Akhandalamani Temple, Aradi, Odisha

Akhandalamani Temple, Aradi, Odisha

Akhandalamani Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Aradi Village in Chandbali Tehsil in Bhadrak District in Odisha, India. The temple is situated on the banks of Baitrani river. The temple is under the control of Endowment Department, Government of Odisha.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2022/11/akhandalamani-temple-aradi-legends.html

History

The initial temple was built by King Sri Niladri Samara Singha Mohapatra in 17^th century CE. The present temple was constructed by the king of Konika, Shri Harihara Bhanja and his chief queen Satyabhama Patadei in 19^th century CE. It is said that the stones used in the construction of this temple were brought from the Lalitgiri hill near Chandikhol. The main hall was built by a sage named Shri Narasingha Pratap Kumar and the surrounding wall of the temple was built by a noted sage named Shri Darshan Sekhara Das. The Bhoga Mandapa and the temple office were built the endowments department of Odisha.

The Temple

This temple is facing towards east. The temple consists of pidha vimana and mandapa. The temple is about 150 feet tall. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Akhandalamani in the form of Shiva Linga. Sculptures of various avatars of Vishnu can be found on the walls. Shrines and idols of Ganesha, Hanuman, Bhadrakali, Radha Krishna, Nandi and Varuni can be seen in the temple premises. Rare sculptures of Hindu deities can be seen in the temple premises.

Festivals

Mahashivaratri, Shamba Dasami, Panna Sankranti, Chandran Yatra, Kartika Purnima, Rash Purnima, Diwali Amavasya and Shiva Vivah are the festivals celebrated here. Boita Bandana Utsav is usually observed in the Shiva Ganga tank of Akhandalamani on the day of Kartik Purnima. Bol bam devotees come to Aradi in large number from different areas in the month of Sravana to worship the God and pour holy water over the Shiva Linga. The Bol bam devotees carry holy water from different rivers of India like Ganges, Baitarani, Mahanadi, Salandi, Peta etc. with a bamboo lever.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 750 metres from Aradi Bus Stand, 30 Kms from Chandbali, 30 Kms from Rameswarpur, 38 Kms from Bhadrak, 43 Kms from Bhadrak Railway Station, 137 Kms from Bhubaneswar and 143 Kms from Bhubaneswar Airport. Aradi is situated to the east of Bhadrak via Asurali, Kothara and Dhusuri. Aradi is connected to Chandbali by boat through the river Baitarani. It takes two hours from Chandbali ferry ghat to Aradi by boat.

Location