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Chausath Yogini Temple

I had recently heard about a place called Hirapur in Odisha. But I was amazed when I learnt that there is a temple in Hirapur with a unique name, Chausanth Yogini temple. The first word of the name of the temple, means 64, thus the name of the temple is translated as 64 yogini temple.

Another name of this temple is Mahamaya. The district in which this temple is located is Khurda district of Odisha. The temple is dedicated to the worshipping of yoginis. Yoginis are auspicious goddess like figures.

The temple is also known as a tantric shrine, with no roof on top as , tantric prayer rituals include worshipping Bhumandala. Bhumandala is an open environment which consists of all the 5 elements of nature - fire, water, air, earth, and ether.

The yogini idols have been shown standing on animals, demon, or a human head thus, showing the victory of shakti(feminine power).

Different expressions have been shown on the faces of the yoginis, such as rage , sadness, desire, joy and happiness. It is believed that Queen Hiradevi of the Brahma dynasty was the one who had built this temple Chausanth Yogini in the 19th century.

The material that was used to build the temple was blocks of sandstone. The temple is circular and the size of the temple is small. In the inner part of the temple there are circular walls having niches.

Out of the 64 idols of the yoginis, 56 idols that were made of black stone have survived. The main image of the temple is Goddess Kali, who has been depicted standing on a human head thus representing the triumph of the heart over the mind.

There is a mandapa in the temple called Chandi Mandapa, and historians believe that , an idol of Maha Bhairava was once worshipped in Chandi Mandapa.

The yoginis, although naked are wearing armless, bracelets, necklaces and anklets. The temple complex at present is now being maintained by Archeological Survey of India.

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Gundicha Temple

Gundicha temple is  a  Hindu temple  situated in  the  temple town of  Puri, Odisha. When I  searched  to  which  deities  this  temple  is dedicated  to, I  learnt  that  every  year most  of  the  time, the  temple  is  vacant  but, when  the  Ratha  yatra  festival begins, it  is  then that  the  temple gets  occupied by the  deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and  Subhadra for 9  days. 

Furthermore, I learnt that Gundicha  temple  is  known  as  the  Garden House  of  Jagannath. The  temple  is  the  centre of  a  beautiful  garden surrounded  by compound  walls on  all  sides.  There  is  a  temple  called  Shrimandir from which  at a distance of  3 kms  lies  Gundicha  temple. 

The  material   that  was    used  to make  Gundicha temple was light grey  sandstone. The  temple is  considered  an  excellent  example  of  Kalinga  architecture  in  the  deula  style. Vimana   (tower  structure  containing  the  sanctum), jagmohana(assembly  hall), nata-mandapa(festival  hall)   and  bhoga-mandapa( hall  of   offerings)   are   the  four  components  of  the  temple  complex.

There  is a  raised   plateform in  the  sanctum  of  the  temple  called Ratnavedi.  One  gate  is  at  the  east  and  the  other  gate  is  at  the  west. The  western  gate  is  for  the  entry  of  the  deities  while  the  eastern  gate  called Nakchana  is  for  the  departure  of  the deities. 

The  temple  comes  under The  Jagannath  Temple   Administration ,  in  Puri. This  administration  is  the  governing  body of  the  temple .   A   small   group   of  servitors  are  there   for  the  maintenance  of  the  temple.

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Tara Tarani temple

I had always  had  a  wish to  visit  one  of  the   Shakti  Peethas  in  India. Luckily, I  know  a  place  in  Odisha  that  is  considered as  one  of  the    Shakti Peethas    in  India .  This  Shakti  Peethas’  name is  Tara Tarini  Temple. 

Tara  Tarini  temple  is  a  Hindu  temple .  It  is  located  on  the  kumari  hills  at  the  banks  of  the  river Rushikulya , near Brahmapur city  in the  Ganjam District of  Odisha. 

There  are  four  major  Shakti  Peethas  according  to  mythological texts: Tara Tarini , Kamakhya, Dakshina Kalika  and  Bimala. As  I  wanted  to  know  more about  Shakti  Peethas    I decided  to  find  out  how  the  Shakti  Peethas  were  created. According  to  history, when  goddess  Sati , wife  of  Lord  Shiva  died  due  to  self -immolation, Lord  Shiva  carried  her  body  and wandered  around  in  grief  until Lord  Vishnu   broke  her  body  parts  into  peices  which  fell  on  several  parts  of  the  earth.  Thus,  in  this  way, Shakti  Peethas  came  into  existence. 

