Sri Sri Harisankar Devasthana is a temple on the slopes of

Gandhamardhan hills Gandhamardan Hills or Gandhamardan Parbat () is a hill located in between Balangir and Bargarh district of Odisha, India. This hill is well known for medicinal plants. There is a Bauxite reserve which is planned for exploration by the state gov ...

, Bolangir District of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is popular for its scenes of nature and connection to two Hindu lords,

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

and

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. As a holy place, along with a stream passing on the granite bed, it has given some visitors a feeling of peace. On the opposite of side of the

is the temple of

Nrusinghanath Nrusinghanath Temple, is a Hindu temple in Western Odisha, India, situated at the foothills of Gandhamardhan hills near Paikmal, Bargarh. The King of Patna, Baijal Singh Dev laid the foundation of this historic temple in early 15th century CE. ...

. The plateau between the two temples has been found to have ancient Buddhist ruins, which are considered to be remnants of the ancient Parimalgiri University.

History

The deity of Harisankar was discovered by a Chauhan dynasty king of

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

kingdom of

, during the 14th century. From that time, the deity has been worshipped. A dancing

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

image has been found, which can be traced to the early 12th century. The temple was constructed by the order of then queen Durlabha Devi of Maharaja Vaijjal Dev Chauhan.

Festivals

*All

Ekadashi Ekadashi () is the eleventh lunar day (''tithi'') of the waxing (''Shukla Paksha, Shukla Pakṣa)'' and waning (''Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa)'' lunar cycles in a Hindu calendar, Vedic calendar month. Ekadashi is popularly observed within Vaishnavism one ...

Sankranti Sankranti () refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. In ''Saurmana'' ''varsha'' (Hindu Solar year), there are twelve Sankrantis corresponding with twelve months of a year. The Sankrantis can be broa ...

Shivratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

Makar Sankranti Makar(a) Sankrānti (), () also referred to as Uttarāyana, Makara, or simply Sankrānti, is a Hinduism, Hindu observance and a mid-winter harvest festival in India and Nepal. It is typically celebrated on 14 January annually (15 January on a ...

Maagha Magha () is the eleventh month of the Hindu calendar, corresponding to January/February of the Gregorian calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Magha is also the eleventh month of the year, beginning on 20 January and ending on 18 Febru ...

Mela

Location

It is located in the district of

Balangir Balangir also known as Bolangir, is a town and a municipality, the headquarters of Balangir district in the state of Odisha, India. Balangir's cultural heritage makes it one of the finest places for tourists in Odisha. Balangir municipality ...

, Odisha. The nearest railway station is at Harishankar Road, only 32 km from the temple. Regular taxis are available to the temple from this railway station.

References

External links

Odisha TourismOdisha Governmentscenery of the place which attracted two Lords to stay togetherReport on archaeological survey
Vishnu temples Hindu temples in Odisha Balangir Shiva temples in Odisha {{Odisha-hindu-temple-stub

History

Festivals

Location

See also

References

External links