Narayana Gosain Temple, Hindu temple in Singhapur Village, Jajpur district, India.
Narayana Gosain Temple is a Hindu shrine in Singhapur Village, Jajpur District, Odisha, distinguished by a remarkable feature. An idol of Lord Vishnu remains submerged in a sacred pond called Madhutirtha Kshetra for most of the year.
According to legend, the 16th-century Muslim invader Kalapahad destroyed temples and images across the region. The King of Madhupurgarh hid the central image of Narayana Gosain in the Madhutirtha pond to save it. Vishnu later appeared to the king and told him to retrieve and worship the image during Pana Sankranti, then return it to the water. The annual three-day Singhapur yatra has continued for over four centuries.
The annual Singhapur yatra falls on Pana Sankranti, when priests lift the image from the Madhutirtha pond after sunrise and bathe it with milk, honey and coconut water. The King of Madhupurgarh prays first on the bank, then Rani Aparna Dhir Singh, the queen who inherited the seva, offers puja. The processional image Madanamohana watches from a decorated chariot.
The temple is located approximately 3 kilometers from National Highway 16, which connects Chennai and Howrah. Buses stop at nearby stations such as Jaraka and Kuakhia, making access reasonably convenient.
The idol surfaces only once yearly during Pana Sankranti festival, when it emerges for three days of worship. This rare practice of submerging and revealing the deity sets this place apart from other temples.
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