Ananta Vasudeva Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport. The airport is about 3 km south of the city centre.

• By train

  The nearest railway station is Bhubaneswar.

• By road

  The temple is easily reached by road within Bhubaneswar city.

Why devotees come here

Ananta Vasudeva Temple is one of the most prominent Vaishnavite shrines in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. It is dedicated to Vishnu in the forms of Ananta and Basudeba, and its sanctum holds the icons of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. The temple is built in the Kalinga style and stands near the sacred Bindusagar tank.

The temple honours Vishnu in two forms, Ananta, also called Balabhadra, and Basudeba, also called Jagannatha. Subhadra sits between them, here called Ekanamsa. It appears that an original image of Vishnu was worshipped on this spot before the present temple was built.

The temple was built in the 13th century by Queen Chandrika Devi of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. It follows the Kalinga style, and the complex is a fully developed example of it. It has four main parts: the Deula, or sanctum, the Jagamohana, or assembly hall, the Nata-Mandapa, or dance pavilion, and the Bhoga Mandapa, or offering hall. In form it resembles the Lingaraj temple, but its sculptures are Vaishnavite.

The sanctum holds the icons of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. Unlike the temple at Puri, the idols here are carved from black granite stone rather than wood.

Tips for your visit

• Abadha, traditional Odia cuisine, is served at the temple.
• The towering Deula, or sanctum, is one of the four main structures of the complex.

Questions people ask