Uttaresvara Siva Temple
Encyclopedia
Uttaresvara Siva Temple is a 12th century Hindu temple
dedicated to Lord Siva located in Bhubaneswar
, Orissa
, India
.
. The temple is one of the four pithas; the other pithas are Yoga pitha at Kharakhia Baidyanath, Bhoga pitha at Lingaraj and Siddha Pitha at KedaraGouri temple. Similarly Uttaresvara was known as Tantra pitha.
and jagamohana. Vimana is rekha deula whereas jagmohana is a rectangular flat roofed hall. The temple is surrounded by the lesser shrines of Bhimesvar in north Sahadevesvara in south and the compound wall on the eastern and western sides.
Kartikeya standing in a tribhanga pose is holding a spear(sula) in his left hand and the right hand rests over his thigh. He has jatamukuta, and wears beaded necklace and a female attendant is standing in his lefts. The northern raha niche houses a six armed Mahisamardini. She holds a wheel in lower left, a bow in second lower left and the third left hand rests over the demon Mahisasura. The deity holds a sword in lower right, a spear in the middle and an arrow in the third right hand. Her left leg is resting over the hip of the demon. The body of the demon is a buffalo where as the face is that of a human. This image of Mahisamardini appears to be a later installation as Mahisamardini is not the parsva devata in a Siva temple. The southern raha niche enshrines the image of a four armed Siddhivinayaka Ganesa
. He holds a nagapasa in upper left and parasu in upper right hand, modakapatra in lower left, and a staff in lower right hand. The jagamohana is a plain structural. It has three niches in the southern wall. The temple is devoid of ornamentation, but the pabhaga portion line drawings of chaitya design are noticed. At the lalatabimba there is a four armed Gajalaxmi seated in lalitasana over a lotus pedestal. The architrave above the doorjamb is carved with the traditional Navagrahas(nine planets).
with a modern concrete hall in front of the vimana serves as the
jagamohana. Like Uttaresvara Siva temple this temple was also renovated from pabhaga portion. On elevation, the vimana is of rekha order having bada, gandi and mastaka. With threefold divisions of bada the temple has a trianga bada. The parsvadevata niches are located in the jangha portion on three sides. The western raha niche houses a beautiful four armed Kartikeya standing over a lotus pedestal. His lower left hand rests over a cock and lower right
hand holding the beak of his mount peacock. He is holding a dambaru in his upper left and a trident in upper right hand. The northern raha niche houses a four armed Parvati
standing over a lotus petal. The deity holds lotus in her lower left, akshamala
in lower right, a staff in upper left and a nagapasa in upper right arm. The southern niche houses a four armed Ganesa
standing over a lotus pedestal. He holds a rosary in lower right, Varadamudra in upper left, lower left hand rests over the parasu where as upper left hand holds a broken tooth. All the parsva devatas(supplementary deities) in the niches are recent installations. The doorjamb is carved with three plain vertical bands. At the lalatabimba there is a Gajalaxmi seated on a lotus pedestal. The deity holds a lotus in her left arm and right hand is in Varada mudra.
(five chariot shrine).
, Orissa, India. The tank is enclosed by embankments made of dressed laterite blocks. The tank is a natural spring with an outlet channel leading into the Bindusagar. According to local tradition, after killing the demons Kirti and Basa
goddess Parvati
felt thirsty. In order to quench her thirst, Lord Siva struck his trident on earth where from a spring came out. In order to consecrate the water Siva invited all the river goddesses. Godavari could not come because of her menstrual cycle. On her absence Siva
cursed her that her water will be impure throughout except on the occasion of Kumbhamela when it would be most sacred for divinities and human being.
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
dedicated to Lord Siva located in 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...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Location
Uttaresvara Siva temple is located within a precinct in the northern embankment of Bindusagar tank in the Nalamuhana Sahi, Kedara-Gouri Chowk, Old Town, Bhubaneswar. The enshrining deity in this temple is a Siva lingam within a circular yoni pitha at the centre of sanctum. The original temple has collapsed, as evident from the renovation work above the pabhaga and presence of cult images of earlier phase in different parts of the temple walls without conforming to the canonical prescriptions. It is the main temple within the precinct along with nine lesser shrines.Tradition & legends
According to the local tradition, this temple is so named as it is located in the northern embankment of Bindusagar and north of Lingaraj templeLingaraj Temple
Lingaraj Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Harihara, another name for Shiva and is one of the oldest temples of Bhubaneswar, a revered pilgrimage center and the capital of the state of Orissa, India....
. The temple is one of the four pithas; the other pithas are Yoga pitha at Kharakhia Baidyanath, Bhoga pitha at Lingaraj and Siddha Pitha at KedaraGouri temple. Similarly Uttaresvara was known as Tantra pitha.
