about
Dhabaleswar is a Shiva temple on a small island in the Mahanadi river near Athagarh in Cuttack district, reached by a hanging footbridge from Mancheswar or by boat. Stone carvings are dated to the tenth and eleventh centuries, and the present temple is variously attributed to Yayati Keshari, Bir Kishore of Khurda around 1232 CE, or the rulers of Athagarh. The name means the white lord, from a local legend. Mahashivaratri and Kartika Purnima draw large crowds of devotees.
mythology
According to the local legend, a thief who had stolen a black calf was chased by a crowd and took refuge at the Shiva shrine. As he prayed to Shiva for help, the god turned the calf white, and so the pursuers let him go. From this, the deity is called Dhabaleswar, the white lord, joining dhabala...
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