One  of  the  four  major  Shakti  Peethas, Tara  Tarini  temple, is  considered  to  be  the  Sthana  Khanda  of  goddess  Sati. On  entering  the  temple  we  will  see   the  godesses  Tara  and  Tarini, in the  form  of  ancient  statues   with  gold  and  silver  ornaments. 

Chalanti  Pratimas  or  two  living  images  are  placed  in  between  both  these  goddess .There  is  a  famous  rock  edict  called  Jaugada  that   has  been  placed  near  this  shrine. This  rock  edict  was   made  during  the  reign  of  emperor  Ashoka. 

One  thing  is  for  sure  that  once I get  an  opportunity  to  visit  this  temple,  I  will  certainly  plan  a  trip  to  this  temple  with  my  family  in  future. 

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Jagganath Temple

Jagganath  temple is  a  famous  temple that  is  considered  as  one  of  the  four   dhams in  India. It  is  located  in  Puri, Odisha.  I  have  been  to  Jagganath  temple  with my  family  several  times. The  temple  is  always  full  of  devotees. There  is  a  famous  prasad  offered  here  in  Jagganath  temple  called Mahaprasad.  So  many  tourists come to  the  temple everyday  specially  to  get   Mahaprasad. 

There  are so  many  memories of   mine attached  to  Jagganath  temple. I  have  seen the  three  main  deities placed in  the  temple. Those  three  main  deities  are  Jagganath, Subhadra, and  Balabhadra. The  best  thing  that  I  like  about  Jagganath  temple that  makes  it  unique  from  other  temples  is  that  the  three  main  deities  are  made  of  wood  rather  than stone.  Lord  Jagganath  the  one  on  whom the  temple  has  been  named  after  is  considered  the  sibling of  Subhadra  and  Balabhadra. 

The  way  the  three main  deities are  placed  in  the  temple is  also  highly  remarkable. Subhadra  being  the  sister is  placed  in  between both  her  brothers Balabhadra  and  Jagganath. Balabhadra  is  condsidered  the  eldest  of  all  the  three  deities.

There  are many   special  features  that  I  saw  in  Jagganath  temple. There is  a  Nila  Chakra that  is a  blue  discus placed on  the  top   of  the  shikhar  of  the  temple. There  is  a  flag  that  is  placed  on   the  Nila  Chakra called  Patita  Pavana  that  means Purifier of  the  Fallen. 

On  entering  the   temple, we  will  see features  like deula, Vimana  and  a  garbhagriha  where  the  three  deities are  placed.   Apart  from  these  features  there  is  a  Mukhashala  that  is  a  frontal  porch, a  nata  mandira also  called Jaggamohan ,  and  a  bhogamandapa within  the  temple  premises.The  tower  of  Jagganath  temple  has  been  placed  on  a  high  platform. The  main  entrance  to  Jagganath  temple  is  via  the  lion  gate called  Singhadwara. 

There  are  four  gates  to  enter  Jagganth  temple  and  they  are  called  Singhadwara, Ashwadwara, Hathidwara, and  Vyaghradwara.  Within  the  temple complex  there  are  many  small  temples  and  shrines   where  worship is  regularly  conducted. One  of  the  small   temples  is  Vimala  temple. 

There  are  many  festivals  that  are  associated  with  Jagganath  temple    which  take  place  every  year . Some  of  the  names  of  those  festivals  are Ratha  Yatra, Chandan  Yatra, Snana  Yatra, Nabakalebara  etc. Indeed  I  consider  myself  blesses  to  see   the  famous  festival  called Ratha  Yatra. 

In this  festival,  Ratha  or  chariots    of  the  three  deities  are  pulled  out  of  the  temple  by  the  temple   priests.  Indeed,  the  temple  has  had  a  wonderful effect  on  me.  I  hope  that  in   future if  you  all  get  a  chance  to  travel  then  do  plan  out  a  trip  to   Jagganath  temple   and  take  blessings  of  Lord  Jagganath, Goddess  Subhadra  and  Lord  Balabhadra. 

