Naveen inaugurates renovated Samaleswari temple

Sambalpur: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated the renovated Samaleswari temple in Samblapur district.

The inauguration was held 10 days after the opening of the Heritage Corridor Project in Jagannath temple in Puri, under which several amenities were added to the 12th-century shrine.

Samaleswari temple is one of the most revered shrines in the western region of the State. The 16th-century Samaleswari temple on the banks of the Mahanadi has undergone transformation over 39 acres of its peripheral area under a Rs 200-crore project. Amenities such as a boarding house for pilgrims, a park, a cafeteria, new Trust Board Office and a museum came up as part of Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) project.

Naveen unveiled the SAMALEI project after offering prayers at Maa Samaleswari temple in the presence of dignitaries, temple priests and servitors.