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Temple Of Orissa::

Much needs to be said about the temples of Orissa. The Golden triangle of Orissa comprising Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark attracts tourists from around the world. There are hundreds of lesser known temples in Orissa. The city of Bhubaneswar abounds in temples built over a range of several centuries.
The temples of Orissa exhibit a majestic grandeur. An Orissan temple (deul) usually consists of a sanctum, one or several front porches (jagamohana) usually with pyramidal roofs, a dancing hall (nata mandir) and a hall of offerings (bhog mandir). The Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneswar boasts of a 150 foot high deul while the Janannath Temple at Puri is about 200 feet high and it dominates the skyline of the town. Only a portion of the Sun Temple at Konark, the largest of the temples of the Golden triangle exists today, and it is still staggering in size. It stands out as a masterpiece in Orissan architecture.

Orissa's history dates back to the days of the Mahabharata. It was under the rule of the Nanda Kings in the pre Christian era and then under the Mauryan rule. Rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka are found in the State. The impact of the invasion of the Guptas is seen in the early temples of Bhubaneswar. The Matharas ruled Orissa from the later half of the 4th century AD. The Sailodbhavas who followed constucted several shrines the ruins of which can be seen today. (600-750 AD).
The period of the Bhaumakaras and Somavamsis (8tth to 11th centuries AD) played a major role in the cultural life of the State. Saivism dominated the religious scene although Budhist, Jain and Vaishnavite monuments also came into being. The Gangas took over after the decline of the Somavamsis. The early Eastern Gangas ruled from Kalinganagara (Mukhalingam near Srikakulam Andhrapradesh). They shifted their capital to Cuttack in the 12th century. Saivism began to decline while Saktism flourished. Further, the religious leader Ramanujacharya had a great influence on the monarch Chodagangadeva who built the great temple at Puri. The Gangas were champions of Vaishnavism. It was during the Ganga rule that Orissan architecture reached its peak. Narasimhadeva of this dynasty built the Sun Temple at Konark.

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The Gangas were succeeded by the Suryavamsi Gajapati rulers, under whom Vaishnavism in the form of Jagannatha worship reached new heights. This period was marked by the influence of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and by the construction of Jagannatha temples across the length and breadth of the empire. After the decline of the Gajapatis, the kingdom began to disintegrate and was taken over by followed by Muslim rule, the rule of the Mughals, the Mahrattas and then the British. The Bhoi Gajapatis who ruled Orissa over a small territory caused several Jagannatha temples to come up.

The following list is a pointer to the numerous Temples of Orissa.

Temple List

1. Akhandaleswara Temple (11th century) at Prataprudrapur (Kenduli) near Konarak
2. Amareshwara Temple at Amareshwar near Konarak
3. Ananta Vasudeva Temple at Bhubaneswar
4. Angeshwara Temple at Pitapara near Niali
5. Ashta Sambhu Temple ruins (12th cent) at Chaudar near Cuttack
6. Bakeshwara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
7. Bhagawati Temple at Banapur near Bhubaneswar
8. Bhagawati Temple at Parahat near Jagatsinghapur
9. Bhagawati Temple at Vateshwar near Salepur
10. Bhaskareswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
11. Bhavani Shankara Temple (near the Sari Deul) at Bhubaneshwar
12. Bhimeswara Temple at Daraba near Jagatsinghapur
13. Bhrameswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
14. Bhramheswara Temple at Beraboi near Delang
15. Bhringeswara Mahadeva Temple (8th century) at Bajrakot near Talcher
16. Biranchi Narayana Temple at Palia near Bhadrak
17. Buddhanatha Shiva Temple at Garudipanchana near Bhubaneshwar
18. Champeswara Temple at Champeswar near Narsinghpur (Cuttack)
19. Chandeswara Temple at Chandeswar near Tangi (Puri)
20. Chandi Temple at Sochanpurochana near Nilgiri (Baleshwar)
21. Chandrasekhara Temple at Khiching near Panchpir (Mayurbhanj)
22. Chandrasekhara Temple at Kapilas Hill near Kapilas
23. Charchika Temple at Amareshwar near Konarak
24. Chateswara Temple at Kishenpur near Cuttack
25. Chitkarini Temple at Bhubaneshwar
26. Dakra Bhimeswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
27. Daksheswara Temple at Banapur
28. Durga Temple at Motia near Konarak
29. Ekambareswara Temple (within the Lingaraja compound) at Bhubaneshwar
30. Gangeshwari Temple at Beyalisbati near Konarak
31. Garteswara Temple at Algum near Sakshigopal (Puri)
32. Gauri Shankara Ganesha Temple (8th century) at Bhubaneshwar
33. Gokarneswara Temple at Jamu-Goradi - Adasapur near Bhubaneshwar (37km)

