Hazara Mandapa, Orissa

Bhubaneswar town is basically famous for its various Hindu worship places. The sacred Hazara Mandapa of Kapileswara temple is among one of them. This is a very lofty sacred Mandapa along with a flight of stone-made steps; the mandapa has total sixteen stone pillars that greatly support the flat roof. It is believed that in the very first Saturday of festival Mahashivratri, The Lord Lingaraja himself comes to meet Lord Sanisvara who is sitting over the sacred Mandapa. After that Lord Lingaraja visits to renowned Kapilesvara sacred temple to meet holy lord Kapila who is also famous as Kasia-Kapila Bheta.

Hazara Mandapa, Orissa;

Temple History
Architecture
How To Reach The Temple
Daily Poojas And Festivals
Additional Information

The renowned Hazara Mandapa was constructed during 13th century AD by a local dynasty. Presently it is managed by trust board of Kapilesvara temple. According to local legend the temple is a meeting point of three Gods such as Lord Lingaraja, Lord Kapila and Lord Sanisvara. Hence, due to its religious or mythological significant, the sacred Hazara Mandapa is frequented by thousands of pilgrims every year. Moreover, the sacred Hazara Mandapa is not only renowned for its religious significances but also for its incredible architecture that shows the real picture of ancient style of Indian architecture.

The Mandapa is surrounded by Sanisvara Temple in east at a distance of 1.00 metres, temple compound wall in west and south and Dvitiya Kapilesvara in north at a distance of 11.20 metres. The Mandapa is provided with a flight of steps in the northern side. he Mandapa has a lofty platform measuring 7.80 square metres. On elevation the Mandapa measures 5.52 metres in height from pabhaga to kalasa. Like a temple its pista has Panchanga bada measuring 1.57 metres in height (pabhaga 0.32 metres, tala jangha 0.31 metres, bandhana 0.21 metres, upara jangha 0.28 metres, baranda 0.45 metres). There are 16 pillars that support the roof of the Mandapa. The pillars are arranged in four rows, each row with four pillars. The roof is made of two tiers of flat ceiling with a clerestorey in between that measure 1.50 metres in height. The mastaka which has a kalasa measures 0.80 metres. The pillars measure 2.45 metres in height while the corner pillars are octagonal other pillars are square.

By Road: The Hazara Mandapa is situated at Bhubaneswar in Orissa state of India. Bhubaneshwar is well connected to other major cities of the country via regular buses.

By Rail: It is well connected through nearest Bhubaneshwar railway station
to major cities railway stations like Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Chennai, Ajmer, Pali, Jaipur, Ahmedabad.

By Air:The nearest Airport is Bhubaneswar Airport which is well connected with regular domestic flights to Delhi, Mumbai.

Temple remains open from 6am to 9pm. During this period major rituals of Lord Shiva are performed. Mahashiva Ratri is celebrated at a grand scale in this temple. The months of September to November are perfect to visit this temple because, the climate is moderately cold, pleasant and perfect for enjoying the natural beauty. People, who want to enjoy the temple’s beauty and architecture calmly, should not visit the temple during the months of June or July.
As the temple is currently in a dilapidated state, there are no such major events held. However, pilgrims visit the temple during the event of Shiva ratri and Makar Sankranti.

The Kapilesvara Shiva temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the south western outskirt of the village Kapilesvara, Old Town, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. It is located at the end of Kapilesvara road leading from Lingaraj temple to Kapilesvara Village. The presiding deity is a Shiva-lingam at the center of a circular yonipitha inside the sanctum. It is a living temple, facing towards east and maintained by Kapilesvara Temple Trust Board. The temple is situated within the precinct along with 33 other monuments. The precinct is located on the northern embankment of Manikarnika tank over an area of 44.00 square metres.