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Dhauli Shanti  Stupa

Today  in  this  post I am going to  talk  about  Dhauli  Shanti  Stupa.  Dhauli    Shanti  Stupa   is  a  stupa  in  Odisha. Few  months  back  I  had  been  to  Dhauli Shanti Stupa .   Personally  as  a  follower  of  Buddhism ,  it  was  a  dream  come  true  opportunity  to  visit Dhauli Shanti  Stupa. It  had  a  calming  effect  on  me. I  saw  a  thriving  marketplace  near  Dhauli  Shanti  Stupa.  There  were  so  many  shops  to  visit  such  as  food  shops,  attractive   and  colourful  accessories shops  etc.

Shanti  Stupa  also  known  as  Peace  Pagoda,  is   a  Buddhist  monument  that  was   errected  by  Mauryan  Emperor Ashoka. Emperor Ashoka  built  Dhauli  Shanti  Stupa   at  that  place  where  Kalinga  war  had  ended. As  far  as  the  structure of  the  stupa  is  concerned,  the  stupa  is  divided  into  four  parts from  outside.  In  all  these  four  sides, Buddha  has  been  shown  in  different  postures such  as  sleeping, sitting, etc.  There  were  images  found  on  the  walls of the  stupa. These  images  were  a  representation  of  different  types of  stories  that  were based  on  the  life  of  Buddha. 

Near  the  stupa  there  is a  small  temple. When  I  went  inside  the temple I  saw two  entrances  . On  entering  the  temple,  I  saw a  group  of  Buddha  statues, and, a  Gohonzon, placed  in  the center.  There  were  writings  of  the  famous  mantra  ‘Nam  Myoho Renge  Kyo’ written  in  bits  of  colorful  cards. In  the edge of  the  temple  here  was  a  drum on  which  some letters  were  written. 

Overall, I  felt very  peaceful after  visiting  Shanti  Stupa, as, I  got  a  chance to  slow  down  a  bit , take  a  pause  and  enjoy life  up to  its fullest. 

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Konark  Sun  Temple

Konark  Sun  Temple is  a  13th  century temple located in Konark, a town in Puri district Odisha. The  credit of  construction  of  Konark  Sun Temple goes  to  king Narasimhadeva 1, who was  a  ruler belonging to  eastern  Ganga  dynasty.  I would  like  to  mention  here  that   those  two  features   that made  Konark  temple  unique   from  other  temples  in  Odisha, and  that  are- 

1. Konark  Sun  temple  comprises a  ratha (a chariot)   with  seven  horses. There  is  no  other  such   temples where  we’d see such  a  feature of  a  chariot as  a  part of  a   huge  temple.  Regarding  this  feature I’d  like  to  mention here that  these seven  horses   represent  7  days  of a  week. The  wheels  in the  chariot  are  12 in  number  and  they  represent  12  months in  a  year.   

2.Another  feature of  Konark  Sun  Temple  that  makes it  unique  is  that  a  god  is  shown wearing  boots. This  feature where a  god  would  be  found  wearing  boots  was  never seen in  any other  temple  before in  India. 

There  were  many  features  that  were  once  present  in  Konark Sun Temple . Unfortunately  with  the  passage  of   time  many  features of  the  temple got  destroyed. So  far  as  I can  say,  there  are  few  particular  features  that  have  still  survived  in  the  temples  such  as  erotic  scenes ,  artworks present  on  the  walls  of  the  temple  etc. 

I  would  like to  add here that  Konark Sun  Temple is  also  called by  another  name  called  Surya Devalaya.  It  is  also  considered  a  wonderful  example of  Kalinga  architecture. As  far  as the  reason behind  the  destruction  of  many  features  of  the  temple  is concerned, many reasons   have  been  found  such  as  natural  calamities, constant  attacks  by  the  Mughal  armies  between  the  15th  and  17th  centuries  etc.  

It  is  said that  once , a  European scholar had  mentioned Konark  Sun Temple  as  ‘Black  Pagoda’ because  according  to the sailor  the  temple   was  looking  like  a   huge black  tower.  Thus  the  temple  became  a   landmark   for  all  the  sailors   who  travelled through  the   Bay  of  Bengal. 

Konark  Sun Temple   has  got  its  name from  Sanskrit  words ‘Kona’ which  means  corner  or  angle   and  ‘Ark’   which  means   sun.  The  term  ‘Ark’   is  also  used   for  Hindu God   Surya. Now  I  am going  to   tell  you  about  several other  features  of  Konark  Sun  Temple.  There  are  stone  statues of  male   and  female  musicians found  on  the  terraces  of  the  temple.  These  musicians  have  been   found   with  instruments  like  vina, mardala, gini  etc.  Sculpture  works of   deities  and  apsaras ,  animals, water  animals, birds, everyday  life, culture,  geometric  patterns etc. have  been  found  on  the  walls of  the  temple . Images  of  kings   such  as  kings  receiving  blessings   of  their  gurus    have  also  been  on  the  panels  of  the  temple. 

