Champeswar Shiva Mandir Champamal,Sonepur,Odisha

Champeswar Shiva temple is very famous for its history.

The most important place to be seen at Birmaharajpur is the Champeswar Shiva temple. This monument is situated at the village Champamal, 2 km from Birmaharajpur. Legend says, a devotee of Lord Rameswar Shiva of Subarnapur named Champa Hota, who happened to be the Birtia (headman) of the village Chamapamal with his wife used to come regularly by foot from his village crossing the river Mahanadi and walking for about 17 km to worship Rameswar Siva whose abode is located on the confluence of the river Mahanadi and Tel.

They did not take food till the meditation was over. Once they could not come to Lord Rameswar due to heavy flood in the river Mahanadi in the rainy season. Lord Rameswar told Hota in a dream that he would personally appear in his village in that night. On the next day Champa Hota saw the emergence of a Shiva lingam inside the Shakti near the gilla bushes where a black cow was milking her sportive calf. He built the temple for the Lord and dedicated the village to his honour.

The Champeswar temple was built during the reign of the Chauhans in 17 century A.D. Two pieces of roughly hewn sandstone representing Champa Hota and his wife are placed in the northern and southern sides of the temple respectively and the devotees of Champeswar Shiva pay due homage to them till today. Apart from the main temple this shrine has the jagamohan, notamandapa and bhogamandapa. Hundreds of people gather here daily for a darsan of the Lord. Shivaratri here is the main festival.