Introduction:

India is a store house of God’s bounties and nature’s manifestations where we find enticing scenic splendor and temples and caves, hills and fountains. All these are the remnants of the ancient civilization and heavenly abode that India is. But the most pathetic part of the whole episode is that the human civilization has reached many such places, while many more mysteries remain to be unraveled and unfolded.

Political collision:

Odisha is a state where nature and God still find their secluded presence away from human habitation and reach, not because God or nature wants it, but due to colossal negligence of its tourism potentiality. Instead of working with coherence and liaison, the Centre and the state governments move with political collision keen to find the unseen kept continually forgotten. Why not, Odisha is a neglected state on numerous counts, tourism being no exception.

Lack of infrastructure:

Except some places of tourist’s interest in Puri, Cuttack, Balasore, Ganjam and Rourkela, no good and motorable roads exist to places of interest in various districts of Odisha. Nature has its branches in every district not only at a few places where infrastructure developments have taken place. Besides roads, facilities to stay and eat do not exist at many places of visitor’s interest. In the above back drop exists the “Sidha Gumpha” (salvation-cave) of ‘Gobardhan Hill’ in Odisha, situated in the vicinity of three districts of Balasore, Keonjhar and Bhadrak.

The natural bounties and scenic beauties of “Sidha Gumpha” are indescribable as it is better seen than told. We cannot approach the place of any of the three districts comfortably except enjoying the place partly on foot and partly by a cab. About two kilometers from the car-park have to be covered by walking along a narrow road, built by the villagers at their own effort and labor.

The legend:

It is said that Lord Sri Ram in order to complete his “Setubandh” or “Ram Setu” had sent his monkey-brigade (banar sena) far and wide. As the “Ram Setu” was completed in the process and no further hill or stone was required, he ordered his army of monkeys to place the hill in the area they were at the time of the completion of the Ram Setu. The ‘Gobardhan Hill’ is a part and parcel of a larger hill portions of which were used in the “Ram Setu”.

The monkeys then returned to Sri Lanka to fight the rival Ravana-army there. Legend, also tells us that Yudhisthira of the “Mahabharata” got salvation in this hill as a reward to his deep meditation prior to the epic war which lasted 18 days. So, this cave is known as “Sidha Gumpha” or the ‘salvation-cave’. A stone placed on the entrance of this cave makes bell metal sound when hit.

What to see:

Full of natural vegetation all around, the place is full of wild animals and poisonous snakes. This is the reason for which people are barred from visiting the place in the afternoon. In addition to “Sidha Gumpha”, the hill has ‘Ram Temple’, ‘Lord Mahadeb’, ‘elephant black stone’, a temple without an entrance to the hill-top, and cap-stone and the secret fountain.

Kansa Pathar (Bell metal stone):

Thousands of years ago, a saint was residing inside the cave offering his prayer to “Kapila muni”, a primitive god-man. A series of saints beginning from “Baba Sidhanarayana”, “Shankarapana Baba”, “Baikuntha Baba” and now “Purushottam Baba” resided and worshipped in the cave. The stone used for closure of the entrance is called “Kansa Pathar” (Bell metal stone) as described above. One has to crawl some distance to the cave.

Ram Mandir (Ram Temple):

A few steps away from the “Sidha Gumpha”, ‘Ram Mandir’ is situated where the idols of Rama, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman are worshipped. Once in a year during “Makar Sankranti” when the door is opened and offerings made.

Mahadeb (Lord Shiva):

Close to ‘Ram Mandir’ is ‘Mahadeb’ temple where flower offerings are daily made by ‘Baba Purushottam’ during his worship of the Lord.

Amunha Deul (No entrance temple):

At the pinnacle of the hill is a temple built-in one stone only with no entrance to visit it. It is said to be full of jewellery and riches. This place is the happy and peaceful abode of all sorts of wild animals like leopards, bears, snakes and wolves. But people in large groups visit the temple only during the “Makar Mela” to offer prayers, fruits and flowers. 

Gupta Jhar (Secret Spring):

Had there been no water there, no animals would have lived. There is a hidden spring of this hill which has dried its course, but believed to be providing unseen water to the animal kingdom living there.

Conclusion:

The beauty and the splendor of the place is beyond description. The place has all the ingredients of being a tourists’ paradise, especially, a treat for the foreigners and Indian travelers alike. The onus of developing the place and infrastructure lie with both the central and the state government who may think of working in unison to elevate the place as a tourist place.