Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Panchalingeswar Temple

ପଞ୍ଚଲିଙ୍ଗେଶ୍ଵର ମନ୍ଦିର

Nilagiri, Balasore, Odisha · 21.4288°, 86.7291°

Shiva (five Shivalingas)Undetermined—
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
dating unrecorded
Undetermined

History & significance

A hilltop shrine near the Nilagiri hills named for the five Shivalingas set inside it, over which a perennial stream runs and continuously bathes them. Worshippers lie flat on the rock beside the stream to reach and touch the lingas in their natural basin.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

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.

One account credits Sita with installing the lingas during the exile; another says the asura king Banasura worshipped these self-manifested lingas here for the beauty of the place.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined