Temples in Bhubaneswar

Lingaraja Temple is located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The temple is devoted to Lord Harihara, which means it is dedicated to Hari (Lord Vishnu) and Hara (Lord Shiva). The temple was built in the 11th century, this place of worship houses a Swayambhu Shivalinga, which is believed to be 8 feet in diameter and 8 inches tall. The architecture of the Lingaraj Temple is the top tourist attraction of the city and it can only be visited by Hindus. Thousands of devotees visit the temple across the year, but this number increases mainly in festivals like Mahashivratri and Ashokastami that are celebrated.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The temple has beautiful images of Lord Rama, Lord Lakshmana and Goddess Sita. It also includes shrines devoted to Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiva and other gods. The idols are beautiful and the garden in front of the temple is well maintained. One can spend the whole evening with Aarti with great peace of mind and spiritual feeling. This newly built temple can be visible from many parts of the city. The major festivals celebrated are Ram Navami, Vivaha Panchami, Janmashtami, Dussehra, Shivaratri and Pana Sankranti. The annual fair is also organized here on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

Parashurameshvara Temple is located near Bindu Sagar Pond, Kedar Gouri Vihar in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The temple is dedicated to the God Shiva and is one of the oldest existing temples in Odisha. The temple walls feature a sculptured image of the Goddess Durga. It is the first among Bhubaneswar temples to contain Saptamatrika images a group of seven goddesses. Parashurameshvara Temple is considered a Pilgrimage place to visit during Shardiya Navratri, Maha Shivratri, Shravan Maas and Diwali festivals, as the large Mela organized at the time of these major festivals celebrations.

Bramheswara Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located at a distance of 3 Km from Bhubaneswar. Being one of the holy Shiva pilgrimages, it has now become the most visited Pilgrimage place in Bhubaneswar. The walls of the temple are decorated with different Gods and other deities. The temple was built in 1058 A.D. in, Kalinga architectural style and has four small shrines in the main temple. The specialty of the temple is its beautiful architecture and attractive sculptures. Since the Nataraja indication in the main holy place, describes Lord Shiva holding a veena in one hand placed on top of a bull. Also, festivals like Mahashivaratri, Kartik Purnima and Diwali are also celebrated.

Mukteswara Temple is located in Bhubaneswar of Odisha state. The temple is built in Kalinga architectural style at a height of 35 feet. It is considered as a Gem of Odisha for its architecture which consists of twisted carvings, diamond-shaped windows featuring unique designs and sculptures of characters from the tales of Panchatantra. The Mukteswara Temple lies near the Parasurameswara Temple, which is another masterpiece from that period, located close to another Pilgrimage place of worship known as the Lingaraj Temple.

Ananta Vasudeva Temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha. This temple is close to Bindu Sarovar and Lingaraj Temple and it is Dedicated to Lord Krishna, this temple is one of the few Vaishnava shrines in the city. The deities worshipped in this shrine are Lord Vasudeva, Lord Ananta and Goddess Subhadra. The postures of the deities described in this temple are different from other temples. Also, festivals like Janmashtami, Diwali and Rakshabandhan are celebrated in great ways at Ananta Vasudeva Temple. On this day the temple is beautifully decorated with flowers and lamps. The prayer chants and devotional songs heard in the premises make the atmosphere very spiritual.

The ISKCON Temple is located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It is also known as Sri Krishna Balaram Temple, Built by Sri Gaur Govinda Swami. This holy place is the 108th and the last one authorized by Swami Prabhupada as it took 17 years to build this Pilgrimage and was inaugurated in 1991 A.D., in the presence of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, as the Temple on the premises is actually shaped like a blooming lotus and is one of the highlights of the temple’s architecture. The shrine has a typical Hindu temple architectural style, including Jagati, ArdhaMandapa, Mahamandapa, Garbagriha, Shikhara, Amalaka and Kalasha. There are also many festivals that are celebrated like Ratha Yatra, Narasimha Chaturdasi, Chandana Yatra, Ram Navami, Hare Krishna Utsav, Jhulan Yatra, Deva Snana Purnima, Radhashtami, Geeta Jayanti, Gopashtami, Balaram Jayanti, Goura Purnima, Deepavali and Govardhan Puja.

Bhaskareswara Eswaran Temple is an ancient temple located near Brahmeswara Temple on Tankapani Road in Bhubaneswar, it is one of the oldest temples in Odisha and also one of the heritage places. The temple was built by Gangas during the 13th - 14th century. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva worshipped as Bhaskareswara. The unique feature of the west facing temple is the 9 feet tall Shivalingam as which can be seen from both the floors. The lingam has been described in the local sacred texts as Vrihalingam. The local people believe that the idol is growing day by day.

The Rajarani Temple is one of the sacred temples of Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Built in the 11th century, this temple has amazing architecture, which is typical of the Kalinga temple architectural style. There is no presiding deity in the shrine, but it is believed that it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is built with red and yellow coloured sandstone, which is known as Rajarani in the local language. Locally this temple is also known as the Love Temple as many images of beautiful couples and women have been sculpted on the walls of it. Also in the month of January and February the annual Rajarani music festival is celebrated every year for 3 days.