Chandrasekhara Shiva, Dhenkanal

The 13-century Chandrasekhara Shiva temple at Dhenkanal in Odisha, 55 kilometres from Bhubaneswar — a Ganga-dynasty temple on the 670-metre Kapilash hill (reached by a 1,352-step climb). The temple's foundation is 1246 CE under Narasingh Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty (same king who built the Konark Sun Temple). The temple is one of the finest Kalinga Nagara-style hill temples in Odisha. The deity Chandrasekhara Shiva is a self-manifest linga. The temple is part of the Odia Shiva circuit of 1-2 day pilgrimages radiating from Bhubaneswar. The annual Shivaratri festival each February draws over 100,000 pilgrims. The temple is managed by the Odisha Endowments Department. The 2020 Odisha government ropeway from the base to the hilltop serves elderly pilgrims and tourists.