The Lingaraja Temple In Bhubaneshwar

The Lingaraja temple is a magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the largest temple in Bhubaneshwar, the capital City of Odisha. Read on...

- Srikant

The Lingaraja temple is a very ancient and extraordinary temple located in Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Odisha in India. This temple is the most prominent landmark of Bhubaneswar city and a major tourist attraction. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped by devotees as ‘Lingaraja’ meaning ‘the King of Lingas’! Lord Shiva was originally worshipped as Lord Kirtivasa and later as Lord Harihara. Lord Shiva has another popular name as Lord Tribhuvaneshwara, meaning the Lord of the three worlds- Heaven, Earth and Netherworld. The Lord’s consort, Goddess Parvathi, is also popularly known as Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. The name of the capital city of Odisha, Bhubaneshwar, is derived from the name of Lord Tribhuvaneshwara! It is believed that during Treta Yuga, Lord Shri Ram had worshipped Lord Lingaraj in this temple and had received boons to destroy the demon King Ravana! A festival called ‘’Ashoka Ashtami ’’ is celebrated every year in the Lingaraja temple on the eighth day of the Chaitra month (March/April) in memory of Lord Shri Rama’s victory!