Nilakanthesvara Temple, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Nilakanthesvara Temple, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Nilakanthesvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha, India. The Temple is located on the western embankment of the Bindusagar tank. It is situated on the left side of the lane branching from the road leading from Kedar Gouri chowk to the Vaitala Deula. The temple is surrounded by Bindusagar tank on its east, private residential buildings in the west, Hadisahi in south and Baitala Temple on its south – western side. The temple has multiple public owners.

History

The present temple is a recent construction over the remains of an earlier Temple. The original temple was constructed in 10th Century CE during Somavanshi Kings based on of the iconographical features of the Parsvadevatas.

The Temple

This is an east facing Temple. The present temple is a recent construction over the remains of an earlier Temple. The building material is old, but the entire structure now has cement plaster and an enamel point. Presiding Deity is called as Nilakanthesvara. He is housed in the sanctum in the form of Lingam within a circular yonipitha. The temple is made out of sandstone. The temple has a square vimana and a frontal porch on plan. The vimana is of Pidha Deula. The vimana is triratha on plan and triangabada in elevation.

There is a concrete structure, serves as the Jagamohana in front of the sanctum in the eastern wall. There is a Gajalakshmi panel in the lintel. She is seated in lalitasana. The deity is four-armed, holding a lotus in her left arm and Varadamudra in her right arm. The southern raha niche houses the image of a four-armed Ganesha standing in tribhangi pose over a lotus pedestal. The image is holding nagapasa in the upper right hand and the lower right hand is in Varadamudra. The other two hands are broken.

The western raha niche houses the image of a four-armed Kartikeya holding damru (cattle drum) in his lower left hand and a cock in his upper left hand with a female attendant upholding the cock. Upper right hand of the deity is resting over the beak of his mount peacock. The lower right hand is broken. The image is standing over a lotus pedestal.

The northern raha niche enshrines the image of a four-armed Parvati holding a conch in her lower left hand, a nagapasa in the lower right hand and baranda in the upper right hand. The upper left hand holds a mace. The eastern side of the temple displays four eroded, detached sculptures that are not clearly identifiable.

Festivals

Sankranti and Shivarathri are the festivals celebrated here with much fanfare. Rituals of Sradha, Rudrabhiseka, mangula, marriage and thread ceremonies are observed here.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/04/nilakanthesvara-temple-bhubaneswar-connectivity.html

Location