Nilamadhava (Vishnu) and Sidheswar (Shiva), in twin shrinesBhanjaKalinga
Sacred since
700 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
8th c. (ASI); extended under the Bhanjas in the 9th
Bhanja
History & significance
Twin temples of black granite on the bank of the Mahanadi at Gandharadi in Boudh district, dated by the Archaeological Survey of India to the 8th century and enlarged in the 9th under the Bhanja rulers of Khinjali mandala. One shrine holds Nilamadhava and the other Sidheswar, an unusual Vishnu-Shiva pairing, and the pair is protected by the ASI.