Biranchinarayan Temple, Palia

Biranchinarayan Temple stands in Palia village, about 15 km south of Bhadrak on the road towards Chandabali. Biranchi Narayan is a name of Surya, the sun god, and the temple bears witness to the old tradition of sun worship in Odisha. Its architecture points to the 13th century; a local zamindar paid for its renovation and rebuilding in the early 20th century.

The deity is a Sun image with roughly four faces: a square stone narrowing slightly towards the top, with Surya carved in relief on each side, holding two lotuses and standing on a chariot drawn by seven horses. The building follows the Kalinga style. The two doorjambs of the eastern doorway probably came from a Shaiva temple and were reused during a renovation; their carvings closely resemble those of 10th- and 11th-century Shiva temples at Bhubaneswar and Khiching. Ratha Saptami, also called Magha Saptami, and Samba Dashami are the main festivals.