Architecture
Architectural features like pabhaga mouldings, rectangular flat roofed jagamohana and sculptures with 7th century iconographic traits reveals that it was established on 7th century A.D. but later construction might be on 19th century. It is a temple type building with VimanaVimana
Vimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
and jagamohana. Vimana is rekha deula whereas jagmohana is a rectangular flat roofed hall. The temple is surrounded by the lesser shrines of Bhimesvar in north Sahadevesvara in south and the compound wall on the eastern and western sides.
Kartikeya standing in a tribhanga pose is holding a spear(sula) in his left hand and the right hand rests over his thigh. He has jatamukuta, and wears beaded necklace and a female attendant is standing in his lefts. The northern raha niche houses a six armed Mahisamardini. She holds a wheel in lower left, a bow in second lower left and the third left hand rests over the demon Mahisasura. The deity holds a sword in lower right, a spear in the middle and an arrow in the third right hand. Her left leg is resting over the hip of the demon. The body of the demon is a buffalo where as the face is that of a human. This image of Mahisamardini appears to be a later installation as Mahisamardini is not the parsva devata in a Siva temple. The southern raha niche enshrines the image of a four armed Siddhivinayaka Ganesa
Ganesa
Ganesa can be:* Ganesa, alternate spelling of Ganesha, the Hindu god.* Ganesa , a genus of marine snails in the family Turbinidae....
. He holds a nagapasa in upper left and parasu in upper right hand, modakapatra in lower left, and a staff in lower right hand. The jagamohana is a plain structural. It has three niches in the southern wall. The temple is devoid of ornamentation, but the pabhaga portion line drawings of chaitya design are noticed. At the lalatabimba there is a four armed Gajalaxmi seated in lalitasana over a lotus pedestal. The architrave above the doorjamb is carved with the traditional Navagrahas(nine planets).
Significance
Rituals like Nrusimha Janma (birthday), Durgastami, Kartika Purnima, Sivaratri are observed.Bhimesvara Siva temple
Bhimesvara Siva temple is located within the Uttaresvara Siva temple precinct, in the northern embankment of Bindusagar tank. The enshrining deity of this temple is a Siva lingam within a circular yoni pitha at the centre of the sanctum. This is a living temple facing east. The temple has a square vimanaVimana
Vimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
with a modern concrete hall in front of the vimana serves as the
jagamohana. Like Uttaresvara Siva temple this temple was also renovated from pabhaga portion. On elevation, the vimana is of rekha order having bada, gandi and mastaka. With threefold divisions of bada the temple has a trianga bada. The parsvadevata niches are located in the jangha portion on three sides. The western raha niche houses a beautiful four armed Kartikeya standing over a lotus pedestal. His lower left hand rests over a cock and lower right
hand holding the beak of his mount peacock. He is holding a dambaru in his upper left and a trident in upper right hand. The northern raha niche houses a four armed Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
standing over a lotus petal. The deity holds lotus in her lower left, akshamala
Akshamala
Akshamala, is a garland of beads, made of pearls, bones, shalagram shila, dried seeds, berries, or sometimes of skulls. It is the attribute of many gods and deities in Hinduism. In general, an Akshamala is composed of fifty beads, corresponding to the characters of Sanskrit alphabet, the 'garland...
in lower right, a staff in upper left and a nagapasa in upper right arm. The southern niche houses a four armed Ganesa
Ganesa
Ganesa can be:* Ganesa, alternate spelling of Ganesha, the Hindu god.* Ganesa , a genus of marine snails in the family Turbinidae....
standing over a lotus pedestal. He holds a rosary in lower right, Varadamudra in upper left, lower left hand rests over the parasu where as upper left hand holds a broken tooth. All the parsva devatas(supplementary deities) in the niches are recent installations. The doorjamb is carved with three plain vertical bands. At the lalatabimba there is a Gajalaxmi seated on a lotus pedestal. The deity holds a lotus in her left arm and right hand is in Varada mudra.
Laterite Temple
The temple is located within the Uttaresvara Siva temple precinct. It is a dilapidated temple in the Uttaresvara Siva temple precinct. The temple is buried up to the bada portion. The temple as ascertained from the visible portion of the bada has a square pancharatha vimanaVimana
Vimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
(five chariot shrine).
Godavari Tank
Godavari Tank is located inside the precinct of the temple. It is on the northern embankment of Bindusagar tank in BhubaneswarBhubaneswar
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...
, Orissa, India. The tank is enclosed by embankments made of dressed laterite blocks. The tank is a natural spring with an outlet channel leading into the Bindusagar. According to local tradition, after killing the demons Kirti and Basa
goddess Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
felt thirsty. In order to quench her thirst, Lord Siva struck his trident on earth where from a spring came out. In order to consecrate the water Siva invited all the river goddesses. Godavari could not come because of her menstrual cycle. On her absence Siva
Siva
Siva may refer to:*Shiva, a major Hindu God*Živa , a Slavic goddess*A pro-apoptotic signaling protein*1170 Siva, asteroid named after the god*Siva , name of several rural localities in Russia...
cursed her that her water will be impure throughout except on the occasion of Kumbhamela when it would be most sacred for divinities and human being.