Siva Tirtha samadhis rise from the ruins

Odisha
Bhubaneswar:  The emergence of the 16 old Samadhis of the Siva Tirtha Mutt in the Old Town area here is drawing a lot of interest from locals, scholars and historians.
The existence of these Samadhis was made by historian and heritage expert Anil Dhir, and reported to the authorities and the Archaeological Survey of India on June 16.
The Samadhis, half buried under rubble and vegetation, had been long forgotten and had been encroached upon from all sides. The six buildings in front of it were slated for demolitions after the No Objection Certificates NOC) had been obtained from the owners.
Had the existence of the Samadhis not been reported, they would have been buried under the debris and removed with the rubble.  The present demolition was done in a controlled and careful manner, ensuring that no damage was done to the Samadhis. In fact the demolition stopped just two feet away from the structures.
The timely intervention just a day before the demolition was due to the wide media coverage received after Dhir reported their existence.
He had said that these groups of Samadhis are of the earlier Mahants of the Siva Tirtha Mutt which dates back to the late 11th Century CE and its origin is contemporary with that of the Lingaraj Temple. The Mutt, which has lost a lot of its relevance, was once an important centre and had many responsibilities in the day to day affairs of the temple. Various religious functions were assigned to it, including many rituals during the annual Rukuna Rath Yatra.
According to Dhir, the set of sixteen Samadhis, set in a straight line, are a chronological record of the history of the Mutt and the Lingaraj Temple.
The Samadhis of a Mutt are the most important determinant of its history, even if renovations and alterations were made in the premises, the Samadhis always remained untouched. “These Samadhis are a timeline of history, ranging from the 12th Century till the 20th Century, all  of them  have small Shivalings; two have been stolen a few years back”, Dhir said.

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