Leaning Temple of Huma

Getting there

• By train

  Sambalpur Junction (SBP) is a major railway station and the headquarters of the Sambalpur railway division.

• By road

  NH 55 connects Sambalpur with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The temple is 23 km south of Sambalpur.

Why devotees come here

The Leaning Temple of Huma stands on a rocky outcrop on the bank of the Mahanadi, in Huma village, 23 km south of Sambalpur. Its main shrine tilts one way while the smaller shrines around it lean in other directions. It is one of only a very few leaning temples in the world.

Shiva is worshipped here as Bimaleshwar. Legend says a milkman crossed the Mahanadi every day to offer his milk at a rock on the bank. The rock took the milk each time. The wonder led people to make inquiries, and those inquiries ended in the building of the present temple.

Accounts of its founding differ. Historical records credit Ganga Vamsi Emperor Anangabhima Deva-III with building it. The official tourism account says it was believed to have first been built in the 17th century, under the Chauhan rulers of Sambalpur. King Baliar Singh, the fifth Chauhan king of Sambalpur, rebuilt or renovated it between 1660 and 1690.

The temple sits on a rocky outcrop on the bank of the Mahanadi. Its main shrine is tilted in one direction, at an angle of 13.8 degrees, while the smaller shrines around it lean in other directions. The whole complex tilts at noticeable angles, each part leaning in a different direction. It is unknown whether the structure leans by design or for another reason.

Festivals

• March every year, on ShivratriAnnual fair at the foothill

  Shivratri draws large gatherings of devotees to the temple.

Tips for your visit

• Visitors often feed the Kudo fish, a unique type found here, and feeding them is believed to be auspicious.
• Odisha Tourism lists Maa Samaleswari Temple as a nearby attraction.

Questions people ask