Hazara Mandapa is located within the Kapilesvara temple precinct, Kapilesvara village, Old Town, Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...

 (Lat. 20°13’74”N.,Long.85°49’65” E.,Elev.45 ft). It is a lofty Mandapa provided with a flight of steps. There are sixteen pillars that support the superstructure of flat roof. It was built in 13th Century A.D. and it is now under the guidance of Kapilesvara Temple Trust Board.In the first Saturday of every Sivaratri Lord Lingaraja comes to visit Lord Sanisvara sitting over this Mandapa. Then the lord marches towards the Kapilesvara temple to meet God Kapila which is famously known as Kasia Kapila bheta

Tradition & legends

On the first Saturday after the Sivaratri lord Lingaraja visits lord Sanisvara, whose temple is beside the Mandapa. After paying homage to lord Sanisvara, Lord Lingarajaa sits for a while in the Hazara Mandap. There he proceeds to meet lord Kapila, which is popularly known as Kasia-Kapila Bheta.

Surrounding

The Mandapa is surrounded by Sanisvara temple in east at a distance of 1.00 metres, temple compound wall in west and south and Dvitiya Kapilesvara in north at a distance of 11.20 metres. The Mandapa is provided with a flight of steps in the northern side. he Mandapa has a lofty platform measuring 7.80 square metres. On elevation the Mandapa measures 5.52 metres in height from pabhaga to kalasa. Like a temple its pista has Panchanga bada measuring 1.57 metres in height (pabhaga 0.32 metres, tala jangha 0.31 metres, bandhana 0.21 metres, upara jangha 0.28 metres, baranda
0.45 metres). There are 16 pillars that support the roof of the Mandapa. The pillars are arranged in four rows, each row with four pillars. The roof is made of two tiers of flat ceiling with a clerestorey in between that measures 1.50 metres in height. The mastaka which has a kalasa
measures 0.80 metres. The pillars measure 2.45 metres in height while the corner pillars are octagonal other pillars are square.

Special Features

A navagraha panel of an earlier shrine has been inserted in the northern wall. The graha panel is flanked by two bharabahakas (career). The platform is made of dressed laterite blocks and the rest part are made of light grey sandstone. Dry masonry type of construction technique is used.

Detached and loose Sculpture

Seven detached sculptures are kept near the northern wall of the Mandapa. Two of them are note worthy. A slab decorated with stylized chaitya and at the centre there is a male figure in aradhana pose. The second one is a four armed Kartikeya crowned with Jatamukuta.