Subarnameru Temple, Sonepur

Subarnameru Temple is a Shiva shrine in Sonepur town, Subarnapur district, Odisha, on the bank of the Tel River. It is commonly called the Second Varanasi of India.

A popular story tells of a devotee who asked the lord for help and of a rain of gold coins that followed, and this is the source given for the names Sonepur and Subarnapur. The temple attracts thousands of visitors and pilgrims, and its main festivals are Shivaratri and Kartik Purnima. Sonepur has its own railhead, and regular buses run from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur.