Bhubaneswar Markandeshwar Temple, Odisha

Address

Bhubaneswar Markandeshwar Temple 1567, Rath Rd, Old Town, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751002, India

Diety

Markandeshwar Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Bhubaneswar Markandeshwar Temple is Located in south-west corner of Bindu Sagar tank in Bhubaneswar old city, Markandeshwar (also known as Markandesvara). The similarities do not end there either, as here we have yet more encroachment swamping the temple on three sides with fairly modern residential buildings. The temple is thought to date towards the end of the 8th century A.D, with the jagamohana originally keyed into the deula indicating it is a contemporary, unlike earlier temples. Here however almost all the original jagamohana has been lost, and replaced with a modern construction using plain blocks of sandstone. The remainder of the temple has also been rebuilt at some point, using existing original masonry where possible and further plain sandstone blocks Although badly damaged, most of the images in the niches still exist. This is due to them being carved out of stone blocks that are integral to the fabric of the building. In earlier temples, the niches were first created and separate images carved from stone placed inside them, which obviously made them easily removable over the centuries. The Nataraja (dancing Shiva) in the east-facing central medallion (front of the temple) is worth looking.