless efforts of the chief minister and Pradhan and now it has been officially declared a protected monument site by the ASI, he said.

The Swapneswar temple, a rare relic of Odisha's ancient architectural and spiritual heritage, is believed to have been established during the Shailodbhava dynasty in the 6th century.