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The Leaning Temple of Huma in India is one of only two leaning temples in the world. It is located in Huma, a village situated on the bank of the Mahanadi, 23 km south of Sambalpur in the Indian state of Odisha. The temple is dedicated to the
The Bhairavi Devi temple is situated to the left of the main temple, and the Bhairo temple is situated to the right of the main temple. According to historical records, Ganga Vamsi Emperor Anangabhima Deva-III built this temple. The temple was rebuilt or renovated by King Baliar Singh (1660–1690 A.D.), the fifth 
The temple is positioned on a rocky outcrop on the bank of the river Mahanadi. The reason for the leaning cannot be assumed to have been technical flaws at the time of construction. It is also not an easily acceptable idea that a weak foundation might have caused the leaning of the temple. There may perhaps have been interior displacement of the rocky bed on which it stands, either due to flood currents in the river Mahanadi, or earthquakes.
The plinth of the temple has deviated slightly from its original arrangement, and as a result, the body of the temple has tilted. This tilt has fascinated historians, sculptors and other researchers. The surprising thing is that the main temple is tilted in one direction, whereas the other small temples are tilted in other directions. Within the temple complex i.e. within the boundaries of temple, everything is in a tilted condition, including the boundaries themselves, and the villagers and priests says that the angle of inclination has not changed over last 40 or 50 years. The tilt may be due to a geological reason; the underlying rock may be uneven in structure. The angle of inclination of the tilt is 13.8 degrees.
Leaning Temple of Huma
{{Hindu temples in Odisha, West Odisha Shiva temples in Odisha Inclined towers Religious buildings and structures completed in 1690 Towers completed in 1690 Hindu temples in Sambalpur district Tourist attractions in Sambalpur 1690 establishments in Asia
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
god Lord Bimaleshwar
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
.
It is not known if this structure is leaning by design or for another reason. Although the edifice leans, the pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...
of the temple is perpendicular to the ground.
Architecture
The Bhairavi Devi temple is situated to the left of the main temple, and the Bhairo temple is situated to the right of the main temple. According to historical records, Ganga Vamsi Emperor Anangabhima Deva-III built this temple. The temple was rebuilt or renovated by King Baliar Singh (1660–1690 A.D.), the fifth Chauhan
Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan.
Subclans
Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...
king of Sambalpur. The rest of the temples were built during the rule of King Ajit Singh (1766–1788 A.D.) of Sambalpur.(Panda, 1996:34–35; Pasayat, 1990:20–23; Senapati and Mahanti, 1971:51,526)
The temple is positioned on a rocky outcrop on the bank of the river Mahanadi. The reason for the leaning cannot be assumed to have been technical flaws at the time of construction. It is also not an easily acceptable idea that a weak foundation might have caused the leaning of the temple. There may perhaps have been interior displacement of the rocky bed on which it stands, either due to flood currents in the river Mahanadi, or earthquakes.
The plinth of the temple has deviated slightly from its original arrangement, and as a result, the body of the temple has tilted. This tilt has fascinated historians, sculptors and other researchers. The surprising thing is that the main temple is tilted in one direction, whereas the other small temples are tilted in other directions. Within the temple complex i.e. within the boundaries of temple, everything is in a tilted condition, including the boundaries themselves, and the villagers and priests says that the angle of inclination has not changed over last 40 or 50 years. The tilt may be due to a geological reason; the underlying rock may be uneven in structure. The angle of inclination of the tilt is 13.8 degrees.
Legend
The worship of Shiva is said to have been initiated by a milkman, who crossed the Mahanadi daily to a place on the bank where the underlying rock cropped out. Here he offered his dole of milk, which was immediately consumed by the rock. This miraculous circumstance led to inquiries, which ended in the construction of the present temple.Annual fair
An annual fair takes place at the foothill of the temple in March every year on Shivratri. This fair attracts a huge crowd which includes foreign visitors. The Government of Odisha has proposed a hanging bridge to attract more tourists to the annual fair. There is a special type of fish found here known as 'Kudo' fish; they are frequently fed by visitors. It is believed that if anyone was to catch the Kudo fish turns into stone by a curse, there is a stone statue of a woman at the temple who is cutting one of the Kudo fishes, it is said that she became stone by getting affected by the curse.See also
* List of leaning towersReferences
External links
Leaning Temple of Huma
{{Hindu temples in Odisha, West Odisha Shiva temples in Odisha Inclined towers Religious buildings and structures completed in 1690 Towers completed in 1690 Hindu temples in Sambalpur district Tourist attractions in Sambalpur 1690 establishments in Asia