Bhubaneswar Bhaskareswar Temple – Odisha

Address

Bhubaneswar Bhaskareswar Temple – Tankapani Rd, Badagada Brit Colony, Pandav Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751018, India

Diety

Bhaskareswar, Bhaskaresvara or Bhaskareswara

Introduction

Bhubaneswar Bhaskareswar Temple is dedicated to lord Shiva; Located in the east of Bhubaneswar old city, Bhaskareswar Temple (alternatively called Bhaskaresvara or Bhaskareswara Temple) is one of the more unusual monuments. Bhaskareswar temple is located on the left side of the Tankapani Road leading from Ravi Talkies square to the river Daya at a distance of around 1.5 kms from the square. It is located very near to the popular temple, Brahmesvara Temple. The temple is a living temple and enshrines Shiva Linga. The unique feature of the temple is the nine feet tall Shiva Linga.

Puranic Significance

Bhaskareswar temple was built by the Gangas in the 12th century CE. The temple is set within an open space of parkland. The temple’s setting combined with the unusual architecture and scale is quite reminiscent of the Sun Temple at Konark . Bhaskareswar temple is a double storied temple. The bada that is built in two tiers is a unique feature. It has a Pidha Vimana. The unique feature of the west facing temple is the nine feet tall Shiva Linga idol located in the sanctum sanctorum. It can be seen from both the floors. To reach the upper tier, a flight of steps against the northern wall of the lower is there. The lower floor is more like a platform with four doorways on all the directions. Both the tiers are Pancha ratha on plan and Panchangabada in elevation. The interior of the temple is plain. The exterior does not have any sculptures; only architectural motifs such as Pidha mundi and Khakhara mundi are found. The scholars believe that the Shiva Linga idol is probably a shaft of some portion of some ancient Buddhist shrine. The local people believe that the idol is growing day by day. The only ornamentation on the exterior temple walls are the parshvadevatas, Kartikeya, Parvati and Ganesha. There is a complete absence of a Jagamohana and there is no evidence that there ever was one, which is unusual for an Odishan temple. Being slightly removed from the clusters of ancient monuments in the centre of Bhubaneswar old city.