Berhampur: A large crowd, mostly women, thronged the 300-year-old Biranchi Narayan temple at Buguda in Ganjam district on Samba Dashami on Thursday to worship the sun god.
“While day-long rituals were performed, the main festival will be held on Magha Saptami on Feb 4. Samba Dashami is an important festival in the Hindu religion when people perform special rituals wishing for the good health of their children,” said Mahanata Bhakta Rama Das, chairman of the temple’s managing committee.
The Biranchi Narayan temple was built by Srikar Bhanja, one of the kings of the Bhanja dynasty, in 1799 AD, and is shaped like a chariot driven by seven horses. “If the Sun Temple at Konark is famous for its stone carving, the Biranchi Narayan temple at Buguda is famous for its wood carving and is regarded as the ‘Wooden Konark’,” said Prasanna Kumar Swain, vice- chancellor, Utkal University of Culture (UUC).
The temple is also famous for its mural paintings. The paintings on the walls of the temple are based mostly on the stories of the Ramayana and Krishna Leela.