Bhubaneswar: The pinnacle (Dadhinauti) of Chandi Mandir in Odisha’s Cuttack city was damaged after lightning struck the shrine on Sunday.

The incident triggered intense discussions among the devotees as well as locals as reports claimed that the temple did not have a lightning arrester.

Locals, meanwhile, claimed that the temple was struck by lightning for the first time in last many years.

As per reports, the Silver City witnessed thunderstorm and gusty winds in the afternoon. The temple was struck by the lightning around 4.30 pm. The lightning strike caused damage to the temple pinnacle, reports said.

“The Dadhinauti of the temple was damaged due to the lightning strike. A piece of stone and an iron clamp fell off the structure. However, no was injured in the incident. We have never witnessed such kind of incident in last many years,” said a priest of the shrine.

An official of the temple, however, rejected the reports that the authorities have not installed a lightning arrester at the shrine.

“The lightning arrester might have developed some glitches. We have informed the incident to the higher authorities. They will take the necessary steps in this regard,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that the state government had sanctioned Rs 70 crore in 2022 for the redevelopment of Cuttack Chandi Mandir. However, the project is yet to be completed.