Lingaraj Temple

Largely completed in the late 11th century under the Somavamshi king Jajati Keshari and expanded by the Eastern Gangas, the Lingaraj Temple is the grandest and most architecturally complete expression of the Kalinga style, its 55-metre deul anchoring a walled compound of more than fifty subsidiary shrines. The temple's four sequential halls, vimana, jagamohana, natamandira and bhogamandapa, illustrate the stylistic evolution of Odishan temple building across two centuries, while its walls carry an extraordinarily dense sculptural program. Dedicated to Harihara, a syncretic Shiva-Vishnu form here called Tribhubaneswar, it gave Bhubaneswar its name and remains the city's living religious centre. Entry to the inner precinct is restricted to Hindus, but the temple can be viewed from a platform outside, and it anchors any serious tour of Odisha's temple architecture.