Dhabaleshwar Temple

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Overview

Dhabaleswar Temple is located in the island of Dhabaleswar, about 27kms from Cuttak, which is an important city in the state of Odisha, India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the popular weekend tourist destinations of people living in and around Cuttak. The temple is actually situated in the island lying on the River Mahanadi. Numerous stone carvings dating back to the early 10th and 11th century are found around the temple. The serene atmosphere around thee temple, makes it an ideal spiritual destination.

Legend and Stories

The name Dhabaleswar is derived from two words, Dhabala and Eeswar which means “White God”. There is a legend behind the name of this temple. Once a thief is said to have stolen a black bull calf from a village and had fled to a nearby Shiva temple, fearing the angry villagers who were waiting to punish him for his thievery. He was hiding inside the temple’s sanctum, along with the black calf, praying the benevolent Lord Shiva to save him from the angry mob waiting to punish him. Taking pity on him, Lord Shiva appeared as a Sanyasi before the crowd and asked them the reason for their agitation. The villagers are said to have told the Sanyasi that they suspected that the thief had stolen the black calf. The sanyasi brought the calf outside to dispel their doubts. The calf turned out to be white, seeing which the crowd let the thief go. The sanyasi later disappeared and the thief got to realize that the god himself had come to his rescue. He regretted his mistake and apologized to the crowd. He vowed to spend the rest of his life in the service of the Lord. The miraculous event of turning a black calf to white was the reason why Lord Shiva is known by the name Dhabaleswara in this temple.

The present temple structures were constructed by Bir Kishor, the ruler of Khurda. Legends say that King Kishor once set out on a hunt with his personal bodyguards and attendants. On their way, they are said to have discovered the original temple which was in a dilapidated state. The king ordered the renovation of the temple and granted an area of land measuring 314 maana. He is also said to have bestowed the responsibility of taking care of the temple to a person called Mali. The family of Mali later on founded the village of Malisahi which falls on the way to the temple. This happens to be in 1232 AD. The present day temple was repaired and renovated by Bhubaneswar Development Authority.

Festivals

A big fair is held on the Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi of the month Kartika called Bada-osha. Various festivals like the Shivaratri, Pausha purnima, Dola purnima, and Kartika purnima are celebrated here.

How To Reach Cuttack

Airport

Biju Patnaik Airport at Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport to Cuttack. Regular flights connect the city with major metros such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

Railways

Cuttak lies on the Kolkata-Chennai main line. The railway station at Cuttack has a number fast trains connecting the city with many prominent cities within and outside Odisha (Orissa).

Road

A bunch of networks of National Highways connect Cuttack with the rest of India. Regular buses and taxis ply to and fro Cuttack for all the major cities of India.

Temple Address