Dhabaleswar Temple

Dhabaleswar Temple is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. It is one of the famous weekend tours from Cuttack. The temple, located in an island on River Mahanadi, is embellished with stone carvings that date back to the early 10th and 11th century. The serene ambiance, in which the temple is situated, inspires spiritual feeling among one and all.

The present temple structure was constructed by Bir Kishor, ruler of Khurda. It is said that once he set out on a hunt with his personal bodyguards and attendants. During the course of the hunt, they discovered the original temple which was in a derelict state.The king ordered the renovation of the temple, granted an area of land measuring 314 maana .He also entrusted the care and service of the temple to one Mali.

The family of Mali later on found the village of Malisahi which falls on the way to the temple. This was done in 1153 of the Saka era which would be 1232 AD. The present day temple was renovated and repaired by Bhubaneswar Development Authority. Purnachandra Panda is the chief priest of the temple. The temple can be reached by bus via Chowdwar, Nuapatana, Mancheshwar. It can also be reached via Bidanasi through boating on river Mahanadi. Odisha's first ever foot hang bridge is connecting the exotic island with Mancheswar which is the major way to reach the temple.

Being situated on an island, the temple can be reached by boats leaving from ferries in or near Cuttack. There is also a foot bridge which devotees or visitors can use on paying a nominal fee. People from the nearby villages have set up a number of shops leading to the bridge and the temple's entrance.

Getting There

Dhabaleswar Temple is situated at a distance of 37 kilometers from the city of Cuttack, in the exotic island of Dhabaleshwar. Taxis and buses available easily to ply to the location.

National Highway 16 (former National Highway 5) runs from North to South of the Cuttack. As a part of the Golden Quadrilateral project, this highway runs from Chennai to Kolkata. National Highway 55 (former National Highway 42) connects Cuttack with Sambalpur. Also Asian Highway 45 passes through Cuttack.

Intra city transport is primarily through Auto rickshaws. Nowadays DTS city buses ply in the city to join different places in the city and the state capital. Cuttack is a major junction connecting all the major parts of the state. The bus terminus at Cuttack is located at Badambadi, and is one of the largest bus terminus in India, and thousands of private and government buses ply to hundreds of destinations everyday. A new bus terminus at Balikuda is under construction to relieve pressure off the Badambadi Bus Terminus.

Cuttack Junction is one of the important stations on the Howrah , Kolkata-Chennai mainline of the East Coast Railway and falls under the Khurda Road division. A branch line to Paradeep starts from Cuttack. It is connected to all parts of India through trains run by the Indian Railways.

The nearest domestic airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport, located in Bhubaneswar, 30 km southwest of Cuttack. It is about 40 minutes drive to Biju Patnaik International Airport from Cuttack. To make arrangements for a taxi from Airport to Cuttack, contact one the taxi operators and travel agents that have counter in the Airport.

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