A team of 40 personnel successfully rescued 17 pilgrims from Chhattisgarh who had been stranded for over 15 hours in Odisha’s remote Gandhamardan hill range near the Kapildhara Waterfall.
According to sources, the devotees—comprising elderly men and women, youth, and children—had arrived for darshan at the sacred shrines of Nrusinghanath and Harishankar. While trekking from Nrusinghanath Temple to Harishankar Peetha, the group lost their way as darkness fell amid heavy rainfall. Unable to trace their return path, they remained stranded on a forested plateau high up the hills.
At around 9 PM, the group managed to contact the local administration through a toll-free emergency number. In response, a rescue team consisting of forest personnel, police, and temple officials initiated a search that continued through the night across dense forest terrain.
Eventually, after 15 hours, all 17 individuals were found near a plateau above Kapildhara Waterfall, where they had taken shelter. They were safely escorted down and returned to the Nrusinghanath premises by morning.
Executive Officer of the temple administration, Purushottam Pradhan, confirmed that all devotees were found unharmed. Arrangements were made for hot meals and prasad at the temple premises for those who wished to partake.
