Parsurameswara Temple

Over the door to the sanctum is a slab with labelled figures of the planets. In Archaeological Remains at Bhubaneswar (1961), the historian K. C. Panigrahi notes that it shows only eight planets, without Ketu, as in other early Bhubaneswar temples, whereas later temples show nine. The script of these labels has been used to date the temple. R. D. Banerji argued that it could not be earlier than the 8th century, but Panigrahi re-examined the inscriptions and concluded that their letters belong to the first half of the 7th century, which he took as the date of the temple. Wikipedia notes that a mid-7th-century date, around 650 CE, is now accepted by most scholars.

The temple is credited to the Shailodbhava rulers, who, according to Wikipedia, worshipped Shiva as their family deity. World History Encyclopedia, following Panigrahi, notes that the small Satrughneswara shrines nearby may be slightly older. Wikipedia records that the temple was repaired in 1903, with some changes to the roof over the sanctum, while most of the original structure was kept.

Architecture and sacred features

The sanctum (vimana) is square, with a curved tower (rekha type) about 12 m high, crowned by a ribbed stone disc (amalaka). The rectangular jagamohana in front has a two-tiered sloping roof and latticed stone windows, some with panels of dancers and musicians. Wikipedia notes that the join between the two buildings is rough, which some scholars once took as a sign that the hall was added later.

The exterior is richly carved while the interiors are left plain. Besides the Saptamatrikas and Mahishamardini, the carvings include Ganesha, Kartikeya on his peacock, an eight-armed dancing Ardhanarishvara, Shiva as Nataraja, Ravana trying to lift Mount Kailasa, river goddesses, and scrolls of foliage, birds and animals.