Spiritual PlaceOpen-air Shiva shrine

Kharakhia Vaidyanatha, Bhubaneswar

Open-air Shiva shrine in Bhubaneswar, where the lingam sits beneath a pipal tree with no tower above it

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01 — The story

Kharakhia Vaidyanatha is a Shiva shrine in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, still under regular worship. The chief priest of the shrine owns the precinct. Its name comes from the fact that the deity is open to the sky, with sunlight falling straight on it throughout the day.

The Siva lingam rests in a large circular stone yonipitha on a high platform, now sheltered beneath a pipal tree, and no trace of any superstructure survives. An ancient laterite-block well, circular in shape, lies about 1.63 metres away.

Unmapia

02 — About

Coming soon

We’re still writing about Kharakhia Vaidyanatha, Bhubaneswar: its history, what’s there and why it’s worth the trip.