Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra)
Ichhapur, near Kendrapara town, Kendrapara, Odisha, India
Baladevjew Temple is a living temple at Ichhapur in Kendrapara district, Odisha, where Balabhadra is worshipped together with Jagannath and Subhadra (IGNCA; OrissaPOST). Balabhadra, honoured here as Baladevjew, is the elder brother of Jagannath (OdishaBytes; OrissaPOST). The temple stands in the centre of Ichhapur village, about 2 km south-west of Kendrapara town (IGNCA), and the area is known to devotees as Tulasi Khetra (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes).
The shrine is best known for its annual Rath Yatra, when the three deities ride the tall wooden chariot called Brahma Taladhwaja (OdishaBytes; OrissaPOST). News reports describe it as a temple about 300 years old (The Week; OdishaBytes).
Faith & Tradition
Religious Significance of Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra)
Unlike most Jagannath-tradition temples, this shrine is centred on Balabhadra, and Jagannath and Subhadra are worshipped alongside him (OdishaBytes; IGNCA). The bathing festival of Snana Purnima is observed here as at Puri, with a local difference: at Ichhapur the sacred bathing water is poured on the deities' feet rather than on their heads as at Puri (OrissaPOST).
The heritage survey of the temple records Ratha Yatra and Makarabedha among its rituals, and notes that family ceremonies such as weddings and thread ceremonies are also held here (IGNCA). The Rath Yatra has also kept up a dance by a devadasi in front of the chariot, a practice that ended at Puri in 2015 (OdishaBytes).
Heritage
History of Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra)
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) heritage survey dates the temple to the middle of the 18th century, during Maratha rule in Odisha, on the basis of its architectural features (IGNCA). News reports likewise place its construction in the Maratha period (OdishaBytes; OrissaPOST).
Accounts of the builder differ. According to local tradition recorded by IGNCA, the temple was built by Raghuji Bhonsle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur (IGNCA), while OdishaBytes credits a ruler of Kujang (OdishaBytes). Neither attribution is confirmed by an independent historical record among the sources checked.
The temple is administered under the Endowment Department of the Government of Odisha through the Baladevjew Temple trust board (IGNCA). In 2019 the sub-collector of Kendrapara served as president of the Baladevjew Temple Endowment Trust Board (OrissaPOST), and the temple has an executive officer (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes).
Architecture and sacred features
The temple faces east and has three main parts: a pidha-style vimana (sanctum tower), a jagamohana (porch hall) and a Garuda mandapa, built in what IGNCA calls an impoverished form of the Kalinga order (IGNCA). It is pancharatha in plan and panchangabada in elevation, built of khandolite stone in ashlar masonry with cement plaster (IGNCA).
The outer walls carry little sculpture, but the interior is decorated with paintings of scenes from the life of Krishna, divine figures and worship scenes (IGNCA). The survey also records images of Surya and Chandra in the temple (IGNCA).
Plan Your Visit
Darshan and Visitor Information
The temple draws large crowds at Snana Purnima and the Rath Yatra, when police are deployed for security (OrissaPOST). Confirm current darshan arrangements with the Baladevjew Temple administration or the Kendrapara district administration before visiting.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Baladevjew Temple Endowment Trust Board, under the Endowment Department, Government of Odisha before travelling. Last reviewed 11 October 2026.
Sacred Calendar
Festivals at Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra)
Rath Yatra
Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra are taken out on the wooden chariot Brahma Taladhwaja, which has 14 wheels and is reported as 65 to 67 feet tall (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes). After wheels cracked and the chariot tilted in 2025, the temple sought advice from IIT Bhubaneswar on its construction and braking (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes).
Snana Purnima (Debasnana Purnima)
The deities are brought in procession to the bathing platform for the bathing festival, and devotees believe Balabhadra watches the progress of his chariot's construction from there (OrissaPOST).
Makarabedha
The IGNCA survey lists Makarabedha among the temple's rituals alongside the Rath Yatra (IGNCA).
Location
How to Reach Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra)
The temple is in the centre of Ichhapur village, about 2 km south-west of Kendrapara town (IGNCA). The Rath Yatra route between the main temple and the Mausima temple is about 2 km long (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes). Confirm current road and transport arrangements with the Kendrapara district administration before travelling.
Location: Ichhapur, near Kendrapara town, Kendrapara, Odisha, India
More in Hindu temples in Odisha
Questions
Baladevjew Temple, Ichhapur (Tulasi Khetra): Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Baladevjew Temple?
It is in the centre of Ichhapur village, about 2 km south-west of Kendrapara town in Kendrapara district, Odisha (IGNCA). The area is known as Tulasi Khetra (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes).
Which deities are worshipped at the Baladevjew Temple?
The main deity is Balabhadra, worshipped as Baladevjew, together with Jagannath and Subhadra (OdishaBytes; IGNCA; OrissaPOST).
How old is the Baladevjew Temple?
The IGNCA heritage survey dates it to the middle of the 18th century, during Maratha rule in Odisha (IGNCA). News reports describe it as about 300 years old (The Week; OdishaBytes).
Who built the Baladevjew Temple?
Sources differ. Local tradition recorded by IGNCA names Raghuji Bhonsle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur (IGNCA), while OdishaBytes credits a ruler of Kujang (OdishaBytes).
What is the Brahma Taladhwaja chariot?
It is the wooden chariot that carries Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra during the temple's Rath Yatra (OdishaBytes). It has 14 wheels and is reported as 65 to 67 feet tall (OrissaPOST; OdishaBytes).
What style of architecture does the temple follow?
It has a pidha vimana, a jagamohana and a Garuda mandapa in the Kalinga style, built of khandolite stone, with paintings of Krishna's life inside (IGNCA).
Who manages the Baladevjew Temple?
It comes under the Endowment Department of the Government of Odisha and is run through the Baladevjew Temple trust board (IGNCA; OrissaPOST).
Sources and attribution
- © OpenStreetMap contributors — location data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Wikidata Q4849778 — structured data (CC0)
- Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (Ministry of Culture) — Baladeva Jew Temple, Ichhapur, Dist. Kendrapara (Documentation format for Archaeological / Heritage Sites / Monuments, OR/KDP-05)
- OrissaPOST — Snana Purnima at Tulashi Khetra: CM visits Baladevjew temple
- OrissaPOST — IIT Bhubaneswar's expertise sought for construction of 65 ft high chariot in Kendrapada
- OdishaBytes — Technical Upgrades For Baladevjew's 67-Ft Chariot After IIT-Bhubaneswar Assessment
- OdishaBytes — Odisha Govt Sanctions Rs 1 Cr For New Chariot Of Lord Baladevjew In Kendrapada
- OdishaBytes — Odisha's Tulsi Khetra Rath Yatra: New devadasi to dance in front of chariot
- The Week (PTI) — NHRC seeks report from Odisha govt on 'poor condition' of 300-year-old temple (PTI)
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