Bharatesvara
Temple, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Bharatesvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha,
India. The Temple is
considered as one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar. The Temple was
believed to be built in 6th Century CE. Bharatesvara Temple is one of three temples located in the same
complex and they are all located opposite to Ramesvara Temple. The other two temples
located in the complex are Lakshmanesvara Temple and Satrughnesvara Temple. This group of
temples along with Ramesvara Temple completes the set of four temples named after
the four main heroes of Ramayana. This Temple is situated on the left side of
the road leading from Kalpana chowk to Lingaraja temple and just opposite to
the Ramesvara temple. This group of Temples are
maintained by Archeological Survey of India.
Legends
It is said that Lord Rama along with his wife Sita,
while he was returning to Ayodhya after his victory over Ravana, in Lanka, was
passing over Ekamra Kshetra.
Sage Vashishta advised Lord Rama to worship Lord Shiva. Lord Rama decided to
worship Lord Shiva in Ekamra Kshetra
(Bhubaneswar) itself. He installed a Shiva Linga, in the name of
Ramesvara and worshipped. His brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrugna also
installed Shiva Linga in a row opposite to the one installed by Lord Rama. Temples
were built for these Shiva Lingas at later period. Subsequently, the Lingas
installed by Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrugna came to be called as Lakshmanesvara,
Bharatesvara and Satrughnesvara.
History
It is believed that this group of three temples were
built by the Shailodbhavas in the later part of 6th century CE.
This group represents the earliest extant temples in Bhubaneswar and is an
example of earliest Kalingan temple architecture style.
The
Temple
This group of temples were in complete ruins and had
been restored utilizing ancient materials. In due course, some of the
sculptures and stones got interchanged between these shrines. Lakshmanesvara is
restored without its crowing member and facing stones, Bharatesvara base was
restored with plain blocks of stone, and Satrughnesvara is the only shrine in good
state of preservation among the three temples.
This temple shares the same campus with Lakshmanesvara
Temple and Satrughnesvara temple. These temples are constructed in a line on
north-south axis. All these Temples are enclosed within
a compound wall. This is a west facing temple. It is located in the
middle among the three temples. This temple is a living temple. Presiding
Deity is called as Bharatesvara. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of
Shiva Linga. Nandi can be found facing the sanctum.
The main entrance door, in all the temples, is in
T-shape design, reminiscent of the Gupta period temples. The temple is triratha
on plan and triangabada in elevation. The temple has a rekha vimana of early
Kalingan order. Dvarapalas and ornate scroll works can be found at the
doorjambs. The lintel above the doorjambs is decorated with a frieze depicting
the capture of wild elephants. Sculpture of Lakulisa can be found in the
current structure of the temple.
Connectivity
For brief details, please refer below link;
No comments:
Post a Comment