|
|
The famous Madhava temple is located on the eastern bank of
the Prachi River, about 6-kms from Niali. The area between Niali and
Madhava appears to have been the principal centre of the Madhava
(four-armed Vishnu) cult in Orissa, made famous in Sri
Jayadeva's Gita Govinda.
The temple is also sometimes referred to as "Durgamadhava"
because of the presence of a small 'Durga' image next to Madhava within
the sanctum. This joint worship of Durga and Madhava is unique to Orissan
'Vaishnavism', and is yet, another testament of the great Orissan process
of synthesis. Madhava is a temple in active worship, and, in fact, draws a
large number of pilgrims from all over Orissa.