Ancient Shiva Site of Marakuta Village – Baba Pipaleshwar

About 7 km from Jharsuguda town lies the spiritual and historic hamlet of Marakuta, set beside a pond and topped by a small hill that houses the shrine of Sri Pipaleshwar. The divine grace of Baba Pipaleshwar has fulfilled the heartfelt wishes of manycf devotees — a truth often heard from the lips of the locals. This temple, dedicated to Lord Mahadev, is held in deep faith and reverence by the villagers, turning it into a spiritual center filled with unwavering devotion.God is bound by the devotion of their devotees. Wherever the devotee takes the Lord, Lord goes there without hesitation.

Baba Pipaleswar 

This is a story from many years ago. Some residents of the village used to go daily to the fields in Barikaberna for farming to earn their livelihood. Men, women, and children were all engaged in various agricultural activities in the fields. Some young girls from the village would often play near the fields with their friends.

One day, while playing, the girls discovered a Shiva Linga buried in the soil. Unaware of its divinity, they began treating the Shiva Linga as just a stone and used it in their play rituals, pretending to offer prayers. They would collect water from a nearby pond and flowers from the village plants to offer on the Shiva Linga, finding joy in their innocent worship.

For a few days, this continued until the girls began facing difficulties bringing water from the distant pond for their ritual offerings. To overcome this, they decided to shift the Shiva Linga closer to the pond near the field. Even at the new location, they joyfully continued their daily worship as before.

Later, when the villagers would return home after finishing fieldwork, they would bathe in that nearby pond. However, on days when they didn’t work in the fields, they bathed in another pond located closer to the village.

When the girls again faced challenges in worshipping at the previous site, they decided to shift the Shiva Linga once more — this time near the village pond, under a sacred Peepal tree. There, they established the Shiva Linga and resumed their daily rituals with sincere devotion.

After a few days of such heartfelt worship, Baba Pipaleshwar appeared in the villagers’ dreams, revealing His divine presence. Realizing that Lord Mahadev resided in their very own village, the villagers built a small hut near the Peepal tree and began performing proper rituals and worship as per tradition. Thus began the sacred journey of Baba Pipaleshwar, whose presence continues to bless the village of Marakuta with faith, prosperity, and spiritual peace.

In the Sambalpuri language, the Ashwatath tree is called the "Pipel tree." The name "Pipaleshwar" is derived from the combination of two words: "Pipel" (meaning the sacred fig tree) and "Ishwar" (meaning God). Since the villagers began performing spiritual rituals and worship under the Ashwattha tree, believing it to be the sacred abode of Baba Pipaleshwar, the Shiva Lingam established there came to be named "Pipaleshwar."

Lord Baba Pipaleswar 

There is a fascinating and emotional story behind the name of the village Marakuta. Originally, this village was known as Satakhamba. This name came from a unique structure located at the center of the village that had seven pillars. Among these seven pillars, six were arranged around the outside, and one stood in the center. Because of this special architectural feature, the village came to be known as "Satakhamba" (meaning "Seven Pillars"). Today, those ancient pillars have been dismantled, and a new mandap (pavilion) has been constructed in their place. The remains of the old pillars can still be seen near the newly built mandap.

During British rule in India, a revenue collector (Gaontia) named Upadhyaya lived in this village. He had married a beautiful woman from a nearby village named Singhabaga. Being a government agent, Upadhyaya often traveled to Sambalpur to deposit collected taxes and perform administrative duties.

One day, British officer was touring the villages around Jharsuguda to inspect the local conditions. During their visit to Marakuta, he met the local Gaontias and became infatuated with the beauty of their wives and daughters, casting immoral gazes upon them. When they arrived in Marakuta to meet Upadhyaya, they were especially interested in seeing his wife. But Upadhyaya, aware of their intentions, had hidden his wife to protect her. As a result, the British officer was enraged when he couldn’t see her.

Later, when Upadhyaya went to the Sambalpur magistrate’s office for official work, he was mistreated by the British because he refused to present his wife before them. Such incidents occurred repeatedly, causing great distress.

Eventually, the Gaontia devised a tragic but courageous plan. One day, he instructed his wife to dress up in her best attire and jewelry. Then, in a heart-wrenching act, he beheaded her in order to protect her honor and prevent her from falling into the hands of the British. He placed her severed head in a plate, covered it with a red cloth, and took it with him to Sambalpur.

