Sakshigopal Temple

The Sakshigopal Temple is a Krishna temple on the Bhubaneswar–Puri road, a common stop on the way to Puri. Its fame rests on the legend of Gopala as witness.

The Sakshigopal Temple, also written Sakhigopal, is a medieval Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna as Gopinath (Satyabadi Gopinath) in the village of Sakhigopal on the Bhubaneswar–Puri highway, in Puri district. Wikipedia describes the temple as built in Kalinga architecture. Its name means 'Gopal the witness'.

According to local tradition, a young man's promised marriage was denied by a village headman, and the deity Gopala walked to witness the promise, then became fixed as a stone image where he stopped when the young man looked back. The temple is unusual in offering wheat rather than rice as prasad. The annual Anla Navami festival, which marks the feet of the goddess Radha, draws large numbers of devotees.

Because the village lies on the main road, it is often visited on the way between Bhubaneswar and Puri. Opening times, any fee and the rules for non-Hindu visitors were not available from the sources read, so check on arrival. Footwear is normally left outside Hindu temples; dress modestly.