Images  of  hunting scenes, secular life of people , elephants ,  marching soldiers,   etc. have  been  found  on  an  upana(moulding  layer)   which  has  been placed  on  the  bottom  of  the  temple’s  platform. There  are images  of  elite   and  common people   shown  on    walls  of  the  temple .  Erotic  scenes  of  maithunas   have  been  found  in  the  temple  as  well. 

Sculptures   of   huge  lions  defeating    elephants  ,  elephants    defeating   demons   and  horses     have  been  found  on  the  gateways  of  the  temple  complex. 

‘Aruna  Stambh’ a  pillar  dedicated  to   Aruna   which  was  once  found  in  the  Konark  Sun  Temple  is  now placed  in  front  of  Jagganath  temple  in  Puri.   Konark  Sun Temple  comprises  many  small  shrines   which   are  now  lying   in  ruins  around  the    main  temple.   Some  names  of  these shrines  include  Mayadevi  temple,  Vaishanava Temple  etc. 

 There  are  many  sculptures of  Konark Sun  Temple  that   fell down or  broke  down  and  are  now  kept in Konark Archeological Museum. This  museum is  under  the maintenance  of  Archeological  Survey  of India.  So  whenever   you  all  get a  chance to  travel  , do  not  forget to  visit  this  wonderful  temple  called  Konark  Sun  Temple in  Odisha. 

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Cuttack  Chandi temple

Cuttack  Chandi temple is a Hindu temple that is  located  in  Cuttack, Odisha. The  main deity that  is  worshipped in Cuttack  Chandi  temple is Chandi  devi.  Chandi  devi   also  called  Chandika is one of  the  avatars of   Goddess  Parvati  who  is Lord Shiva’s wife.  She  is considered  to  be  a  representation of  Shakti, an  important concept  in  the  history  of  Hinduism. ‘Chandi’ is  a  word    that  refers  to  the  divine  powers that  the  Brahman or  the  Universe possess. 

Goddess Chandi has been mentioned in  several  Hindu texts one  of  them being  Markandeya Puran  where  she   has  been  considered  as a  slayer of  male demons.  The  iconography of  Chandi Devi is  wonderful in itself. Chandi Devi is  shown  with  four  hands.  These  four  hands  show  her with  a  Paasha,  an  Ankusha, a hand in Abhay mudra  and  another hand  granting boon  to  her  devotees. 

In Cuttack Chandi temple , Chandi  devi  is  worshipped  as  Bhuvaneshvari  Mahavidya  which  literally means  the  queen   of  the  Universe. The place where  Cuttack Chandi  temple  is  right  now  was  once a piece of barren land. One day a  man called  Hansa  Panda, who  was appointed  as  the  royal  priest of  the  king of  Kanika  decided  to  rest on  a  piece of  barren  land after  doing  some  tedious  work.  When he  was  having  some  rest he  felt  something  strange .  Coincidently  that  same  night he  got  a  dream in  which  Chandi  Devi told him  to  bring  her out  of  that  same  piece  of  land where  he  took  some  rest. 

The  next day  Hansa  Panda approached the  king   and  explained  his  dream  to  him.  On   Hansa  Panda’s  request  the  king  ordered   his  men to    dig that  same piece of  land .   To  everyone’s  surprise , about  forty bullock  carts  of   red  sindoor came  out   and  then  emerged the  deity of  Chandi  Devi.

It  was  then  decided  to  make  a  temple on  that  same  piece of  land to  honour Chandi Devi. Thus, the  temple called  Cuttack Chandi  was  made   and,  till this  day, the  temple  is   visited  by  several devotees  everyday. The  image  of  Chandi  Devi  is  older  than  the  temple . Chandi   Devi    was  considered  an  important  deity   during  the  reign  of   Gajapati  kingdom, but  when  the  Muslim  rulers  came  she  was  buried  while  the  kings  went  to  Puri.   

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Parsurameshvara Temple

Parsurameshvara temple  is  Hindu  temple  dedicated to Lord Shiva and located in  the  east  of  Bhubaneshwar , capital  city of  Odisha.  The  time  when the temple was  built was  around 650 CE. When it  is  about  temples  there are many styles of  temples   that  have  been found  all over India, one  of  which is  Nagara style.

