Lingaraja Temple
Lingaraja Temple | |
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Khurda | |
Deity | Shiva As Lingaraja
Kalinga Architecture |
Creator | Jajati Keshari[1] |
Completed | 11th century CE |
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Shaivism |
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Lingaraja Temple (Odia: [liŋɡɔraːd͡ʒɔ] ⓘ) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha, India. The temple is the most prominent landmark of Bhubaneswar city and one of the major tourist attractions of the state.[2][3][4]
The Lingaraja temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar. The central tower of the temple is 180 ft (55 m) tall. The temple represents the quintessence of the
Bhubaneswar is called the Ekamra Kshetra as the deity of Lingaraja was originally under a mango tree (Ekamra) as noted in Ekamra Purana, a 13th-century Sanskrit treatise. The temple is active in worship practises, unlike most other temples in Bhubaneswar. The temple has images of Vishnu, possibly because of the rising prominence of Jagannath sect emanating from the Ganga rulers who built the Jagannath Temple in Puri in the 12th century. The central deity of the temple, Lingaraja, is worshipped as Shiva.
Lingaraja temple is maintained by the Temple Trust Board and the
History
The temple in its present form dates back to the last decade of the eleventh century. There is evidence that part of the temple was built during the sixth century CE as mentioned in some of the seventh century Sanskrit texts.
As per some accounts, the temple is believed to have been built by the Somavanshi king Yayati I (1025-1040), during the 11th century CE.[1] Jajati Keshari shifted his capital from Jajpur to Bhubaneswar which was referred to as Ekamra Kshetra in the Brahma Purana, an ancient scripture. One of the Somavamsi queens donated a village to the temple and the Brahmins attached to the temple received generous grants.[8] An inscription from the Saka year 1094 (1172 CE) indicates gifts of gold coins to the temple by Rajaraja II.[9] Another inscription of Narasimha I from the 11th century indicates offer of beetel leaves as tambula to the presiding deity.[10] Other stone inscriptions in the temple indicate royal grants from Chodaganga to the nearby village people.[11]
K.C. Panigrahi mentions that Yayti I had no time to build the temple and it should have been initiated by his sons Ananta Kesari and Udyota Kesari (believed to be other names of Yayati II as well). The argument provided against the view is that is his weak successors could not have constructed such a magnificent structure.[12]
Architecture
The Lingaraja temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar. James Fergusson (1808–86), a noted critic and historian rated the temple as "one of the finest examples of purely Hindu temple in India".[2] It is enshrined within a spacious compound wall of laterite measuring 520 ft (160 m) by 465 ft (142 m). The wall is 7.5 ft (2.3 m) thick and surmounted by a plain slant coping. Alongside the inner face of the boundary wall, there is a terrace to protect the compound wall against outside aggression.[5] The tower is 45.11 m (148.0 ft) high and the complex has 150 smaller shrines in its spacious courtyard. Each inch of the 55 m (180 ft) tall tower is sculpted.[2][12] The door in the gate of the entrance porch is made of sandalwood.[13]
The Lingaraja temple faces east and is built of
The bhogamandapa (Hall of offering) measures 42 ft (13 m) × 42 ft (13 m) from the inside, 56.25 ft (17.15 m) × 56.25 ft (17.15 m) from the outside and has four doors in each of the sides. The exterior walls of the hall has decorative sculptures of men and beast. The hall has a pyramidal roof made of up several horizontal layers arranged in sets of two with intervening platform. It bears an inverted bell and a kalasa in the top.[14][15][16] The natamandira (festival hall) measures 38 ft (12 m) × 38 ft (12 m) from the inside, 50 ft (15 m) × 50 ft (15 m) from the outside, has one main entrance and two side entrances. The side walls of the hall has decorative sculptures displaying women and couples. It has a flat roof sloping in stages. There are thick pylons inside the hall.[14][15][17]
The jagamohana (assembly hall) measures 35 ft (11 m) × 30 ft (9.1 m) from the inside, 55 ft (17 m) × 50 ft (15 m) from the outside, entrances from south and north and has a 30 metres (98 ft) tall roof. The hall has a pyramidal roof made of up several horizontal layers arranged in sets of two with intervening platform as in the Hall of offering. The facade to the entrances are decorated with perforated windows with lion sitting on hind legs. The inverted bell above second unit is adorned by kalasa and lions.[14][15] The rekha deula has a 60 m (200 ft) tall pyramidal tower over the sanctum and measures 22 ft (6.7 m) × 22 ft (6.7 m) from the inside, 52 ft (16 m) × 52 ft (16 m) from the outside over the sanctum. It is covered with decorative design and seated lion projecting from the walls. The sanctum is square in shape from the inside. The tower walls are sculpted with female figures in different poses.[14][15]
The temple has a vast courtyard mired with hundreds of small shrines.[12]
Religious significance
Bhubaneswar is called the Ekamra Kshetra as the deity of Lingaraja was originally under a mango tree (Ekamra). Ekamra Purana, a Sanskrit treatise of the 13th century mentions that the presiding deity was not seen as
