Temples of Odisha

The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya.[3]

The monument was also called the Black Pagoda by European sailors. In contrast, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the White Pagoda. Both temples served as important landmarks for the sailors.
Konark is one of the well known tourist attractions of Orissa. Konark houses a colossal temple dedicated to the Sun God. Even in its ruined state it is a magnificient temple reflecting the genius of the architects that envisioned and built it. Bhubaneshwar Konarkand Puri constitute the Golden triangle of Orissa, visited in large numbers by pilgrims and tourists.

Konark is one of the well known tourist attractions of Orissa. Konark, Konark houses a colossal temple dedicated to the Sun God. Even in its ruined state it is a magnificient temple reflecting the genius of the architects that envisioned and built it. Bhubaneshwar Konarkand Puri constitute the Golden triangle of Orissa, visited in large numbers by pilgrims and tourists.

Built entirely of chlorite slabs, the temple of Kichakeswari Temple at Khiching, 115 km from Keonjhar, is one of the few temples of its kind in India. Close by, there is a plethora of temples-some abandoned while some others still living which bear to the master masons Kalinga style-420 km from Bhubaneshwar and 150 km from Baripada.

Legendary account as found in the Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Oriya works state that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king ( tribal chief ) named Viswavasu. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not locate the place. But at last he managed to marry Viswavasu's daughter Lalita . At repeated request of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.

Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard seeds on the ground on the way. The seeds germinated after a few days, which enabled him to find out the cave later on. On hearing from him, King Indradyumna proceeded immediately to Odra desha Orissa on a pilgrimage to see and worship the Deity. But the deity had disappeared. The king was disappointed. The Deity was hidden in sand. The king was determined not to return without having a darshan of the deity and observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a celestial voice cried 'thou shalt see him.' Afterwards the king performed a horse sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. Sri Narasimha Murti brought by Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath. Also an astral voice directed him to receive the fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly the king got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan made out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple.

Baladevjew Temple is constructed over an area of 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land. There are 2 parts in the total area. In one part, different temples are there and the other part is a beautiful garden. There is a boundary around the temple, 46 feet (14 m) high.
Sri Sri Baladev Jew Temple is situated in the small town Ichhapur, in Kendrapara District, Orissa. Baladev Jew Temple is a very famous temple in Orissa and Lord Balabhadra is the main God of this temple. However Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra are also worshiped here along with Lord Balabhadra in the Ratna Sinhasan in the main temple.Idol of Goddess Tulasi in sitting position is there after the sacred seven steps.

It is beautiful temple situated near Devakunda. Devee Ambika Temple (Incarnation of Goddess Durga) is a temple which can spellbound every visitor. It is surrouned by great waterfalls and think forest. This temple was built by the royal dynasty of Mayurbhanj in 1940. More to allure you, there are multi colored butterflies and chirping birds all around. In Devakunda. Large fishes come closer and eats food offered by the visitors because fishing is prohibited as this place is considered as the Goddess’ place.
Bus route: Regular private bus services to Udala (59 km). From Udala jeeps are available to reach at Devakunda (28 km from Udala). The remaining 5 km trail is through a thick forest surrounded with hills.

Panchalingeswara Temple is situated on the hilltop of the Eastern Ghats in Panchalingeshwara, Nilagiri, Baleswar district. It's a beautiful place for picnic, darshan of Shiva Linga and breath some fresh air from the real nature. You can hire a car from Balasore/Baleshwara and open your glass while travelling through the countside road to really feel the actual nature. From Balasore town Your car goes straight till Sergarh. While travelling the prowdy Swarnachuda Hills of Nilagiri looks foggy and enchanting. After 12 kms of straight drive you need to take right from Sergarh and go straight till Nilagairi.

The temples are situated at a height of about 2239 feet from sea level. The main tower of the temple is 60 feet tall. There are two approaches for the temple. One is by climbing 1352 steps and the other is 'Barabanki' or travelling by the twisting way.King Narasinghdeva I of Ganga Dynasty constructed the temple for Sri Chandrasekhar in 1246 A.D as indicated in the Kapilash temple inscription.

Maa Tarini is the presiding deity for all Shakti and Tantra peeths or shrines in Orissa. The origin of Shakti or worship of the Earth as a female embodiment of power is found across many cultures all over the world. In Orissa which has a high density of tribal population whose religious practices have been assimilated into the mainstream Hindu faith, the worship of natural formations such as rocks, tree trunks, rivers is widespread among the tribes. Maa Tarini is always depicted as a red face with two large eyes and a mark in the middle which serves as an indication for a nose and also a tilak.

