The ancient capital of the Bhanja rules, Khiching lies about 205 Km away from Balasore and 150 km from Baripada. Scores of temples dominate the place, some of which are still in active worship. The predominant deity of Khiching is Kichakeswari, the most scared Goddess of the Mayurbhanj chiefs. The temple dedicated to her is built entirely of chlorite slabs and unique of it kind in India. The sculptures are beautiful. A small museum here boasts of highly important historical specimens of sculpture and art.
The town of Khiching, which is now a rather remote destination in the northern area of Odisha, was obviously once a religious center of some importance. The temples which remain today, although interesting in their own right, are but the humble remnants of a more glorious past.
The large temple of KICHAKESWARI, originally probably dating back to the 7th or 8th century, was reconstructed from the ruins of an earlier temple in the early 20th century. The reconstruction,which used the traditional technique of moving large stone elements up a huge earthen ramp, proved that the ancient skill of temple building and architecture survived into the current century.
Unfortunately, scholars feel that the constructed temple does not reflect the true form of the original, and that the shape now is a bit disproportionate. Nevertheless, the sculptures on this and other Khiching temples are exceptionally beautiful. Large, tall images, they are slender and graceful, reflecting a remarkable sophistication and deftness of touch. In addition to the temples,there is a small museum in Khiching with some very fine images.
How to Reach
Road- Regular bus services are available from Karanjia, Jashipur, Rairangpur, Baripada and Keonjhar. Frequent trekker services are available too.
Rail – Nearest railhead are Keonjhar, Baripada, Tata Nagar and Balasore
Air – Nearest airports are Jamsedpur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata
Source – Internet
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