Nagar  style  was  that temple style  that  was  found prevelant in  Northern  India. Parsurameshvara   temple comes under Nagara style and covers several  features of  Kalinga  architecture.  Kalinga is  a type of  architecture that was practised in  Kalinga which is  the ancient name  of  Odisha.

The architecture  of  Parasurameshvara temple is  wonderful in itself.  There  is  vimana(called  the  sanctum)  and  a  bada(a curvillinear  spire over the  roof). The interior  and  exterior measurements of  the  vimana  are 9.88 by 9.75 ft  and 19.75 by 21 ft  respectively.  There is a  stone  disk called Amlaka placed on  the  top of bada  in  Parsurameshvara  temple.

Parsurameshvara  temple  is  considered to  be  the  first  temple to  have  a  jagamohan  in  it. The  roof of  Jagamohan has  a row of windows. The  measurement of  jagamohan is 24.94 by 18.33 ft  from inside and 29.33 by 28.58 ft from outside and is  rectangular in  shape. There is  a  junction that  comes in between vimana and  jagamohan which  is  not properly made. There  are  windows  with small peices of  glass  found in  the temple  and  when  light  enters the  temple and   passes  through  the doors and  windows,  the place  gets spectacularly  lighted. 

There  are  some  stone  sculptures showing  musicians  and  dancers. Apart  from  this  there is  an  image  of   Mahishasurmardini in the  temple. Here,  Mahishasurmardini is  shown  with  a  headdress, karna kundala (an ornament), mala ( garland)  and  a konkana(anklet).  She is  shown  with  a  sword  in  her left hand  and  is  shown with  a  trident.

Different  images  showing forms  of  Shiva like   Ardhanarishwar , image of  Shiva and  Parvati  together, images of  Ganga, Yamuna, Vishnu, Indra, Surya, Yama,  have  also been found  in  the  temple  so  far.  On  southern  wall  of  the  temple, there is a sculpture work  representing a picture of  Kartikeya on  a peacock. There are images of  vetalas (ghosts)  ,nagas, nagins  found  on  jagamohan and  vimana of  Parsurameshvara  temple.

The  main  topic  on  which most  of  the  images are  carved on the vimana focus on  are moments  of  pilgrimage.  Temples  like  Parsurameshvara and Rajarani  temple are  a  clear  representation  of  the  history of  Devdasi tradition  that  was  prevalent  during  7th  and  8th  centuries CE.

Devdasis were girls  who gave  their  entire life  to  service and  worshipping  of deities of  the temple. Every  year  between the time of  June  and  July a  festival  called Parsurashtami is  celebrated  in Parsurameshvara  tempple with  great  joy  and splendour. At  present, Parsurameshvara temple is under  maintenance of   Archeological Survey of India (ASI).

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Bhaskareswar  Temple

Bhaskareswar  temple  is  located  in  the  east  of  Bhubaneshwar,  the  capital   of  Odisha.  It  is  considered  to  be  a  unique monument  of  Odisha, which  is  one  of  its own  kind.  There are  many  reasons for  its  uniqueness  one  of  which  is  that ,  the  temple  has  no  jagamohan  in  it  unlike  the  other  temples   of  Odisha.

Bhaskareswar  temple was  built  during  the  reign  of  Ganga  dynasty  in  the  12th  century A.D. The temple   is  within  an  open  space. In spite  of  the  fact   that  the  temple  is  somewhat 900  years  old, it  is  strongly  believed  that  it  existed  during  the time  of  the  Mauryan  period.  The  reason  behind  this  belief  could  be  that   remains  of  Buddhist  stupa’s    railing  pillar  as  well  as  a  lion  capital  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the  temple. This  leads  to  a  probability  that an  Ashokan  pillar  existed  nearby. 

The  main deity  inside  Bhaskareswar  temple   is  a  huge  3 meter  high  Shiva  Linga. Many  people  have  this  assumption that  the   height  of  the  idol  is  increasing  with  time.

The  temple  is  in  an  unusual  shape  and  height.   This  might   have  been done  in  order   to  keep  the  Shiva  Linga  in  the  temple.  There  are  four  doorways  to   enter  the  temple. Any  one  of  these   entrances,  can  be  used  to  reach  the  base  of  the  temple.  There  is    a  temple   platform  above  which  is  a  deul   with  a  nine  storey  gandi(tower).

