Harishankar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Raipur, 251 km, and Bhubaneswar, 341 km, are the nearest major airports to Balangir town, according to Odisha Tourism.

• By train

  Harishankar Road is the nearest railway station, 32 km from the temple, with two platforms. Passenger, express and superfast trains stop there, and regular taxis run from the station to the temple.

• By road

  The temple is on an all-weather motorable road 81 km from Balangir. Regular buses run from Balangir, but the district site advises taking your own transport from Balangir town.

On the way

• Trek through the scenic trails of Gandhamardan Hills, as Odisha Tourism suggests.
• A 16 km hilltop road connects Harishankar with Nrusinghanath, and trekkers also use it.

Why devotees come here

Harishankar is a temple on the slopes of the Gandhamardhan hills in Balangir district, Odisha. It is popular for its scenes of nature and its link to two Hindu lords, Vishnu and Shiva.

Harishankar is a place of pilgrimage on the southern slope of the Gandhamardan hills, with a perennial stream and cascades. Hindu belief holds that Hanuman dropped a portion of the Himalayan mass he was carrying, and that this portion became Gandhamardan hill. Hanuman is also believed to reside on this hill and in the Piduru Mountains in Sri Lanka.

The deity was discovered by a Chauhan dynasty king of the Patna kingdom in the 14th century. The temple was built on the order of then queen Durlabha Devi of Maharaja Vaijjal Dev Chauhan. The Patna kingdom was founded in 1360 AD by Ramai Deo.

A dancing Ganesha image has been found. It can be traced to the early 12th century, which makes it older than the 14th century discovery of the deity.

Festivals

• Ask locally for datesHarishankar Mela

  Odisha Tourism lists it among the festivals to experience in Balangir.

• Ask locally for datesBaishankha Mela

  Visitors come from far-flung places for this mela.

• Shrabana PurnimaShrabana Purnima

  Devotees of Shiva walk long distances to offer holy water.

• Nrusingha ChaturdasiNrusingha Chaturdasi Mela

  Pilgrims walk the hilltop road to Nrusinghanath within a day on foot.

Tips for your visit

• Odisha Tourism presents Harishankar and Nrusinghanath as one pilgrimage circuit, so the two can be planned together.
• The station code for Harishankar Road is HSK.

Questions people ask