ODISHA OUTINGS — The Best Kept Secret of the Divine Kind!
Have you been to Gupteshwar temple? I was dazed when someone asked me this question as I had not even heard of this place. I am sure many of you maybe nodding in agreement as this may not figure in the must visit temple towns of India. True to its name, it has remained Gupt (a secret). Gupt+Ishwar=Gupteshwar. Yes, you guessed it right, Ishwar or Lord Shiva is in hiding here. Our Odisha trip would have been incomplete without a visit to this shrine.
It took nearly 2 and half hours to cover the distance of 98.6 kms from our guest house at Koraput town to Gupteshwar temple. With minimal traffic on NH 326, our friend’s TATA hexa cruised smoothly and reached the coveted destination on time. With no designated parking area, we were asked to park our car nearly half a kilometer away from the temple as the road leading to the shrine was barricaded. Mind you, Gupteshwar cannot be called a temple town as there is just one street with makeshift shops on either side of the road. Pooja items, photo frames and trinkets adorn the walls of these shops while an obscure tea stall stands nestled in one corner.
The temple is situated on the left side of this street, though there is no visible gopura (ornate tower) which is typical of a south Indian temple. After purchasing an entry ticket for Rs.10, we started climbing the 200 odd steps. Next to me was my friend’s 75 year old mother-in-law, who took the support of the handrail and started the ascent without batting an eyelid.
Drawing inspiration from her, we succeeded in reaching the cave! Yes! You read it right, the Linga (a votary object symbolizing Lord Shiva) here is situated deep inside a cave. There are two openings to this limestone cave, one to enter and the other to exit. Upon entry, we must climb down few steps to get a darshan of the gigantic Linga which stands at the end of the cave. The enormity of the Linga, which is supposed to be growing in size mesmerized us. We unknowingly joined our palms(namaskar) as our devoutness with the divine was all that mattered.
The Legend of Gupteshwar
Stepping into the cave was a surreal experience for all of us. ‘Who was the first person to spot this cave,’ we wondered aloud. The lone priest who sat right next to the Linga narrated this tale — It is widely believed among the local population that Lord Rama, during his exile had stayed here in Dandakarnya — a deep forest. It was he who had discovered this self-formed (Swayambhu) formation of Lord Shiva in the cave and had started worshiping it. Since the Shivalinga was unknown to the rest of the world, he named it GUPTESHWAR — The Secret Lord. However there is another interesting story associated with the rediscovery. In 1665, King Vikram who ruled over Jeypore(a small town at a distance of 54 kms from this place) had gone hunting. While chasing a deer, he entered a cave which was being guarded by another man, who proclaimed to be a hunter. The man guarding the cave denied seeing a deer and therefore the tired king walked to a small waterfall near the cave to quench his thirst. Soon, he fell asleep and dreamt of the presence of Lord Shiva in the cave. After waking up, he failed to track the other hunter but instead spotted the Shivalinga inside the cave. He later realized that the hunter might be Lord Shiva himself and the deer, the Shivalinga. Thereafter, Lord Gupteshwar was brought to the attention of the people living there.
If this article has motivated you to visit Gupteshwar, then do not forget to notice the water droplets falling from the roof of the cave onto the Linga. With no visible hole or opening, the priest informed us that the source of this water is not known!
We felt grateful and blessed to have visited such a unique temple. We bid adieu to almighty with a hope in our hearts to visit again!
One more surprise!
A lone sadhu sitting at the entrance of this temple urged us to walk towards the Sabari River point. Here emerges another lesser-known fact — Sabari River is one of the main tributaries of Godavari and most of the devotees take bath in this river before proceeding to the temple. This scenic spot is at the far end of the road and the river runs in full spate along stones and thick forests lending a panoramic view. It doesn’t matter if you choose to take a bath or dip your feet in this river, spend a few minutes basking in the natural beauty surrounding this place with the relaxing sound of Sabari River. By being mindful of such moments, we create beautiful memories and it is indeed my pleasure to share this joy with each one of you reading this article!
Few Quick Tips:
Ø Gupteshwar temple remains open from 6 a.m. to 5 pm. Temple timings may vary as per season, make adequate inquiries before planning your trip.
Ø Local buses/rental cars may operate during peak season. However, it is wise to go in your own car.
Ø This temple gets maximum footfalls during Shravan month and Shivaratri. If you want to avoid crowd, visit any time after August till February.
Ø There are no good restaurants near the temple and the Odisha tourism guest house near Sabari River lies in a dilapidated condition. Tea and basic snacks are available but hygiene aspect is low. Plan to have your meals at Hotel Balakrishna in Jeypore.
Ø There is another cave temple on the same road as the main deity. Get adventurous and enter this temple as one must go crawling inside a cave to get a glimpse of the tiny shiva Linga.
Latest news….
As per a report in Times of India, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik recently approved Rs 20 crores for the development of Gupteswar Shrine in Koraput. The Shiva Temple will undergo a complete transformation and made into one of the most important religious, historical and tourist places of Odisha…..Hope this plan succeeds .
This is the last article of my Odisha outings series…if you have missed reading the earlier ones, please click on the links below:
