The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
Saranga, Dhenkanal district, Odisha · 20.9287°, 85.2469°
A colossal rock-cut image of the reclining Vishnu at Saranga in Dhenkanal district, Odisha, carved in the first quarter of the 9th century under Nandodbhava feudatories of the Bhauma-Kara kings. It is among the largest Vaishnava rock sculptures in eastern India.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
The sculpture shows Vishnu asleep on the serpent Ananta upon the cosmic ocean, with a lotus rising from his navel on which Brahma sits creating the world.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Bhauma-Kara
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…