Astasambhu Siva Temple

Astasambhu Shiva Temples are a collection of 8 Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, India. A small temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Tiadi Sahi of Puri. In local language ‘Asta’ means ‘Eight’ and ‘Sambhu is another name of Lord Shiva.

Astasambhu temple houses a cluster of eight Shiva Lingas made of precious stones. Each one of them is of a different colour. Some are white while some are red and black. Thus they are very appealing to devotees. The Shiva Lingas appear to be in different colors when looked at from different directions. Due to the reflection of the sun their color changes. These eight Shiva Lingas are named after different names of Lord Shiva such as Markandeswar, Yajneswar, Nilakantheswara, Vilveswara, Kapalamochana, Baleswara, Isaneswara and Pataleswara.