Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated the redeveloped Samaleswari Temple in Samblapur district, one of the most revered shrines in the western region of the state. The 16th-century Samaleswari Temple on the banks of the Mahanadi has undergone transformation over 39 acres of its peripheral area under a Rs 200-crore project. Amenities such as a boarding house for pilgrims, a park, a cafeteria, new Trust Board Office and a museum came up as part of the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) project. The programme was held 10 days after the opening of the Heritage Corridor Project in the Jagannath Tempe in Puri, under several amenities were added to the 12th-century shrine. Patnaik unveiled the SAMALEI project after offering prayers at Maa Samaleswari temple in the presence of dignitaries, temple priests and servitors. The chief minister also joined the yagna performed on the occasion.
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