Lingaraja temple
Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Lingaraja temple is a large Hindu temple at Bhubaneswar in Odisha. It is usually dated to the 11th century. It is dedicated to Shiva worshipped as Harihara, a single god who is half Shiva and half Vishnu. It is the best example of the Kalinga style, the Odisha form of Nagara (north Indian) temple building. Its tall, curved tower over the sanctum is called a deul (in other Nagara temples, a shikhara). The temple shows that rich regional art kept growing in the early medieval age, even though no single empire ruled India.
Example
At Lingaraja, a line of halls stands in front of the soaring deul. The first is the jagamohana, an assembly hall. Then come a dance hall and a hall for offerings. Smaller shrines fill the large walled courtyard around it.
Don't confuse with
- Jagannatha temple, Puri: also in Odisha and in the Kalinga style, but it is a Vishnu (Jagannatha) temple begun by the Eastern Gangas.
- Konark Sun temple: built by the Eastern Gangas in the mid-13th century for the Sun god, in the shape of a huge chariot.
Related concepts
- Agnikula legend
- Paramaras
- Raja Bhoja
- Bhojeshwar temple
- Bhojshala
- Samarangana Sutradhara
- Chandela dynasty
- Khajuraho group of monuments
- Kandariya Mahadeva temple
- Chaulukya dynasty