Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, is the oldest and the largest Hindu shrine devoted to Lord Harihara, a combination of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.
Hari represents Lord Vishnu, and Hara represents Lord Shiva, which merged to form Harihara. As a result, the Linga here is also known as Harihara.
Lord Shiva is worshipped as Tribhuvaneswara, which means "Lord of the Three Worlds" (the Heavenly Realm, the Material Realm, and the Underworld).
Lingaraj means King of Lingas.
The temple was reportedly first constructed in the seventh century by Jajati Kesari, a king of the Somavamsi dynasty. The temple is made up of red stone, and the architecture represents the Kalinga dynasty.
The temple was built in the Deula Structure style.
It has four towers, which are as follows:
Vimana - Sanctum tower
Jagamohana - Assembly tower
Natamandira - Festival tower
Bhogamantapa - Bhog(offerings) tower
The Vimana tower is the tallest of these four towers.
All these four towers are axially aligned and of decreasing height.
There are 108 small shrines in the temple's large courtyard.
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