Nilakantheswar Temple
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Nilakantheswar Temple at
Padmapur Padmapur is a major town and a notified area in Bargarh district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is also a Subdivisional Headquarter and area wise biggest subdivision of Bargarh District. Geography Padmapur is located at . It has an ave ...
, standing on the Jagamanda hills makes the village well known for the
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
temple. The temple is built on only seven rocks. There are also three other shiva temples, i.e. Pudukeswar, Dhabaleswar, and Mallikeswar, on the hillock. This 7th-century-old buddhist temple makes
Padmapur Padmapur is a major town and a notified area in Bargarh district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is also a Subdivisional Headquarter and area wise biggest subdivision of Bargarh District. Geography Padmapur is located at . It has an ave ...
a tourist center of
Rayagada district Rayagada district is a district in the southern Odisha States and union territories of India, state in India. Rayagada became a separate district in October 1992. Its population consists mainly of Adivasi, tribes, primarily the Khonds and t ...
. The temple is very often referred as shrine of Manikeswar Siva. Recently a small cemented front hall has been added to the original structure.


History

The temple dates back to the 7th century.
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
Dr.
Satyanarayana Rajguru Satyanarayana Rajguru (1903-1997) was an Indian litterateur, epigraphist and historian. He was a curator and epigraphist at the Odisha State Museum and was a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, ''Bharati Bhushan'' award, Ganjam Sahitya Sammila ...
, an eminent historian and
epigraphist Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
, relying on a buddhist
inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
found on one of the rocks of the temple, identifies that the temple once housed the buddhist logician-philosopher,
Dharmakirti Dharmakīrti (fl. ;), was an influential Indian Buddhist philosopher who worked at Nālandā.Tom Tillemans (2011)Dharmakirti Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy He was one of the key scholars of epistemology ( pramāṇa) in Buddhist philo ...
. It is the only
Buddhist monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
in Rayagada district of the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
."Buddhist temples in Rayagada district"
/ref> The festival of Maha Sivaratri is celebrated here. Visitors and devotees visit this place, the special day being Tuesday.


References


External links


"Rayagada tourism"
Shiva temples in Odisha Hindu temples in Rayagada district 7th-century Hindu temples {{India-religious-struct-stub