There, in front of the British magistrate, he presented the severed head of his wife as a form of ultimate protest and sacrifice. Shocked and horrified upon seeing this, the magistrate exclaimed, "Kaṭā Māra!" — meaning "He cut and killed!" 

This event spread rapidly across the surrounding region. Over time, the phrase "Kaṭā Māra" gradually morphed into "Marakuta", which became the new name of the village.

Thus, the name Marakuta is not just a place-name but a symbol of sacrifice, honor, and resistance against oppression during the British era.

Marakuta village, now part of Jharsuguda, was originally under the jurisdiction of the Sambalpur kingdom. After the death of Maharaja Sai, his widow Rani Mohan Kumari was placed on the throne. This move was opposed by Veer Surendra Sai, who raised his voice against the British government's interference in royal succession.

In Marakuta village lived two brave and influential individuals — Yudhishthira Guru and Padmanabha Bhuya. They were strong supporters and followers of Veer Surendra Sai. These two men worked closely with him, joining his movement and actively fighting against the British authorities.

Because Surendra Sai led several uprisings against the British in various parts of the Sambalpur district, he was considered the primary rebel and enemy by the British. During their search for him, the British came to the village of Singhabaga, where they learned about Ganesh Upadhyaya, the Gaontia of that village, and also about Yudhishthira Guru and Padmanabha Bhuya of Marakuta.

However, while recording information about these individuals, a clerical error occurred: Yudhishthira Guru was wrongly written as Yudhishthira Bhuya, and Padmanabha Bhuya was mistakenly recorded as Padmanabha Guru. This error in names turned out to be significant.

With the help of these brave locals, Veer Surendra Sai was safely hidden in the 'Ulap Garh' Fort near the present-day Belpahad hills, with the assistance of the 'Jhil ' tribal community. Meanwhile, the British arrested many of Surendra Sai’s supporters.

Ganesh Upadhyaya was eventually captured and hanged by the British. But due to the naming error in the official records, Yudhishthira Guru and Padmanabha Bhuya were spared from the death penalty, even though they were deeply involved in the resistance.

Thus, a simple clerical mistake ended up saving the lives of two key revolutionaries in the freedom struggle led by Veer Surendra Sai.

Stairs to Baba Pipaleswar 

In the post-independence period, Yudhishthira Guru of the ' Kamar ' community from Marakuta village worked as a goldsmith (Sunari) and owned several plots of land. Unfortunately, he had no children.

With no heir to pass on his wealth, he decided to utilize his property and earnings in the service of God. He resolved to establish a Shiva temple. After seeking permission and support from the villagers, he constructed the temple on a small hill near a sacred peepal tree. The construction was completed with devotion and care.

In front of the temple, there was a pond, which had been excavated many years earlier by a member of the 'Teli' community from the nearby village of Saletikra.

Thus, Yudhishthira Guru's devotion and generosity left a lasting spiritual and cultural legacy in Marakuta village.

Initially, a person from the ' Gosain ' community was appointed to perform the daily worship at the temple. However, the deity Mahadev (Lord Shiva) appeared in a dream to the worshipper, expressing dissatisfaction with the rituals. Following this divine message, the temple authorities invited a man named ' Boi ' from the " Thanapati Mali " caste of Mahadevpali village, located in Lapanga block of Sambalpur, to take over the responsibilities of the temple priest.

To ensure the continuation of proper rituals, Yudhishthira Guru granted 2 acres of land to Boi as a religious endowment. Boi, who was a young man at the time, served as the temple priest with dedication.

However, during his tenure, Boi once cast an inappropriate gaze upon a female devotee from the village of Pudapali. When this misconduct came to light, the villagers demanded that Boi prove his innocence in the presence of Baba Pipaleshwar, the presiding deity. In an attempt to hide his guilt, he falsely swore in front of the deity, saying, "If I am lying, may I lose my eyesight."

As a result of this false oath, he soon lost his vision, which the villagers believed to be the punishment from Lord Pipaleshwar. Despite being blind, Boi continued to serve the deity with utmost devotion until his death.

