Mukteshwar Temple located in Lord Shiva is believed to be the most powerful among the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He is known to destroy the impurities of the human mind and the evil forces. He helps a soul get rid of its sins and makes it worthy of attaining moksha. This is the main reason Shiva is also known as Mukteshwar, a lord who gives freedom and leads to a peaceful death.
Information About Mukteshwar Temple, Odisha
| Main deity | Mukteshwara (Lord Shiva) |
|---|---|
| Location | Hampi, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. |
| Opening time | Sunrise to Sunset |
About Mukteshwar Temple
The word Mukteshwar means the “Lord of Freedom” (freedom from cycle from birth and death). Mukteshwar Temple is known as the ‘Gem of Odisha’. In this temple, Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Shivling.
Shivling is made up of two words – Shiv refers to Lord Shiva and ling or lingam refers to mark or sign. The temple holds a lot of significance for the devotees. There is a water tank in the temple premise, called ‘Marichi Kund’. It is a very strong belief here, that if a childless lady takes a holy dip in this kund, on the night before the Ashokashtami car festival, she will be blessed with children.
The History Of The Temple
The temple was constructed by Yayati I, the king of the Somavamshi Dynasty. Experts believed that this temple is the successor of the Parashurameshwara temple. The temple of Mukteshwara is unique because of the presence of a Torana (a sacred gateway in Hindu architecture) which is not constructed in any other temple in that region. This indicates that the creator was creating a new culture.
The Architecture Of Mukteshwar Temple
This Mukteshwar temple is a fine example of a perfect blend of sculpting and architecture. Unlike other temples built in Odisha during that time, this temple faces the west. This is a change from the initial phase of Kalinga style of architecture.
It has a number of sculptures of skeletal saints in teaching or meditation pose. Temple walls have beautiful sculptures of Hindu deities like Saraswati, Ganesha and Lakulisha. There are numbers of images of Lakulisha with different position (mudras) like yoga, yogapatta, etc
This temple has a unique place in the field of architecture. Kalinga architecture has been used in the construction of the temple which is known for its attractive designs. The temple is constructed in a lower basement amidst a group of temples. The temple is completely made up of sandstone and has an octangle complex wall with a porch called Torana (gateway in the temple). It has mainly two-part namely the vimana and mukhasala. The vimana is denoted the above structure of the holy place and the mukhasala is the leading hall where devotees can perform aarti and celebrate the festival.
The temple is very decorative by the design which is used in the construction, a new form of the decoration is called bho, successive develop here; later it is a prominent feature in the Odishan temple.
The square Jaganmohan (porch) is in a pyramid-shaped roof built lower than the tower of the sanctum sanctorum. The shikhara (tower) is a complex formation of five-tier and the pidha superstructure is a stepped pyramid in the shape and is flourishing with four beautiful Natarajas and four kirthimukhas on the four faces
There is a tank on the eastern side of the temple premises which is known as Marichi Kunda. There are some more shrines with the temple compound with the lingam inside (Idol of Lord Shiva), they all received offerings together. The sanctum is curved with attractive damsels manifesting feminine charms interlinked with nagas and naginis. The holy place is cubical from the inside with offset walls from the outer side.
There is a clear picture of Torana, a gateway of the temple. A thick curved pillar which is decorated by the birds, strings of beads, holy ornaments, a statue of women, etc. shows that influenced architecture by Buddhist architect.
Main Festivals Celebrated Here
At Mukteshwar temple, the Department of Tourism of the Odisha government organises a dance festival of three days in the temple premises known as the Mukteshwar Dance Festival. This festival is performed by the popular Odissi dancers with their tradition the classical dance form of Odisha and Odissi music with the musical instrument like mardala.
Ashokashtami is another Hindu festival that is celebrated in the Chaitra month in Odisha. It has occurred on Chaitra Shukla Ashtami, the eighth day in Shukla paksha of Chaitra month. On this day, the car festival is celebrated at Lingraja temple and devotees come to Mukteshwar temple after that and take a dip in the Marichi Kunda so that barren women and other devotees can have the blessing of Lord Shiva.
Some more festival-like Shivratri, Navratri and all the Hindu festival are celebrated accordingly and different activities are held as per the occasion.
How To Reach Mukteshwar Temple
By Air
The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar Biju Patnaik International Airport, which is just 6 km away from the Mukteshwar temple. There are non-stop 13 domestic flights that are well connected to the major cities of the country Chennai, Nagpur, Varanasi, etc.
By Rail
The nearest railway station is Kathgodam Railway station situated at a distance of 64 Km away from the temple. It is well connected with major cities across the country like Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata, etc. You can easily get any bus or public transport from the railway station to the temple.
By Road
The Bhubaneswar is well connected with a road network to the nearby cities like (33 km) Cuttack, (344 km) Ulubari, (150 km) Brahmapur, (281 km) Kharagpur, etc. Temple can be accessed by public transport, auto-rickshaws, buses, and taxies. Regular bus service is available by Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC).
Best Time To Visit Mukteshwar Temple
The Mukteshwar temple in Bhubaneshwar is open around the year. Devotees can visit the temple at any time but the best time to visit is winter seasons from October to February when the weather is quite pleasant and cool. Together, the devotee can also witness the holy festival that is the Mukteshwar dance festival which is celebrated annually in the month of summer it can be a bit uncomfortable.
The doors of the temple open throughout the week.
Significance Of the Mukteshwar Temple
The temple is open round the year from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM.
The popular three days dance festival of Mukteshwar is a webcast in the state government portal.
Mukteshwar is a small temple just with a height of 34 feet, but is still known as the Gem of Odisha because of the architecture which makes it the most attractive among all temples.
This temple consists of the presentation of Hindu gods and goddess-like Ganesh, Brahma, Vishnu, Hanuman, and Parvati.
The architecture of the Mukteshwar is marked as the begging of the new experimental style in the world of architectures in Odisha.
This temple is built according to the planning, a rare example of shrines planned and constructed without any successive practices.
It has numbers of different craved images of god, goddess, and beautiful women. Sculptors on the entrance dhow lion face, and group of monkeys, peacock, which contribute to the uniqueness of the temple.
For all the devotees and tourist’s entry is free and here photography is also allowed you can capture the amazing architecture closely.
Bhubaneswar gives an amazing glimpse of temples, over 700 temples are recorded in the history around the city and this is a reason why Bhubaneswar is known as the temple city.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mukteshwar Temple
Q. 1: Why Mukteshwar is known as “Gem of Odisha”?
Ans: The architecture is one of the main reasons that are “Kalinga Architecture” which makes it Gem among all the temples of Odisha.
Q. 2: Why Marichi Kunda Tank is Famous?
Ans: It is a very strong belief here, that if a childless lady takes a holy dip in this kund, on the night before the Ashokashtami car festival, she will be blessed with children.
Q. 3: What is Meaning Of Mukteshwar?
Ans: Mukteshwar is another name of Lord Shiva it means the “lord of freedom or lord who give freedom through yoga” and this is the reason why the temple has several yoga position images on the walls.
Q. 4: Why Bhubaneswar is Known as the Temple City?
Ans: Bhubaneswar is known as the temple city because here almost 700 temples are a witness in the history with different style of architecture.
Q. 5: What is the Mukteshwar Temple is Made up of?
Ans: The Mukteshwar temple is made up of red sandstone with the Kalinga Architecture style with complex positions of yoga.
