Samaleswari Temple, Sambalpur, Odisha

Samaleswari Temple, Sambalpur, Odisha

Samaleswari Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi, located in Sambalpur City in Sambalpur District in Odisha, India. Samaleswari is considered as a tribal deity, known among the natives as Samalei Maa, meaning Mother Samaleswari. She is considered as the presiding deity of Sambalpur. She is a strong religious force in western part of Odisha and Chhattisgarh state of India. The Temple is situated on the left bank of the river Mahanadi, on the left side of the road leading from Kunjelpada to Bada Bazar.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2021/12/samaleswari-temple-sambalpur-legends.html

History

The Temple was built by the first Chauhan ruler Balarama Deva (1575 -1595 CE). It is said that the idol of goddess Samaleswari under the Simili tree was worshipped by tribals since third century CE. The present temple was completely rebuilt by the 7^th Chauhan king Chhatra Sai (1690 -1725 CE). This temple is a protected monument of Odisha State Archaeology and under the Endowment Department, Government of Odisha.

The Temple

This temple is facing towards north but presently it is opened from the eastern side for the devotees. The temple is of Sandhara order (These types of the temples have a square sanctum enclosed by a gallery of pillars meant for Pradakshina). The temple consists of Sanctum and a pillared Mukha Mandapa. The Sanctum is square on plan and the Mukha Mandapa is rectangular on plan. The Sanctum is four step below the covered Pradakshinapatha, supported by 12 stone pillars.

The Sanctum enshrines Samaleswari, a huge block of stone having a convex front. A raised ridge like elevation in the middle of the rock is regarded as the nose of the deity. The lower portion of the slab has a downward extension, which is considered as the mouth of the goddess. There is a small adjunct below the groove, which represents the chin. It gives the look of a face of a female, when it is properly dressed and adorned with ornaments.

Ramachandi, Mahisasuramardini, Mangala, Jwalamukhi Narasimhi, Bana Durga, Varahi, Chinnamasta, Matangi, Kali and Ugra Tara are the niche idols located the sanctum walls. The vimana over the sanctum is of rekha style. The vertical segments of sikhara is adorned with miniature temple motifs and ascending successive lotus petal designs.

Festivals

Navaratri, Durga puja, Dhabalamukhi Besa, Chaitra Mangala Bara, Nabarna and Nuakhai are the festivals celebrated here. The farmers of the surrounding region offer the first produce from their lands to the goddess before using it for his personal use during Nuakhai.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Sambalpur Junction Railway Station, 2 Kms from Sambalpur Bus Stand and 3 Kms from Sambalpur Road Railway Station. The Temple is situated on the left bank of the river Mahanadi, on the left side of the road leading from Kunjelpada to Bada Bazar. Sambalpur is located at about 14 Kms from Hirakud, 53 Kms from Jharsuguda, 62 Kms from Jharsuguda Airport, 79 Kms from Sonepur, 124 Kms from Balangir and 275 Kms from Bhubaneshwar.

Sambalpur is connected to the rest of Odisha and India by national highway – NH 53 / Economic Corridor 1 (EC1), a part of Asian Highway – AH 46 (Mumbai – Kolkata Highway). NH 55 connects with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar,  State Highway 15 connects with Sonepur, State Highway 10 (SH10) connects with Jharsuguda and Rourkela and the Biju Expressway connects Rourkela – Sambalpur – Jagdalpur.

Location