Loknath Temple

Loknath Temple (locally called Shri Lokanatha Mandira) lies only about 2 km from the sacred Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri. It is one of the holiest shrines in Odisha that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Odisha since time immemorial has been a place, where Shaivism has always flourished.An interesting aspect of this shrine is that its innermost sanctum houses a Shivalinga, which is visible only once in a year. The reason being is that the entire sanctum including the Shivalinga gets filled with water by a natural fountain, all through the year. According to history, the lingam in this temple was established by Lord Rama. While Lord Rama on his way to Sri Lanka for searching Sita reached Puri and sat with a vow to see Shiva here. At that time, there was a village named Sabarapalli nearby presented him a Lau or Lauka (Pumpkin) looking like a Shiva linga.