Bindu Sagar

Bindu Sagar is a large sacred artificial tank located in the Old Town area of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, immediately north of the Lingaraj Temple. Considered the largest water body in Bhubaneswar, it is surrounded by stone ghats and numerous small shrines. Revered in local tradition as containing water from every holy place in India, the lake is central to rituals associated with the Lingaraj Temple and is a focal point for pilgrims and visitors exploring the temple town.

Visitors can expect a large rectangular sacred tank with stone-paved ghats and steps leading to the water, surrounded by temples and shrines including Ananta Vasudeva Temple on its eastern bank. The setting is in the dense temple precinct of Old Town Bhubaneswar with views of the Lingaraj Temple complex. Visitors can walk around the tank, observe daily rituals and offerings, see devotees taking holy dips, and photograph the temple architecture reflected in the water.

Bindu Sagar is traditionally associated with the Lingaraj Temple, one of the major temple complexes of Bhubaneswar dating to the 7th-11th centuries. Local tradition holds that the tank was created by Lord Shiva who brought water from all sacred places of India to quench Goddess Parvati's thirst, hence the name Bindu Sagar meaning Ocean Drop. The tank and its surrounding shrines reflect the development of the Ekamra Kshetra temple town.

The lake is highly revered as a sacred water body where pilgrims take a ritual dip before visiting Lingaraj Temple. It is believed that bathing in its waters washes away sins. The tank is central to the annual Ashokastami festival when the image of Lingaraj is taken in procession to the lake for ritual bathing. Ananta Vasudeva Temple on its bank is an important Vaishnavite shrine.