There  are  engravings   of  parshavdevtas, karti  keya, Parvati, and  Ganesha  on  the  outer  walls  of  the  temple to  beautify  the   temple  in  a  spiritual   manner.

Bhaskareswar  temple receives  slightly  less visitors  unlike  other  temples  of  Odisha.  Not  much  information  is  available   regarding   Bhaskareswar  temple ,  because it  has  not  been    explored  a lot.

We  hope we  will  get  more  information  about this  temple  in  future.

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Mukteshwar Temple

Mukteshwar  temple is  a  10th century Hindu temple dedicated to  Lord Shiva.It is  located  adjacent  to a  famous  temple  called   Parshurameshwar  temple. The  images found  in Mukteshwar  temple are proportionate  and  small in  size. The  jagamohan or  entrance of  the  temple merges  with  the  sanctum of  the  temple. Many  images  have  been  found  on  the  walls  of  this  temple. There  are  images of  the  saint  Lakulisa   who  had  propogated  the  Pashupata sect  of  Shaivism  in  Odisha during  6th  century A.D. 

One  can  see images  of  emaciated  hermits on  the  outer  walls of the temple. Many  sculptures  of  numerous  monkeys  performing  humorous  acts have  also  been  found  in  the temple  as well. Such  animal  figures  represent characters from  the  tales  of  Panchtantra. It  is  said that  the  temple  was  built  by  Yayati I, the  king  of  Somavanshi  dynasty. The  elaborately  carved  arches  of  the temple otherwise called Toranas,  are  the main   feature of  the  temple. The  toranas consist of   beautiful  carvings  of  ornaments, women  and  other  intricate  designs. The  height  of  the  temple  is  35 ft. The  windows of  the  temple are  diamond  in shape and  have  latticed designs.

Ever year in  Mukteshwar  temple , a  3-day Mukteshwar dance festival  is  celebrated , somewhere around  the  month  of  January  or  February.The  festival  is  celebrated    by  Odissi dance  forms performed  by  locals  and  famous  artists,  followed by  performances  of  musicians as  well. The  best  time  to  visit Mukteshwar  temple is between  the  months of  October and February. The  visiting  hours  of  this  temple is  between 7 a.m to  7 p.m.  on  all  days  of  the  week. There  are  few  other  tourist  attractions  near Mukteshwar  temple as  well,some  of  which include Konark Sun  temple, Lingaraj temple, Udaigiri and  Khandagiri caves, Dhauli Shanti Stupa etc.

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Rajarani Temple

Rajarani  temple is  a  11th century Hindu temple  located in Bhubaneshwar, the capital of  state Odisha.It is dedicated  to Lord  Shiva and  is  hailed as  a master piece of Odisha  Temple Architecture. Historians  speculate that it  was once called Indreshwar temple. The  temple was  built during  the later rule of Somavanshi dynasty. Many  images have been  found on the walls of  the temple such  as, the carving  of the image of sage Lakulisa, right above the entrance of the temple.

The  temple was Rajarani  temple because red  and  yellow coloured  sandstone  called Rajarania were used in the construction of  the  same. The  structural  plan  of  the temple resembles Kandariya Mahadev temple in Khajuraho, Uttar Pradesh. This  is  probably  because of the fact that  Somavanshis had come to Odisha from Central India to  rule  Odisha.

The  Jagamohan (entrance hall)  of  the  temple does not have  carvings on it.Another interesting  feature of  the  temple is  that,a  tower of  the  temple rises  from  the  ground  like  a  beehive with  smaller miniature towers,one  on  top of the other  merging  seamlessly, just  like a mountain   range where  the peak  is  surrounded by smaller mountains.  At  present  the  temple  is  managed by Archeological Survey of  India (ASI). The  time  for  opening  and  closing of  the  temple is  from 8 am to  5 pm. The  comfortable  temperature  during  October  to   March, makes it  a  great place  to  visit.

There  are  many other tourist  attractions near  Rajarani  temple some  of  which are Lingaraj  temple  and Mukteshwar temple.

