Bhubaneswar Bharatesvara Temple - Odisha

Address

Bhubaneswar Bharatesvara Temple – odisha Nageswar Tangi, Old Town, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751014, India

Diety

Bharateshwar Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Bharatesvara temple is located at a distance of around 2 kms from Lingaraja temple. It is located on the right side of the road leading from Kalpana square to Lingaraja temple. It is one of the three temples located in the complex. It is located opposite to Ramesvara temple. Bharatesvara temple is one of the very ancient temples in Bhubaneswar. There are three temples located in the same complex and they are all located opposite to Ramesvara temple. The other temples that are located in the complex apart from Bharatesvara temple are Lakshmanesvara temple and Shatrughanesvara temple. Here the primary deity is called as Bharatesvara.

Puranic Significance

The temple was built by the Sailodbhavas in the later part of 6th century CE. This temple is an example earliest Kalingan temple architecture style. As per the legend, after winning over the demon Ravan, Ram and Sita were back to Ayodhya. The sage Vashishta asked Ram to worship Shiva. Ram chose Bhubaneswar for the same. He installed one Shiva Linga, which is present in the form of Ramesvara. His brothers Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna also installed Shiva Linga idols in a row opposite to the one installed by Ram. Later, three temples were built for those deities and were named after who installed the Linga as Lakshmanesvara, Bharatesvara and Shatrughnaesvara. The west facing Bharatesvara temple is the second temple in the Lakshmanesvara group of temples. It is located in the middle among the three temples. Few years ago, the entire three temples were just a heap of rubble. All the temples were renovated by the State Archaeology Department. Bharatesvara temple is now partially reconstructed with several blocks of plain stone. Only very few original sculptures are left in the Vimana and walls. Hence, it is not possible to get a holistic idea about the architectural and sculptural style of the temple. The temple is a living temple enshrining Shiva Linga idol with Nandi idol facing towards the deity. The temple is tri ratha by plan and trianga bada in elevation. It has a rekha vimana. The doorjambs have the beautiful sculptures of Dwarapalas and are decorated with ornate scrollwork’s. The lintel above the doorjambs is decorated with a frieze depicting the capture of wild elephants. Apart from this only very few sculptures like Lakulisa are present in the current structure of the temple.