001_1518695610t, Dhabaleswar, Cuttack, Odisha
001_1518695610t, Dhabaleswar, Cuttack, Odisha

Dhabaleswar, Cuttack, Odisha

Date built:14th century AD
Deity:–
Architectural style:Kalinga architecture
Major festivals–
Locale:–
District::Cuttack
Address:Dhauli, Odisha 752104
Phone–

Dhabaleswar Temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. It is situated at a distance of 27 km from the city of Cuttack, in the exotic island of Lord Dhabaleshwar. It is one of the famous weekend tours from Cuttack. The temple, located in an island on River Mahanadi, is embellished with stone carvings that date back to the early 10th and 11th century. The serene ambiance, in which the temple is situated, inspires spiritual feeling among one and all.

Architecture

After entering the temple, you can see various beautiful images in the compound of the temple. Various images of Nrasimha, Varah, Katikeya and various identified and unidentified Gods of Hindu religion are present in the temple. Most images are beautifully chiseled out from black chlorite stone.

The temple can be reached by bus via Chowdwar, Nuapatana, Mancheshwar. it can also be reached via Bidanasi through boating on river Mahanadi. Odisha’s first ever foot hang bridge is connecting the exotic island with mancheswar which is the major way to reach the temple.

Being situated on an island, the temple can be reached by boats leaving from ferries in or near Cuttack. There is also a foot bridge which devotees or visitors can use on paying a nominal fee. People from the nearby villages have set up a number of shops leading to the bridge and the temple’s entrance.

See also  Jagannath Temple, Nayagarh, Odisha

A big fair is held on the shukla paksha chaturdashi of the month Kartika called Bada-osha. Various functions like Shivaratri, Pausha purnima, Dola purnima, and Kartika purnima are also celebrated here.

Legend / Local stories

Dhabaleswar Temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. It is situated at a distance of 27 kilometers from the city of Cuttack, in the exotic island of Lord Dhabaleshwar. It is one of the famous weekend tours from Cuttack. The temple, located in an island on River Mahanadi, is embellished with stone carvings that date back to the early 10th and 11th century. The serene ambiance, in which the temple is situated, inspires spiritual feeling among one and all.

The hanging bridge is about 245 feet long. Another attraction of the Dhabaleswar temple is the Suspension Bridge which connects the temple. It was built in 2000. There are two such bridges at Risikesh- “Laxman Jhula’’ & “Rama Jhul’’ having the length of 140 metres and 200 metres respectively. However, the length of DhabaleswarJhula is 254 metres. It is the longest suspension bridge in our country. This bridge facilitates for the coming of the devotees to pay their reverence to lord Dhabaleswar. Now it is a great place of pilgrimage for the people of Odisha and also out side states.

The name Dhabaleswar ( Dhabala or White + Eeswar or God ) is attributed to a miracle performed by Lord Shiva. Once a thief stole a black bull calf from a village and fled to a Shiva temple. He hid himself with the calf in the sanctum while the angry crowd waited outside the temple. The crowd could clearly hear the calf calling out. The thief prayed fervently to Lord Shiva to deliver him from the crowd. Taking pity on him, the Lord appeared as a Sanyassin before the crowd and asked them the cause of their agitation On being told that they suspected the thief of hiding in the sanctum along with the black calf, the sanyassin brought the calf outside to dispel their doubts. The calf turned out to be white, seeing which the crowd let the thief go. The sanyassin disappeared and the thief realized who had come to his aid. He confessed and apologized to the crowd. He took a vow to spend the rest of his life in the service of the Lord. The act of turning a black calf to white caused Lord Shiva to be also known as Dhabaleswara.

See also  Manibhadresvara Temple – II, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

The present temple structure was constructed by Bir Kishor, ruler of Khurda. It is said that once he set out on a hunt with his personal bodyguards and attendants. During the course of the hunt, they discovered the original temple which was in a derelict state.The king ordered the renovation of the temple, granted an area of land measuring 314 maana .He also entrusted the care and service of the temple to one Mali.The family of Mali later on found the village of Malisahi which falls on the way to the temple. This was done in 1153 of the Saka era which would be 1232 AD. The present day temple was renovated and repaired by Bhubaneswar Development Authority.

The Padma Purana and the Linga Purana also gives references to this Saivite centre. According to Padma Purana , Lord Indra killed Demon Namuchi and in order to get rid of the sin of killing a Brahmin (Namuchi was a Brahmin) took bath near this Iceland. Indra founded a Siva Linga on the Iceland and the same is said to be the present Dhabaleswar. Popular stories are also prevalent among the people of Odisha about Dhabaleswar.

Photo Gallery

How to Reach:

Contact Details

Official Address

Browse Temples in India

Recent Posts