Odisha: Odisha's heritage gets new honor. The 6th-century ancient Swapneshwar Mahadev temple, located in Punjiama village of Khordha district of odisha, has now been declared a protected monument of national importance by the Archaeological survey of india (ASI). This announcement was made through a gazette notification issued on July 2. This shiva temple is present in the Banpur block and is believed to have been established during the reign of the Shailodbhav dynasty, which was a major dynasty of odisha at that time.
ASI took this decision under the 'Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958'. The notification said that this ancient temple will now be considered a monument of national importance, and its protection and maintenance will be done by the ASI.
Odisha Law minister Prithviraj Harichandan expressed happiness over this decision and thanked Prime minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and Union Ministers dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and G. Kishan Reddy. He said that due to the efforts of all these people, this historical heritage of Odisha has now been preserved. Minister Harichandan wrote in a post on the social media platform X that when his father, Biswabhushan Harichandan, was the culture minister of Odisha in 1977-78, he had given the responsibility of maintaining this temple to the Endowment Commission of the State. But with time, the temple became a victim of neglect.
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