Baba Bhusandeswar Temple - Asia's Largest Shiva Linga is located at Bhograi Block, Kumbhirgadi village of

Balasore district Balasore District, also known as Baleswar District, is an administrative district of Odisha state, in eastern India. Balasore is one of the coastal districts of Odisha and lies on the northernmost part of the state. Etymology Baleswar is sa ...

Odisha, India Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the third ...

Description

The 12 feet long and 14 feet width lingam is carved out on a black granite and only half of the lingam is visible. The other half has remained buried for years. The lingam has three parts. The middle portion of the lingam is octagonal in shape, about 12 feet in diameter and nearly four feet in height. The Lingam slightly leans towards the right side.

Mythology

There is a mythological story behind this temple — according to the local beliefs at the time of the , the Demon King

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

was blessed by

Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...

and gifted this Shiva Lingam. But Lord Shiva warned him not to place the Lingam anywhere. Ravana was on his way with Lingam on his ''Pushpak vimana''(a Airway flying vehicle). The angels or Gods were disappointed and thought to seize the power of Ravana, which he brought from Lord Shiva. In the meantime, Ravana felt desperate and planted the Linga at this place. He tried to lift again but failed because it was heavy. For a long time, the Shiva Linga was in the wild.

References

Hindu temples in Balasore district Shiva temples in Odisha Balasore {{Odisha-hindu-temple-stub