Bhubaneswar Sari Temple, Odisha

Address

Bhubaneswar Sari Temple, Old Town, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751002, India

Diety

Shiva Amman: Parvathi

Introduction

Bhubaneswar Sari Temple Located on the right side of a small alleyway connecting Rath Road with Bindu Sagar in old Bhubaneswar, the temple precinct contains three temples, although the largest structure here is often incorrectly known as Sukasari. The west-facing Sari Temple has been dated to the 13th Century A.D. The temple is wonderfully ornamented with carvings of human figures, deities, scroll work and floral motifs. Although subjected to quite severe weathering due to the soft sandstone fabric of the building, the more sheltered areas have survived particularly well. The temple was then under the protection of Odisha State Archaeology, who granted permission for the ASI to take over possession prior to excavations commencing. The conservation of the neighbouring Sari temple was already the responsibility of the ASI. The main temple here is in fact Sari Temple, the smaller structure to the south-west is Suka Temple, and the third partially ruined temple, for which the laterite compound wall diverts its course to include. The excavations started in July 2014 and in addition to fully excavating Sari and Suka Temples, the archaeologists found remains of a further five temples, some of which may date back as early as the 7th century A.D. In terms of major iconography, the only surviving parshva devata image is that of parvati in the north-facing central niche.