Bhaskareswar Temple - Bhubaneswar

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Site Name: Bhaskareswar Temple 
Site Type: Hindu ancient temple
Location:   Bhubaneswar city, Odisha state, India
Highlights: Nine feet tall Shiva Linga
Nearest Railway Station: Bhubaneswar
Nearest Airport: Bhubaneswar
How to reach: Well connected by road, rail and air
Hotel: There are many options across the city
Restaurants: Varieties of options

Bhubaneswar, which is the capital city of Odisha (formerly Orissa) state of India, is called as 'the City of Temples'. It once had around 3000 temples and even today hundreds of temples are located in every nook and corner of this heritage rich city. The city is called as Ekamara Kshetra as it has so many Shiva temples. Let us explore a little known temple, Bhaskareswar temple, in this article.
Location:

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. Refer the route map given in the article for exact location.

Introduction:

Bhaskareswar temple is one of the oldest temples of Bhuabneswar. The temple is a living temple and enshrines Shiva Linga. The unique feature of the temple is the nine feet tall Shiva Linga.

History:

Bhaskareswar temple was built by the Gangas in the 12th century CE.


Temple Layout:

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.

Ganesha, Kartikeya and Parvati are found as the Parsvadevtas (niche idols).

Happy travelling.


Location: Bhubaneshwar, Odisha 751018, India

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