The leaning temple of Dhama

Akin to the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy, Orissa is also gifted with such an amazing edifice. The Huma temple at village Dhama in Sambalpur district is a rare piece of its kind since the temple is a leaning one. The temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva is an architectural wonder as it is inclined at an angle of 45 degree to the land though the pinnacle is perpendicular to the ground. And this special factor makes the place a tourist attraction. Not only the temple but some other infrastructure in the temple premises is also leaned here. Apart from the temple ‘Kudo’ fish available in the nearby Mahanadi River is also a must-see element in this destination.

Location

Located at a distance of 23 kilometers from the district head quarter of Sambalpur, Huma temple attracts hundreds of tourists across the year. The shrine, on the bank of river Mahanadi, is dedicated to Lord Bimaleshwar, an incarnation of Lord Shiva of the Hindu trinity.  

Description

The shrine is built over a rectangular platform of 200 ft length and 120 ft width. The main temple of Lord Bimaleswar is evidently inclined towards the North-east side. The surprising thing is that while the main temple is tilted to one direction, remaining temples are tilted to the opposite direction. Within the temple complex everything is found to be in tilted condition including the boundaries. According to the popular belief, the angle of inclination has remained constant over last 50 years.

Legend

The Shiva-Linga in Huma temple is a natural one. As per the legend a cow from a nearby village was habitually coming to the place and pouring milk from its udder over a stone. Finding the cow’s udder dry and milk-less once owner of the cow tracked the cow secretly to this rocky bed and witnessed this miraculous event. He saw the stone consumed milk as the cow poured its milk on it. He propagated this unbelievable incident and everybody believed that the stone is none other than a Shiva linga. Accordingly a temple was constructed there.

How to reach

The spot is accessible only on roadways. One can take hired vehicles from Sambalpur to reach village Dhama. Nearest railway station is Sambalpur. Sambalpur is at a distance of 298 kms from Bhubaneswar, which is also the nearest Aerodrome. Move south from Bhatra chowk to reach village Dhama. When coming from Bhubaneswar Bhatra Chowk is the entrance point to Sambalpur city. Else, from Ainthapali Bus stand come to Laxmi Talkies chowk and move left to reach Jail chowk to take a left turn again to reach Bhatra. From here, take right turn and ride a distance of about 20 kms to arrive at the destination.

Facilities

Since Dhama is a small village and often people visit Huma temple with their own arrangement for a fro journey, the spot does not have any night stay facility. Also you need to take your own lunch pack as no itinerary is found nearby.

When to travel

Though Huma temple can be visited across the year, since many roads are not in good condition due to government apathy in western Orissa, visiting Huma temple in rainy season is not advisable. One can visit here in winter and summer without any hassle.

Other nearby attractions

A couple of shrines dedicated to other Gods and Goddesses are also witnessed in Huma temple premises. They are – the Bhairabi temple, Bhubaneswar temple, Kapileswar temple and newly constructed Jagannath temple and Hanuman temple. Interestingly all these temples including the ‘Aruna Stambha’ and the compound wall are also leaned. In fact, almost everything within the temple complex is inclined.

Kudo Fish

Apart from the temples, a kind of reddish fish (locally called Kudo) in the river is another attraction for tourists. One can also feed the fishes and it is considered sacred. Fishing is not allowed in the river. It is believed that once a woman trapped a fish and when tried to chop it (to prepare fish curry); she at once turned into a stone statue. Since then fishing is prohibited there. Interestingly, the fish come close to the tourists to be fed from their hands. Besides, one can also have a boat ride in the river Mahanadi to a nearby small island at a distance of 100 meters. There are a couple of boats available there and to everybody’s surprise one of the boatmen has only one hand and till he can take you for a boating trip easily rowing his boat.