The crown of the 12th-century Rameshwar temple here fell and broke into pieces following heavy rainfall and lightning on Saturday.

The 60-feet tall temple at Mausima Square is one of the prominent Shiva temples known for its rich history and tradition.

Superintendent of Archaeological Survey of India, Sushant Kumar Kar, told The Telegraph: “In the absence of lightning arrester, the lightning struck the crown of the temple today and it fell from the top and broke into pieces. The crown’s weight was around 15kg and it was made of a number of stones. However, no one was injured.”

Kar said the temple has been under repair for the last seven months and a scaffold has been put up around the structure.

“We have also planned to fit a lightning arrester. Once the rain subsides, we will conduct inspection to find out whether the temple has developed any crack. A technical team will be constituted to examine the issue. The crown will be installed atop the temple again,” he said.

The servitor of the temple said a few devotees were inside the temple when the lightning struck. “It was such a powerful lightning that we all were scared. When we came out, we saw the dadhinauti (crown) on the ground. There was a huge sound, the power connection was snapped and there was complete darkness.”

A devotee said: “I am thankful to be alive. There was a huge sound when the lightning hit the crown. The whole temple vibrated and everybody got scared. Had the lightning struck us, we would have died instantly.”

According to a legend, when Rama was returning from Lanka after victory over Ravana, Sita expressed her wish to worship Shiva here. Therefore, Rama built a shivling for the purpose.

Following heavy rain, vehicular traffic was disrupted in many parts of Bhubaneswar. Power cuts for several hours made life miserable for residents of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted intense rainfall in Odisha for the next five days.