Kendujhar
Surrounded by lush green forests and a perennial spring that takes the shape of a 30-feet waterfall, the Murga Mahadev Temple attracts both tribals and non-tribals who regularly visit this shrine for fulfilment of their wishes.
Here, the followers of both tribal and Vedic faiths appease the presiding deity — Lord Shiva — who, they believe, never lets his devotees and followers return empty-handed. Most of the devotees usually take a holy dip in this spring before going to the temple to worship. The locals equate this spring with River Ganga.
People from far off places, including West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh come here to worship, especially, to seek blessings for their new-born, business deals and new vehicles. Of late, it has also become a picnic hotspot, because of its scenic beauty.
One also gets to hear the blasts, often occurring in the hillocks close by for mining purposes. The Murga Mahadev Temple draws a large number of devotees during Shravan and Kartik while Makar Sankranti too is a very special day here.
It is widely perceived that while in exile, Lord Ram spent some time here with wife Sita and brother Laxman. He worshipped Lord Shiva and thus came the name Mrigeshwar, apparently because of the large numbers of deer found around.
Another section of scholars has argued that it is the unison of Murgan (Kartikeya – Lord Shiva’s older son) and Mahadev (Lord Shiva himself) that has given the temple its name.
Temple priest Brahmeshwar Nayak narrated a tale saying that in the far-off Jara village, a well-off person did not have any child. “Every day he had come to this village to worship Lord Shiva. One day, Lord Shiva came in his dream and asked him to set up a temple here. As the name of this village is Murga, this temple too began to be known as Murga Mahadev,” he told The Indian Tribal.
It has no connection with ‘murga’ (cock), he chuckled but added the tribals, who come here in large numbers, too have a strong belief in Lord Shiva and worship him wholeheartedly.
Though archaeological accounts on the real age of this temple are not readily available, it is widely perceived that the Murga Mahadev Temple is more than 100 years old. Nayak’s great grandfather, grandfather and father too were priests at this temple, which is a great source of livelihood for most of the villagers who take care of everything ranging from temple management to running prasad stalls.
