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Sonepur, Odisha · 20.8337°, 83.9144°
A Shiva temple on the bank of the Tel river at Sonepur in Subarnapur district, in a town so full of shrines that it is popularly called the second Varanasi. Shivaratri and Kartik Purnima draw thousands of pilgrims.
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.
A local tale of a rain of gold coins granted to a devotee is said to have given the town the names Sonepur and Subarnapur, from the word for gold.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…