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The Brahmeswara Temple is an 11th century shrine which is situated about a kilometer east of the main road, in Bhubaneswar. The temple stands in a courtyard flanked by four smaller temples.

Built in Orissan style, the famous Brahmeswara Temple is noted for its sculptural art, and particularly those graced in deul like the tower and Jagmohana the porch. It enshrines and houses Shivling, apart from the idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Shiva in fierce form. Tantric-related images can also be seen here.

The exterior walls of the temple are adorned with the figures of several gods and goddesses, carvings of swans and deer and religious scenes. Exquisite of the carvings is Lord Shiva in the form of Nataraja, playing a veena above a bull and voluptuous female figures elaborately bedecked with ornaments.

The temple was built in 1050 A.D.according to an inscription which is originally attached to this temple but now is been missing. It is been conveyed that it was built to enshrine a Linga called Brahmeswara by Kolavati, the mother of the Somavamsi the king Uddyatakesari, in the latter's 18th regnal year at a locality known as Siddhatirha at Ekmra. This stands as the second temple at Bhubaneswar with internal embellishments in the Jagamohana, while the first being the Mukteswara temple. The topmost slab which seals the interoir is the characteristic element and details of ornamentation the temple approximates to the typical Orissa from. Yet however, rich in the plastic embellishment, it lacks the dignified proportions and the finished appearance of Lingaraja temple.

Both the 'deul' and 'Jagmohana' of the Brahmeswara temple are in the fully developed mature Orissan style. This temple can be dated with fair accuracy by the use of inscriptions that were originally on the temple. Today they are unfortunately lost, but the records of them preserve the information.

The Brahmeswara temple shows quite a bit of affinity with the much earlier "Mukteswara temple", including the carved interior of the 'Jagmohana', and in the sculptural iconography such as the lion head motif, which appeared for the first time in the 'Mukteswara', and is here evident in profusion. There are quite a number of innovations, however, including the introduction of a great number of musicians and dancers, some holding flutes, on the exterior walls.

The carvings over the doorframe contain beautiful flower designs as well as flying figures. Like the famous "Rajarani", there are images of the eight directional Guardian Deities. There are even quite a number of tantric-related images, and even 'Chamunda' appears on the western facade, holding a trident and a human head, and standing on a corpse. Shiva and other deities are also depicted in their horrific aspects.

One of the lost inscriptions which stated that a Queen 'Kolavati' presented 'many beautiful women' to the temple, and it has been suggested that this is an evidence of the 'Devadasi' tradition, which assumed such importance in later Orissan temple architecture and temple life.



Dhauli Giri

Dhauli Giri is the place which is 8 km away from Bhubaneswar looking down on the plains that are witness to the gruesome war waged on Kalinga by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka and where stand the rock edicts of Dhauli.

It was here that King Ashoka, full of remorse after the Kalinga War in 261 BC, renounced his blood-thirsty campaign and turned to Buddhism.

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are the caves which depicts the archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India. The caves are situated on two hills Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha inscription and face each other across the road. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves.

Mukteshwara Temple
Mukteshwara Temple which dates back to 10th century is an important transition point between the early and the later phases of the Kalinga architecture. The highlight of the temple is the magnificent torana - the decorative gateway, an arched masterpiece, reminiscent of Buddhist influence in Orissa.

Vaital Deul Temple Vaital Deul Temple, situated near Bindu Sarovar, is a Tantric temple constructed during the eight century. The temple belongs to an offshoot of Kalinga School, the Khakhara order.

Near by tourist places to Brahmeswara Temple Bhubaneshwar Cuttack Puri Konark

By Air- The city of Bhubaneswar through Airways is connected to the cities of Calcutta, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Raipur through regular flights. Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar is the only major airport in the state.

Through Railways -the city of Bhubaneswar is directly connected by rail with the important cities like Kolkata, Puri, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Tirupati and Trivandrum.

Through Roadways -Bhubaneshwar city is linked with Berhampur, Chilka, Cuttack, Konark, Paradip, Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur and other places. Inter-state bus services operate daily between Kolkata and Puri via Bhubaneswar and Tatanagar (Jamshedpur).