Brahmeswara Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Biju Patnaik International Airport is 3 km south of the city centre and is the only international airport in Odisha.

• By train

  The nearest railway station to the temple is Bhubaneswar Railway Station.

Why devotees come here

Brahmeswara Temple is a Hindu shrine of Shiva in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, a city known as the Temple City. It is richly carved inside and out. Its builders used wood-carving methods on stone, and the temple is noted for the first use of iron beams in temple architecture.

Brahmeswara is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, in Bhubaneswar, which is known as the Temple City. Carvings cover its walls inside and out. The plan is called panchatanaya: the main shrine has four smaller shrines at its four corners.

The temple is built with the methods of wood carving, but applied to stone. The vimana, the tower over the shrine, is 18.96 m (62.2 ft) tall. Iron beams find their first use in temple architecture here. Musicians and dancers, some holding lutes, are carved on the outer walls in large numbers. The temple is noted for several innovations, including that great number of carved figures. Its style shows affinity with the earlier Mukteswar Temple, especially the carved interior of the jagamohana, the front hall. Chamunda is carved on the western facade.

Historians date the temple to the late 11th century, based on an inscription that was carried to Kolkata from Bhubaneswar. It was built at Siddhatirtha, in Ekamra Kshetra, which is modern-day Bhubaneswar, with four Natyasalas.

Tips for your visit

• The outer walls carry many musicians and dancers, some holding lutes, an innovation in the temple's carved design.
• Walk round to the western facade to find Chamunda, shown holding a trident and a human head, standing on a corpse.

Questions people ask