After ' Boi ' passed away, his son Chintamani Mahapatra took over the priestly duties. However, Chintamani had no children, which deeply troubled him. By the grace of Lord Pipaleshwar, he found an abandoned newborn child near the Kanaka Durga Temple in Jharsuguda town, whom he adopted and raised as his own.

That child, Subrat Mahapatra, now serves as the temple priest with great sincerity and dedication, continuing the sacred legacy of the temple.

Many supernatural events related to Lord Pipaleshwar are often heard from the mouths of the people of Marakuta village.

One such story tells of a man who, while bathing in the pond near the temple, saw a divine vision of Lord Shiva’s matted hair floating on the water.

In another incident, a girl was bathing in the same pond and noticed a fruit offered in front of the Shiva Linga under the peepal tree. Just as she was about to eat the fruit, her mother stopped her. Respecting her mother’s words, she instead offered the fruit to an elderly woman who happened to be passing by. Mysteriously, the woman disappeared shortly after receiving the fruit, leading many to believe she was a divine being.

There is also a tale of a man who was determined to receive a boon from Lord Mahadev. He stayed at the temple, undertaking strict penance and refusing to return home. However, during his penance, a strange man appeared and told him that his mother had died. Alarmed, the devotee rushed back home, only to find his mother alive and well. But by the time he returned to the temple, his penance had been interrupted, and he was deprived of the boon he had been seeking.

These mystical stories continue to deepen the faith of the local people in the divine presence of Lord Pipaleshwar.

After the temple was established, a pair of serpents—one male (Nāga) and one female (Nāgin)—were often seen coiled around the Shiva Linga. By the grace of Lord Pipaleshwar, the first priest was able to touch and worship the snake with his own hands without any harm.

During bhajan and kirtan sessions, the villagers also witnessed the presence of many venomous creatures like snakes, scorpions, and red ants, but none of them ever caused harm to anyone. These occurrences are considered divine signs of the Lord’s protection and presence.

The temple was established in 1960 by the revered philanthropist Yudhishthir Guru. The Shiva temple stands approximately 30 feet tall. It is built on a land area of about 1,000 square feet, while the temple complex itself covers nearly 5000 square feet. The temple is situated atop a small hill that is also 30 feet in height. In front of the temple stands a 20-foot-tall Garuda stamba ( pillar ) . Steps have been constructed to facilitate access to the temple on the hilltop.

The main entrance of the temple faces the east, and in front of the temple, several small and large Nandi (bull) idols are placed. The temple has been constructed using traditional materials like bricks, lime, jaggery, and bel fruit. Built in the Kalinga architectural style, the walls of the temple are adorned with carvings and idols of various deities such as Ganesha and Brahma.

To the right of the entrance gate, a Bhairava temple has been built, and adjacent to it is a Shani temple is constructed. On the left side of the entrance lies a Hanuman temple, beside which facilities like a kitchen and rest house are being developed. The temple premises are surrounded by lush greenery, and the nearby village pond in front of the temple enhances its scenic beauty. Arrangements for lighting and water supply have also been made in the temple.

The temple remains open daily from 6:00 AM to 12:00 noon and again from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the evening.

The festivals of Maha Shivaratri and the Bol Bom pilgrimage during the month of Shravan are celebrated here with great pomp and splendor. During these occasions, various cultural programs are organized, and offerings are made. Thousands of devotees from the nearby city of Jharsuguda and surrounding villages visit the temple to seek the blessings of Baba Pipaleshwar.

In addition to these, festivals like Pana Sankranti, Hanuman Jayanti, Makar Sankranti, and Shani Dev Jayanti are also observed here. The temple also hosts special individual worship ceremonies like Rudrabhishek and Manasika Puja, along with social rituals such as weddings, naming ceremonies, and annaprashan (first rice-eating ceremony).

The divine grace of Baba Pipaleshwar is believed to fulfill the heartfelt wishes of many devotees—a truth often heard from the mouths of the local people. This temple, dedicated to Lord Mahadev, holds the unwavering faith and deep reverence of the villagers, which has transformed the place into a powerful spiritual center.

Pond near Pipaleswar 

                  " JAY BABA PIPELESWAR 🙏"

Written by:- Rohit Kumar Lohara 

Place:- Purunabasti, Jharsuguda

Google Map location :- https://maps.app.goo.gl/P1j7BeKbi7yM5neu9

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