(From top) The temple in the centre of the Bindusagar tank, wild vegetation grows on the boundary wall of the temple and electric wires run over its dome. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, July 19: The banks of the Bindusagar tank are home to several ancient temples and shrines. But no visitor can ignore the small shrine located right in the centre of the tank.

In fact, this monument adds a touch of elegance to the largest water body of Bhubaneswar. But, this temple, better known as Jagati by the local residents, faces various threats of nature and is already showing few signs of distress.

While the Bindusagar tank dates back to the 7th century, this shrine is believed to be contemporary in its structure.

“It is around 250 years old but not as old as the tank itself. In fact, the tank belongs to the period preceding the temples surrounding it. This shrine in the centre has been made during a later phase,” said B. K. Rath, former superintending archaeologist of the Orissa State Archaeology department.

The shrine plays an important role in the affairs of the Lingaraj temple.

During the chandan yatra festival of the deities during summer, after a boat trip around the tank, Lord Lingaraj is carried to this temple to take rest. Hence, the priests of the temple maintain the temple and whitewash it annually as well as decorate it for festive occasions.

“There was a deity in the Jagati earlier but not now. It is not used for daily worship and hence does not attract maintenance for most times of the year,” said Prafulla, a local resident.

At present, the boundary wall of the shrine has developed wild vegetation over it. Moreover, threat of algae deposit on the foundation walls of the shrine under water also lurks since regular cleaning of the outer surface of the walls is not conducted.

For visitors who admire the temple, on their visit to the Bindusagar, there is no facility to take a trip to the shrine.

“We wish there was a boat ride arrangement here to explore the massive and beautiful tank. It would have been good if we could visit the shrine at the centre,” said Peter, a tourist from France.

According to archaeologists, the foundation of the structure was built strongly and thus stands strongly even today.

“The shrine stands on a very strong foundation and has thus survived years amid water.

Of course, regular maintenance is a must for the conservation of all these ancient structures,” said Rath.