Bhubaneswar Lingaraja Temple – Odisha

Address

Bhubaneswar Lingaraja Temple, Lingaraj Nagar, Old Town, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751002, India

Diety

Shiva, Amman: Parvati

Introduction

The towering late 11th century Lingaraja (Lingaraj) Temple is, in religious terms, the most important in Bhubaneswar. The large walled compound lies just 100m south of Bindu Sagar Tank, and in addition to the main temple with a pyramidal jagamohana and two further mandapas attached, there are a vast array of other minor towered shrines within the enclosure. This all sounds very exciting, but there is a snag, for me at least. The temple complex is of course closed to non-Hindus. where the best places are to catch a glimpse of the temple and subsidiary structures from outside the compound wall. The clearance of six acres of land in front of the temple’s east entrance as part of the Ekamra Ksetra Redevelopment Plan has meant that there’s plenty of space now to step back and get a partial view of the structures inside. the nearby Ekamreswar and Byamokesvara (Suresvara Mahadeva) temples, both partially buried below the current ground surface and recently freed up from encroachments that were swallowing them up from almost all sides. To the east of Lingaraja Temple is a large pond/tank known as Devi Padahara Pond. On the north side of the pond is a small enclosed garden and a metal tower that provides a nice view of the body of water with the towers of the temple behind.

Puranic Significance

Devi Padahara Pond is thought to have been constructed by the Somavamshi dynasty king Yayati I sometime between 922 and 955 A.D. The pond is surrounded by 108 small temples and lingas, access to inspect them up close was not permitted unfortunately. This is another spot that is associated with the legend of Parvati killing the demons Kirti and Basa. It is said that the cracks in the earth caused by her stamping them into the ground resulted in this pond being created. You can see the two burial temples associated with these demons at the nearby Bhabani Shankar Temple Complex. The Curzon Mandap is an elevated viewing platform/ tower adjacent to the north compound wall of Lingaraj Temple near the (always closed) north gate. It’s a short distance east of Chitrakarini Temple along Rath Road.