Parashurameswara Temple
Bhubaneswar Old Town, Bhubaneswar4.5
About this place
Built around 650 CE under the Shailodbhava dynasty, Parashurameswara is the oldest fully-preserved temple in Bhubaneswar and the earliest example of Kalinga temple architecture in Odisha. The shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva (Parashurameswara — 'Lord of Parashurama'). It marks the formative phase of the Kalinga school: a low rekha-deula vimana with a horizontal jagamohana, ornamented with sculpted niches of Lakulisha, Ganesh, Kartikeya, the Saptamatrikas, and elaborate gavaksha (chaitya-window) friezes. A small Shivalinga inside the sanctum is in active worship.
Earliest extant Kalinga-style temple; foundational reference for the entire Odisha temple architecture canon.
c. 650 CE · Early Kalinga (Rekha + Pidha deula)