Baladevjew Temple Kendrapara
Situated in Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra), Kendrapara, Odisha Baladevjew Temple is a famous temple of Odisha dedicated to Lord Balarama. Along with Lord Balarama, Jagannath and Subhadra are also worshiped in the Ratna Sinhasan in the main temple. The temple was built in 1761 AD during the Maratha rule in Orissa. The then king of Kanauja, Raja Gopal Sandha and Zamidar of Chhedara killah, and Srinivas Narendra Mahapatra constructed the temple.
Legend
Per chronicles, Khan-I-Duran, a Subedar of Odisha under the reign of Aurangzeb demolished the temple in 1661 and replaced it with a mosque. Baladev Jeu, a devotee of the Hindu Gods, took the deity and crossed the Godavari River and kept the idols in a safe place near a jungle. Later on the idols were shifted in Balarampur village near Luna River which is the present Baladev Jeu temple of Ichhapur, Kendrapara, Odisha.
Architecture
The total area of the Baladevjew Temple is around 2 acres. The premise is divided into two sections among which one half consists of the main temple and the other half has a beautiful garden. There are 4 sections in the temple- Bada Deula or Sri Mandir, Jagamohan or Natya Mandir, Bata Mandir or Mukhashala and Majhi Mandir or Bhog Mandap. The main temple is 23 m high and 12m wide and is created with a heavy baulamalia stone. The other significant sculptures and important things to explore in the premise are – Ganesh mandir, Sri Ram mandir, Sidheswar Mahadev, Mukti Mandap, & Adhistati Devi Tulasi Temple, Garuda Stambha, Jhulan Gruha, Laxmi Mandira, Ratna Bhandar, Snana Mandap, Mukti Mandap, Anand Bazar, Bhairabi Mandir, NabaGraha Mandir, Kasi Biswonath and Astasambhu Mahadev.