It is attributed the raising prominence of Jagannath sect that became predominant during the construction of the temple. The Gangas remodelled the temple and introduced certain Vaishnavite elements like images of Vaishnava Dwarapalas namely Jaya and Prachanda, The flag of the temple was fixed to a Pinaka bow instead of trident usually found In Shiva temples[6][18]
Festivals and worship
As per Hindu legend, an underground river originating from the Lingaraja temple fills the
Every year the chariot festival (
Staff and administration
King Jajati Keshari, believed to be the founder of the Lingaraja temple, deputed
In modern times, the Lingaraja temple priests are from three communities, namely Pujapanda Nijog, Brahman Nijog and Badu Nijog.[29] The Badu are non-Brahmin servant groups, whose origin is not ascertained due to unavailability of authentic records, while they are described as Vadu in chapter 62 of the Ekamrapurana. The caste group of Badu is called Niyoga, which elects the officers every year during the Sandalwood festival. Every Badu undergoes three distinct rites, namely, ear-piercing, marriage, and god-touching. Historically, the Badus performed five different temple duties - Paliabadu and Pharaka, which were considered important and Pochha, Pahada and Khataseja, which were considered inferior. From 1962, only Paliabadu and Pharaka practises are followed and the others are discontinued. The Badus also carry out ablution and dressing of the images of Siddhaganesh and Gopalini.[23] The temple is maintained by the Temple Trust Board and the
Gallery
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A sculpted griffin or "udagajasingha" on the main temple spire.
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Image of Bindusagar pond with Lingaraja temple in the background.
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Varieties of Marigold for offering to Lingaraja during Shivaratri at Bhubaneswar.
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Birds eye view of Lingaraj Temple during Deepa Dana February 2020.
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Lingaraj Temple complex at dusk during Shivratri 2020.
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Birds eye view of Bindu Sagar and Lingaraj Temple in MahaShibaratri, 2023
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-813-17-1120-0.
- ^ a b c d "Bhubaneswar tourist attractions". Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2006.
- ^ a b "Cracks in Lingaraj on ASI team radar temple". The Times of India. 30 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 175.
- ^ ISBN 81-7018-346-4.
- ^ a b c d e "Bhubaneswar Lingaraj Temple". Tourism Development Corporation of Odisha. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ Fergusson, James (1876). History of Indian and Eastern architecture, Volume 3. London: Harvard University. pp. 422–424.
- ^ Patnaik 1997, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Patnaik 1997, p. 57.
- ^ Patnaik 1997, p. 145.
- ^ Patnaik 1997, p. 59.
- ^ a b c d Parida 1999, pp. 105–8.
- ^ Patnaik 1997, p. 43.
- ^ ISBN 9780875864846.
- ^ a b c d Goswami 1950, p. 73.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
- ISBN 9780549965183.
- ^ a b Panda, Dr.Saroj Kumar (April 2011). "Lingaraj Worship in Ekamra Kshetra" (PDF). The Orissa Review. LXVII (9). Government of Orissa: 61–62. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ISBN 0-521-59127-9.
- ^ "Thousands throng Lingaraj temple on Mahashivratri". Hindutan times, Delhi. 12 February 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ^ "Thousands congregate at Lingaraj temple". The Hindu. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ a b Misra & Preston 1978, pp. 12–13.
- ^ a b Ishwaran 1973, pp. 96–107.
- ^ "Hindus participate in Lingaraja's chariot procession in Bhubaneshwar". Hindustan Times, Delhi. 27 March 2007. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ISBN 0-520-05493-8.
- ^ a b "Russian enters Lingaraj temple". The Times of India. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Russian held for entering Lingaraj temple". The Daily Pioneer. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Lingaraj servitors threaten strike". The Hindustan Times. 9 August 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ "Warring priests bring Lingaraj temple rituals to a halt". The Hindu. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Over two lakh devotees throng Lingaraj temple temple". The Hindu. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Lingaraj to charge fee for spl pujas". The Times of India. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
References
- Goswami, A. (1950). Designs from Orissan Temples (PDF). Calcutta and London: Thacker's Press and Directories, Limited. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- Ishwaran, K., ed. (1973). Contributions to Asian Studies. Vol. 3. Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 9789004035386.
- Misra, Bhabagrahi; Preston, James (1978). Community, Self and Identity. Great Britain: Mounton Publishers. ISBN 90-279-7650-3.
- Parida, A.N. (1999). Early Temples of Orissa (1st ed.). New Delhi: Commonwealth Publishers. ISBN 81-7169-519-1.
- Patnaik, Nihar Ranjan (1997). Economic History of Orissa. New Delhi: Indus Publishing Company. ISBN 81-7387-075-6.
External links
Media related to Lingaraj Temple at Wikimedia Commons