Bharati Matha Temple, Bhubaneswar: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Bharati Matha Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

Bharati Matha is located in the Badheibanka Chowk, Old Town Bhubaneswar. One can approach the Matha on the left side of Ratha road leading from Lingaraja to Ramesvara. Goswami is the present Mahanta of the Matha. It is one of the oldest Hindu monasteries of Bhubaneswar. The Matha is surrounded by Ratha road in east, Jamesvara Patna road in south, private buildings in north and Bhrukutesvara temple in west. The Matha is facing towards the west.

Rituals like Kartika purnima, Prathamastami, Durga puja, etc., are celebrated. During Prathamastami, Lord Lingaraja comes here to visit his uncle in the Matha.

Showing signs of deterioration because of the growth of wild vegetation and the collapse of wall and superstructure in the east and north.

Legend & Significance

According to local legend as narrated by the Mahanta, the monastery was established by Yajati Kesari, the builder of the Lingaraja Temple, and the Matha was initially used to house the artisans who were engaged in the construction of Lingaraja Temple.

Architecture of Bharati Matha Temple

The Matha is square on a plan measuring 26.00 m2. The Matha stands on a high platform measuring 1.50 metres and it has seven mouldings. On elevation, the Matha is a three storied building measuring 11.50 metres in height. With a central courtyard, there are three living rooms in each side of the Matha. Each room measures 6.15 metres in length x 3.45 metres in width. The Matha is enclosed by a massive compound wall that measures 53.60 square metres with a height of 2.52 metres. Doorjambs: The doorjamb of the Matha measures 1.70 metres in height x 0.84 metres in width, with a thickness of 0.35 metres. This temple is made up of coarse grey sandstone and the construction technique is masonry type.