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Odisha Patalesvara Siva Temple
This temple one of few Patalesvara Siva temples at Mandir Chowk, Old town, is situated on the left side of the Lingaraj Temple. The main deity here is Lord Shiva who is erected in the form of a Shiva lingam with a circular Yoni Pitha. This temple belongs to the Pidha Deul typology according to experts. It has been given grade “C” on the grounds of architecture, history, association and social and cultural activities.
History
This place is located in a very historic place, where, all the temples and monuments around are so historic and ancient. This temple has a road in the eastern direction, Lingaraj temple’s compound wall just within a distance of 1.85m in the west and the famous Mahakala and Mahakali temple in the south within a distance of 55m. Here the main sanctum sanctorum is around 2.59m below the road and has 17 steps that leads down into the main temple.
Architecture
This temple follows the Kalinga style of architecture. Sandstone was used predominantly for building this temple. This has a vimana and a porch facing front that is 3.5sq m. In an elevated position, this temple gets sunk into the ground up to the level of the bada. The only portion that is visible is the gandi that is 3m tall and the mastaka that is 0.70m tall. The raha corners and the bada and the parsvadevatas are all not visible as the temple is buried into the ground.
The doorjambs are very attractive and decorative and have 3 vertical bands around the temple that are 1.55m tall and 0.74m wide. There are two dwarapala niches beneath the doorjambs that are 0.30m tall and 0.17m wide. There are shrines in and around these dwarapalas of the Saivite Dwarapala which has a trident in the left hand and a varadamudra position in the right hand. There is an image of Gajalakshmi at the lalatabimba and the Goddess is seated on a lalitasana with a lotus. On both sides of the image, there are elephants which seem to be showering the Goddess with water.
How To Reach
By Air
Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport that is just a stone throw away from the temple. This is well connected with all the main cities in the country.
By Rail
The main railway station of Bhubaneswar is the station that is nearest to the temple and it has trains coming in from almost all cities, big or small.
By Road
Devotees can make use of the ample car services and cab facilities that are owned by the government and private operators from major cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Konark and Puri.
Important Shrines
In addition to the main Shiva Lingam, there are also a few Navagraha shrines around the vicinity of the temple that devotees throng to because of the prosperity it is believed to bring.
Significance Of The Temple
This temple is one of the oldest temples in Orissa and is currently under public maintenance. The partly buried temples catch the fancy of many a devotee.
Attraction
There are lots of places and temples to visit around the Patalesvara Siva temple. The Lingaraj temple, Mahakali temple, Astasambhu Siva temples, Ram Mandir, Anant Vasudeva temples are all nearby and people get attracted to these temples because of their architectural brilliance and the cultural heritage.
Weather And Time To Visit
The months of September to November are the best time to visit this place, as the climate is nice and pleasant. This way, devotees can avoid the extreme heat waves (March to Mid), extreme rainy season (July or August) and extreme cold waves (December to Feb). The Rath Yatra (July/Aug) and the Mahashivarathri (Feb/ Mar) festivals bring in thousands of people to the temple.
Accommodation
The tourists who visit this temple have lots of options to stay as there are many government and private owned hotels that provided high quality services at very affordable rates. There are options to suit the different budget needs of the tourists.
Tips For Devotees
This temple is culturally very rich and the half buried temples are considered to be treasures that need to be preserved. When inside the temple, the devotees are expected to be very quiet and enjoy the serenity of the temple to enjoy total spiritual bliss.
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