Samaleswari Temple is a Hindu temple in Sambalpur, Western Odisha, India dedicated to the goddess known as 'Maa', also known among the natives as samalei maa, meaning Mother Samaleswari. Shree Shree Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, is a strong religious force in western part of Odisha and Chhattisgarh state of India. On the bank of the river Mahanadi the mother goddess Samaleswari is worshipped from ancient times as Jagatjanani, Adishakti, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati.

Maa Ghanteswari's Temple is one of the most holiest and beautiful place in Sambalpur. As the name indicates, there are bells (Ghanti) everywhere. People offer bell to Maa after their the fulfillment of their wishes. A large number of pilgrims visit this place everyday from acrooss the state. This is treated as Heart of Chipilima (a beautiful picnic spot). The specialty of this temple area is, thousands of bells hanging all around, the only place of its kind in Orissa.

Not only do people from all over the world come to see Lord Jagannath, but so do gods and goddesses. It is believed that these devas are most fond of seeing the last ceremony of the day known as Pahuda, after which Jagannath retires to bed. This occurs some time after midnight.
Three beautiful beds made of ivory and decorated with the sweetest-smelling flowers, especially white jasmine, are brought before the deities. Flowers are scattered all over the beds to the sound of devotional music, and three miniature golden forms representing Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra are laid down on the beds to sleep. Then arati-the offering of a lamp is done, the flowers are scattered all around overhead to be collected by the gods and goddesses as a token of Lord Jagannath's blessing. So it is also the duty of all the gods and goddesses to be present at the time of this ceremony every night.

Lord Gupteswar meaning Hidden God, is a cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Gupteswar is located in a small town Jeypore in Koraput district of Odisha. The Siva Lingam is 2m high. It is called Gupteswar(Hidden God) as it was liying hidden for a long time. This sacred cave is very famous tourism attraction in Odisha. Devotees from Odisha, Chattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh come to Gupteswar during festivals of Lord Shiva.

After the Snana Purnima in the month of Jyeshta, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Lord Subhadra are kept away from public view, for a period of fifteen days, and all the daily rites in the Shreemandira are suspended. According to Skanda Purana when Raja Indradyumna installed the wooden deities, he had arranged this bathing ceremony. During this period, popularly known as 'Anasara' or 'Anabasara' (literally meaning 'improper time for worship), instead of having darshan in Jagannath Temple, Puri peoples believe that Lord Jagannath during this time manifests as Alarnath Dev, at the Alarnath temple in Brahmagiri, which is about 23 km from Puri.

Kantilo nilamadhaba temple is very old and famous Vaishnav temple which is near to the bank of Mahanadi temple. which is present near to the twin hills with a surrounding of green forests A permanent flow of holy water from the feet of Lord Nilamadhaba. Lord Siddheswar are the highlights of the place. Lord Nilamadhaba occupies a prominent position in the cult of Lord Jagannath. Lord Siddheswar are the highlights of the place.

This famous Akhandalamani temple, the abode of "Lord Siva" is nicely located in the bank of river Baitarani, at Aradi, 37km away from the district head quarter of Bhadrak towards east by road via Asurali, Kothara and Dhusuri. This place is also linked with Chanbali by boat through the river Baitarani. From Chandbali ferry ghat to Aradi it will take hardly 2 hrs by boat.

Located 14 kms away from Nayagarh, Sarankul stands proud with the 15th century shrine of Sri Ladukeswar, popularly known as Ladu Baba. The presiding deity here is known to be the combined form of Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiv) as is the case with Sri Lingaraj in Bhubaneswar. The festivals and rituals of Sri Ladukeswar are also similar to that of the Lingaraj temple. This shrine is the most prominent one from amongst a good number of Shaivite shrines dotting the region. Pilgrims from far flung places flock to Sarankul on the occasion of Mahashivaratri.

Tourists can avail medical facility at CHC, Odagaon which is nearest to the place. SBI Odagaon is the nearest Bank to the spot. Tourists can reach Sarankul by choosing the state highway that is connected through Bhubaneswar Odagaon road. It is located approximately 100 kms away from state capital Bhubaneswar and 14 km away from district head quarter Nayagarh.

A rock art sleeping image of Lord Vishnu is located at Bhimakanda village about 30 km north of Talcher town and 50 km from Angul & on the right bank of river Brahmani . The imagedates back to 8th – 9th century A.D. and has the distinction of being the largest sleeping idol of Lord Vishnu. The image reclining to its right is about 42 (126.5 CM) long & 8 wide.