Markandeswar

Markandeswar is a Shiva temple of Puri beside the Markandeswar tank, north of the Jagannath temple, in Markandeswar Sahi. It is one of the five Shiva temples of the Pancha Pandava group and its tank is one of the five sacred tanks of Puri. Wikipedia dates the temple and tank to the twelfth century, while one travel guide says the temple's origins go back to the eighth century. It is linked with the sage Markandeya, who is said to have meditated on Shiva here, and it takes part in the Chandan Yatra.

According to the Puranic tradition, Markandeya was a young sage fated to die at sixteen. He took refuge in worship of Shiva, and when Yama, the god of death, came for him, Shiva appeared and saved him, which is why Shiva is called the conqueror of death. Local tradition places the sage's meditation...