The Akhandalamani Temple (Odia: ବାବା ଆଖଣ୍ଡଳମଣି ମନ୍ଦିର) in Aradi of Bhadrak district in Odisha is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
This location of this temple is on the banks of Baitarini (Odia: ବୈତରଣୀ), about 37 kilometers from the district headquarters Bhadrak. Between 1830 and 1940 AD, the current temple was constructed.
History of Akhandalamani Temple:
Legend has it that around 350 years ago, during the reign of Raja Sri Niladri Samara Singha Mohapatra, the Raja sent a peasant to cultivate his paddy field on the banks of the river Baitarani. While cultivating, he accidentally broke the blade of his plough by hitting it with a hard object.
The peasant was taken aback when he discovered a black glazed granite stone dripping with blood and streaming toward the Baitarani River. The peasant raced to summon the King, who arrived at the scene to discover a stream of milk in place of blood and a massive black snake encircling the stone.
That night, the monarch had a dream about Lord Akhandalamani arriving in that location. The following day, King Niladri Samara Singha Mohapatra began worshipping the great god and constructed a wooden temple on the location.
A vast number of devotees from various villages began to come to the God and adore him. The king summoned five Brahmins from the village of Naharagrama in the Jajapur area to perform Lord Akhandalamani's Seva-puja.
The current Baba Akhandalamani temple was constructed by Kanika's King Shri Harihara Bhanja and his queen Satyabhama Patadei. The temple stands at a height of about 150 feet. All of the stones of this temple were transported from Lalitgiri, a historic hill near Chandikhol.
Festivals:
The Baba Akhandalamani temple hosts a number of festivals, the most prominent of which is Mahasibaratri or Jagara. On this day, pilgrims and devotees from all across the state gather at Aradi to worship Akhandalamani.
Bolbam worshippers, also known as Kaudia, flock to Aradi in big numbers during Shrabani Mahotsav in the month of Sravana to worship God and pour holy water over the Shiva Linga.
Other festivals held in Akhandalamani Temple include Pana Sankranti, Chandan Jatra, Shiba Vivah, Jhulana Yatra, Ganesh Puja, Durga Puja, Kalipuja & Diwali, Kartika Purnima, Gita Jayanti, Dola Jatra, and others.
The major prasad of Baba Akhandalamani Temple is Gharsana. This prasad is made up of a variety of elements that we generally use to make Pana on Pana Sankranti, however this prasad is offered to Baba Akhandalamani on a daily basis.
I've clicked all these photos and collected this information from different books and journals. You can find similar words on Wikipedia because I've written there too.
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