Budharaja Temple – Sambalpur

Budharaja Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Sambalpur City- Odisha. The temple is situated on a small hillock covered with and in the middle if Budharaja hill.

The temple was initiated by the King Chhatrasal (1690 – 1705 AD), seventh ruler of Chauhan Dynasty of Sambalpur and completed by his son King Ajith Singh, eighth ruler of Chauhan Dynasty of Sambalpur. It was built to commemorate the death of the prince Burha Rai.

The temple consists of rekha vimana, pidha jagamohana and pillared open mandapa. The vimana and jagamohana are square on plan that stands on a stepped platform. Idols of a twelve armed dancing Lord Shiva and an eight armed Mahisasuramardini can be seen on the inner walls of the Jagamohana. Presiding Deity is a Shiva Linga within a circular yonipitha.

The temple was built in the 17th century by the Chauhan king Chhatra Sai. An interesting story goes about its construction. The princess of Ratanpur who was one of the queens of Chhatra Sai was blessed with a son on praying Budharaja. She named him Budha Rai. Chattra Sai who was once away from the kingdom, heard a rumor that the queen along with her brother, the king of Ratanpur was trying to seize the throne from him and make Budha Rai the king. Angered by the conspiracy theory, he tricked the mother son duo into the Budharaja hilltop and ordered his soldiers to kill them. He later realized his mistake and built the temple, a gesture perhaps to alleviate the feelings of committing the unforgivable sin.

Another version of the story is narrated by Raja Singh, the priest. The king dreamt that on the Budharaja hilltop there is a Shivling under a banyan tree from where milk keeps dripping. The king immediately sent his soldiers to locate the deity but they failed after which the king was again instructed in his dreams to look for the deity by himself. Following instructions the king located the Shivling and built the temple.
The major festivals celebrated in the temple are Maha Shivaratri , Shravan Somvaar, Kartik Purnima and Sital Sasthi.