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34. Gopinath Temple at Nuasomeswarpur near Sakshigopal
35. Gopinatha Temple at Kakudia near Bhubaneshwar
36. Grameswara Temple at Lataharana near Kakatpur (Puri)
37. Grameswara Temple at Birpratappur near Sakshigopal
38. Grameswara Temple (13th cent ruins) at Berhumpur near Jagatsinghapur
39. Grameswara Temple (ruins) at Adasapur (Prachi valley ) near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
40. Indralath (Vishnu) Temple (10th cent) at Ranipur - Jharial near Titlagarh
41. Indrasthana Temple at Amaravati near Cuttack*
42. Jaganatha Temple at Palur near Rambha
43. Jagannath Temple at Puri
44. Jaleswara Temple at Kalarahanga near Bhubaneshwar
45. Kakharua Baidyanatha Temple at Mantri near Badasahi (Mayurbhanj)
46. Kanakeswara Temple (8th-9th cent) at Kualo (Kodalaka) near Talcher
47. Kapileshwara Temple at Adasapur - Kapila Muni Ashram near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
48. Kapileswara Temple at Charda near Binka (Balangir)
49. Kapileswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
50. Kedareswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
51. Kenduli Temple ruins at Kenduli near Konarak
52. Khileswara Temple (12th century) at Khilor near Pipli (Puri)
53. Kinchakeswari Temple at Khiching near Panchpir (Mayurbhanj)
54. Konark Sun Temple at Konark
55. Kosaleswara Temple at Anandapur (Degaon)
56. Kosaleswara Temple at Baidyanath near Solangir
57. Kosaleswara Temple (9th cent) at Patnagarh near Sonepur
58. Kotitheertheswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
59. Kutopokhari Temple at Remuna near Balasore
60. Lakshmaneshwara Temple ruins at Bhubaneshwar
61. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Amareshwar near Konarak
62. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Nuapatna near Bhubaneshwar (37km)
63. Lakshmi Narayana Temple at Chaurasi near Konarak
64. Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneswar
65. Madhavananda Temple at Adasapur (Prachi valley ) near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
66. Madhavananda Temple at Madhava near Niali
67. Mahavinayaka Temple at Chandikhol
68. Mahendragiri Temples at Mahendragiri (South Ganjam)
69. Mahisasura Mardini Temple at Adasapur (Prachi valley ) near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
70. Makareshwara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
71. Mallikeswara Temple at Paikapada near Rayagarha (Koraput)
72. Mallikeswara Temple at Padmapur near Gunupur (Koraput)
73. Mangala Temple at Kakatpur near Konarak
74. Manikeswara Temple at Sukleshwara near Talcher
75. Maninageswara Temple at Baleshwar
76. Markandeswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
77. Megheswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
78. Mitreswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
79. Mohini Temple at Bhubaneshwar
80. Mukteswara Temple at Bhubaneswar
81. Narasimha Temple at Puri
82. Narasimhanatha Temple at Nrusingnath near Padmapur (Sambalpur)
83. Nilakanteshwara Shiva Temple at Adasapur (Prachi valley ) near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
84. Nilamadhava Temple at Mudgala Madhava near Konarak
85. Nilamadhava Temple at Chahata near Konarak
86. Nilamahadeva Temple at Gandharadi near Bauda (Phulabani)
87. Padmeswara Temple at Baneswarnasi near Narasinghpur (Cuttack)
88. Panchapandava (Vishnu) Temple (10th century) at Ganeshwarpur near Chhatia (Cuttack)
89. Papanasini Temple at Bhubaneshwar
90. Parasurameswara Temple at Bhubaneswar
91. Parvati Temple (Lingaraj Temple) at Bhubaneswar
92. Paschimeswara Temple at Amangai Island near Khanderpur (Athgarh - Cuttack)
93. Pataleswara Temple at Paikapada near Rayagarha (Koraput)
94. Pataleswara Temple (10th cent) at Budhikomna near Khariar (Raipur) Kalahandi
95. Purneswara Temple at Bhillideuli near Nimapara (Puri)
96. Rajarani Temple at Bhubaneswar
97. Rameswara Temple at Bauda near Phulabani
98. Rasikaraya Temple ruins at Haripur (Mayurbhanj) near Haripur (Mayubhanj)
99. Samaleswari Temple at Sonapur
100. Sari Deul Temple at Bhubaneshwar
101. Shiva Temple at Badagaon near Bhanjanagar
102. Siddheswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
103. Siddheswara Temple at Gandharadi near Bauda (Phulabani)
104. Simhanatha Temple at Simhanatha Island near Baideswar (Cuttack)
105. Sisireswara Temple at Bhubaneswar
106. Sisireswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
107. Sobhaneshwara Temple at Niali
108. Somanatha Temple at Ghorodia near Delang (Puri)
109. Somanatha Temple at Budhapada near Bhubaneshwar
110. Someswara Shiva Temple at Ranipur Jharial near Titlagarh
111. Someswara Temple at Someswara near Kakatpur (Puri)
112. Suvarnameru Temple at Sonapur
113. Swapneswara Temple at Adasapur (Prachi valley ) near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
114. Taleswara Temple (near Parasurameswara) at Bhubaneshwar
115. Tarakeshwara Temple at Ganeshwarpur near Cuttack
116. Trilochaneshwara Temple at Sadansa near Niali
117. Uttareswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
118. Vaital Deul at Bhubaneswar
119. Valukeswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
120. Vanivakreswara Temple at Kalupada near Puri (Delang)
121. Varaha Narasimha Temple at Adasapur (Prachi valley ) near Bhubaneshwar (37 km)
122. Varuneswara Temple at Bhubaneshwar
123. Vishwanatha Temple at Krishna Prasadgarh near Amareshwar
124. Yameshwara Temple at Bhubaneshwar