Leaning Temple of Huma – The Temple Complex

Leaning Temple of Huma – The Temple Complex

The temple is situated on a rocky outcrop on the bank of the river Mahanadi and is facing towards east. The temple is built over a rectangular platform of 200 feet length and 120 feet width. The main shrine of Lord Bimaleswara / Vimaleswara is clearly inclined towards the North east side i.e. the river side. The shrine has tilted towards the left in approximately 840 inclination. This Shrine is facing towards east.

It is often compared with the Leaning Tower of Pisa of Italy due to its inclination. The main shrine consists of rekha vimana, flat roofed jagamohana and a newly built pillared nandi mandapa. Both the vimana & jagamohana are square on plan and stands on a high platform. The shrine is Pancharatha on plan. It houses the presiding deity in the form of Patalphuta Shiva Linga within a circular yonipitha. The shrine is plain and devoid of sculptural embellishments.

The main shrine is tilted to one direction while the remaining shrines in the complex are tilted to other directions. It is said that the angle of inclination has remained constant over last 50 years. There are many theories behind the leaning structure of the shrine. One is the architect has deliberately made a leaning design from the beginning in order to safeguard the temple from the violent currents of the two rivers namely Mahanadi and Dhulijore during the flood in monsoon.

Other reason is the interior displacement of the rocky bed on which it stands, either due to flood currents in the river Mahanadi, or earthquakes. The plinth of the temple has deviated slightly from its original arrangement, and as a result, the body of the temple has tilted. The tilt may be due to a geological reason; the underlying rock may be uneven in structure. The angle of inclination of the tilt is 13.8 degrees.

Bhairavi Devi & Bhairava Shrine:

Bhairavi Devi Shrine is situated to the left of the sanctum and Bhairava Shrine is situated to the right of the sanctum.

Bhubanesvara Shrine:

This shrine is situated inside the temple complex. This shrine is facing towards west. It has a small leaning rekha vimana similar to the main shrine. The vimana is square on plan. The shrine is Pancharatha on plan and triangabada in elevation. It houses a Shiva Linga within a circular yonipitha. The shrine is plain and devoid of sculptural embellishments.

Kapilesvara Shrine:

This shrine is situated inside the temple complex. This shrine is facing towards west. It has a small leaning rekha vimana similar to the main shrine. The vimana is square on plan. The shrine is Pancharatha on plan and triangabada in elevation. It houses a Shiva Linga within a circular yonipitha. The shrine is plain and devoid of sculptural embellishments.

Other Shrines:

Shrines of Maneswara, Jagannath, Hanuman, Aruna Stambha, Varaha, Parvati, Ganesha and Nandis can be found in the temple premises.

Kudo Fish:

There is a special variety of reddish fish, popularly called as Kudo, in the Mahanadi river is another attraction for tourists. Thus, the river ghat came to be called as Machindra ghat. The water of Machindra ghat is considered to be sacred. Devotees take their bath here before offering puja to the deity. People offer food to kudo fishes. It is quite fascinating to see these fishes accepting food from the human beings without any fear.

The kudo fishes respond to the call of the priests and come to the steps of the bathing ghat to be fed by the pilgrims. It is believed that there is a secret path from the seat of Lord Bimaleswara to the river Mahanadi and the kudo fishes take shelter at the feet of the deity during the rainy season. Similarly, it is also believed that there is a secret path from the seat of Lord Maneswara to the adjacent pond.