New Concrete Bridge Connecting Dhabaleswar Temple Opens for Devotees from Today

Cuttack: Devotees will be able to use the newly-constructed concrete bridge to reach the Dhabaleswar Shiva shrine in Cuttack district from Wednesday.

Some minor construction work on the bridge is yet to complete, yet it will be open for public use to reach the 16th-century shrine, said official sources. This bridge has been opened up for the holy month of Shravan when thousands of devotees and Kauriyas visit this temple.

This new bridge connecting the Dhabaleswar shrine has been constructed by the state government at a cost of Rs 22.28 crore. This 276-meter long and 6.2-meter wide bridge was built under the Biju Setu Yojana.

Opening of this new bridge had become the need of the hour as the temporary road connecting the Dhabaleswar shrine was washed away on June 30 by the increased water flow in the Mahanadi river.

In November 2022, the hanging bridge connecting the temple was closed for public usage due to repair work when cracks were detected on it.

This Shiva temple is located on an island in the middle of the Mahanadi river. Before the construction of the suspension bridge in 2006, devotees used to reach the shrine by boat.