Mukteshwara Temple

The Mukteshwara Temple in Bhubaneswar is a small Shiva temple dating to about 950-975 CE, early in the Somavamshi period. It is a landmark in the development of Odisha temple building: it brings together everything that came before and opens a century of experiment that led to the Rajarani and Lingaraja temples. It is often called the gem of Kalinga architecture and is one of the city's best-known sights.

The temple faces west and sits slightly sunken among a cluster of shrines, inside an octagonal wall covered in carving. Its sanctum tower and assembly hall stand on a raised platform, and the hall carries the first pyramidal roof of its kind. The highlight is the torana, an arched stone gateway unlike any other in the region, showing Buddhist influence; its thick pillars are carved with strings of beads, relaxed smiling women, scrollwork and playful monkeys.