Lingaraja Temple, Hindu temple in Bhubaneswar, India.

Lingaraja Temple is a Hindu temple in Bhubaneswar, India, whose central tower rises 55 meters. The tower is built of banded brown-gray stone, with a wide base curving inward to a ribbed top and a finial bearing a red flag. Its four halls—vimana, jagamohana, natamandira and bhoga-mandapa—stand in axial alignment, and the courtyard holds smaller stacked stone shrines.

Construction began in the 11th century under Somavamsi dynasty kings who built the main shrine and first halls. Later rulers from the Ganga dynasty added structures in the 12th century and introduced new forms of worship.

The name combines Sanskrit words for lord of devotees with the primary form of worship practiced at this site. Visitors see priests working in traditional dress and hear bells and chants that have been part of daily life here for centuries.

Non-Hindu visitors can view the architecture from a raised platform outside the main wall. Early morning hours or late afternoons offer less crowding and better views of the carved facades.

The temple compound holds 108 smaller shrines besides the main tower, and the boundary wall of laterite measures 520 by 465 feet. A sandalwood door closes the entrance porch, and a viewing platform beside the wall was put up for a visit by Lord Curzon, then Viceroy.