Dedicated to Shiva, the 9th-10th century Subarnajaleswara Temple (also known as Subarnesvara Temple) is located on Kotiteertha Lane heading towards Bindu Sagar Tank on the east (right) side of Lingaraja West Canal.
The east-facing temple is planned in a pancharatha style, although what can be seen today is mostly restored from earlier ruins. It only has a vimana with an attached porch, and is mostly devoid of decoration except for the door jamb, which has images of Shiva and Parvati on both sides. The temple is so named because of its association with the goldsmiths that once lived in the area.
The enshined deity is a Shiva linga within a circular yoni pitha, housed inside a flooded sanctum that is over 1m below the present ground level.
Immediately to the east of the temple is a Sahasralinga together with other fragments of sculpture, including an amlaka. There is also an ornamental block of stone with the image of a female, I believe presently being worshiped as the Goddess Tarini.
It’s a beautiful setting for a temple, if one can ignore the amount of garbage clogging up the canal. The sound of the water flowing by added a real sense of peacefulness, although I’m guessing during the monsoon season this temple must be subjected to some serious flooding.
On my visit a low wall was being constructed by the canal, with two workman tirelessly working on slicing up fresh sandstone blocks on site. I’m hopeful this is perhaps part of a beautification endeavor, and one that ensures the serious amount of rubbish is frequently removed from the canal. It’s such a lovely place, but I have to admit the amount of garbage diluted the experience quite considerably. The wall of course may also help with the risk of seasonal flooding.
A small bridge over the canal leads immediately to the far more ornate Sampoornajaleswara Temple. You can probably guess the subject of my next blog post 🙂
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Categories: Bhubaneswar, India, Odisha, Subarnajaleswara Temple
Kevin Standage 
Hello Kevin,
Thx for the flurry of blog posts over the last few weeks.
, at least someone is making good use of the lockdown ‘stay at home’ orders!
You’ve put in great effort on documenting some of the lesser known and visited temples around Odisha. I’ve learnt some things reading the details alongside the wonderful pictures. Pranam 🙏🏼
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Thanks for your comment, kind words and for stopping by my blog. I’ve still got some to do on Odisha, before moving on to Varanasi and Pune. I’m only about 30% through everything, but hoping this self isolation will finish soon. Stay safe
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