Revamp of Lingaraj Temple Odisha

Odisha government on Monday announced to give a face-lift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the redevelopment plan to take place over 66 acres of land surrounding the temple
The revamping aims to increase the capacity from 15000 of 2 lakh of total frontage
700 crore for the temple project.
Besides there are planning to barrier the free access between the temple and near by Bindusagar lake.

Lingaraj TempleLingaraj Temple is believed to be the oldest and largest temple of Bhubaneshwar.
Lingaraj Temple was built by the King YaYati Keshari, who belonged to Soma Vansh in 11th century.
It is believed that when the King shifted his capital from Jaipur to Bhubaneshwar the construction started for Lingaraj Temple.
Term Lingaraj suggests ‘the king of Lingas, where ‘linga’ is the phallic form of Lord Shiva.
The scripture Brahma Purana also have mentioned the Lingaraj Temple.
Also known as ‘Ekamravan Kshetra’, in Bhubaneswar.
The presiding deity of this temple is known as Tribhubanesvara (Bhubaneswar) from which the city has derived its name.
The presiding deity in the Temple is known as Hari-Hara where Hari denotes Lord Vishnu and Hara meaning Lord Shiva.
Arcitecture
- Temple reflecting the Kalinga style of architecture.
- Gigantic structure of about 180 feet high dominating the entire landscape at Bhubaneswar.
- Lingaraja temple has four frontal projected sections such as the Deula, Jagamohana, Natamandira and Bhogamandapa.
- Jagamohana (assembly hall in the temple) of the Lingaraja temple is decorated with various sculptures.
- The images of Parvati, Ganesa and Kartikeya appear in the sanctuaries.

Odisha and the Central government facing a massive financial burden amid COVID 19. Building the temple may increase the burden.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

Prelims : Lingaraj Temple

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