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Brahmeshwara  Temple

Brahmeshwara  temple is  a  Hindu temple dedicated  to Lord  Shiva. It  is  located  in Bhubaneshwar, the capital  of  the  state  Odisha. It was erected at  the  end  of  9th century CE. The temple  looks  similar to Mukteshwara temple,another Hindu  temple dedicated  to Lord Shiva which  is  situated  in Bhubaneshwar. Brahmeshwara temple looks similar to  Mukteshwara  temple  in  many  ways, some  of  which  include the  carved  interior  of  Jagmohana  and  the  sculptural iconography(such  as  the  lion’s head) which  are  present  in both  the  temples.

The  architecture of  Brahmeshwara  temple  is  wonderful  in itself. Both  the  deul(tower)  and  Jagmohana(porch) of  the  Brahmeshwara  temple is  in  fully  developed  mature Odisian style.Quite  a  number of innovations were done in the  construction of  Brahmeshwara temple one  of  which  include,introduction  of  the  carvings  of  muscians and  dancers  on  the  exterior walls. Iron  beams  were  also used  for  the  first  time in  the  construction  of  the  temple. There  are  carvings  made on the door  frame containing  beautiful flower designs  as  well as  flying figures.

Just  like  Rajarani  temple in Bhubaneshwar ,  there  are images  of  the  eight guardian  deities found  in  the  temple  as  well. A unique feature  of this  temple is  the  carvings  of  several  tantric  images. There is  also  an image  of  Devi Chamunda engraved on the facade of the temple. The  temple  area  covered  to  built this  temple is  208.84 sq m. The  visiting  hours  of  the  temple is  from 6:30  a.m  to  5:00 p.m. The  best  time  to explore  this  temple is  a  cool  and  pleasant  environment which means  from the  month of  October till  the end of  March.

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Samleswari Temple

Now I am going to talk about Samleswari temple. Samleswari temple is a Hindu  temple located in Sambalpur,Western Odisha. Sambalpur region is popularly known as Hirakhand from ancient times.It  is  considered  to  be  a  rich cultural heritage. Samleswari  temple is dedicated to goddess Samleswari.

Samleswari devi, the  presiding  deity of Sambalpur is considered to be a strong religious force in Western part  of  Odisha  and Chattisgarh.  She  is  worshipped as , Jagat Janani, Adishakti, Mahalaxmi, and Mahasaraswati.

In  a  famous  festival like Mahalya, goddess Samleswari  wears a  very  famous  dress called ‘Dhabalmukhi Besha’. Here   ‘Dhabal’  means  white and  ‘mukhi’ means face. Importantly, she wears  this  attire once in a year while  on  other  days  she  wears the  dress  called ‘Sindurabarna Besha’ . Samleswari temple  is of Sandhana order .  Temples  that  come  under Sandhana order have  a  square sanctum  enclosed by  a  gallery of  pillars meant  for  pradakshinapath. 

Pradakshinapath  is  a  circumbullatory that is  considered  to  be an  important  feature of  Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist  and  Jain  temples. Many  festivals  like  Nuakhai,  Mahalaya,  and  Navratri Puja  are  celebrated  in  this  temple.

Recently, government  of  Odisha has  launched a  plan in  the  name  of SAMLEI plan to  beautify the  Samleswari  temple  and  provide  a  unique experience  to the  tourists  and  devotees. Back  in  the  temple, Samleswari  devi is  worshipped with  great  care and  devotion  by  the natives of  Odisha. The  deity  comprises a large  block  of  granite  rock with  an  inverted  trunk like  projection  in  the  bottom. Samleswari  devi’s  idol is  considered  to  inspire sublime  sentiments of  awe, love, devotion  and  affection  towards  all pervading  motherhood.

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Exploring temples of Orissa

Recently  I have started  my  research  that  is  based  on  temples of  Orissa. From now  on I am going  to  start  a  series of  posts  based on temples of  Orissa. I hope you  all will enjoy it.

My first  temple  on  which I had done  my research on is Lingraj Temple. 

Lingraj  temple  is a Hindu temple  dedicated  to Lord  Shiva. It  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  oldest and  largest temples of Bhubneshwar, the  capital of the state Orissa. It is also  considered  to  be  one of  the  best  examples  of  Kalinga  architecture.

Kalinga architecture  is    style  of  Hindu  architecture which  had  flourished in  ancient  Kalinga. Kalinga  is  the  ancient  name  of  Orissa. It  is  believed  that  Lingraj  temple  was built  by kings  belonging  to  Somavanshi  dynasty.

The  temple  is  always active  in  performing  various  rituals. Recently, a  famous  festival  in  India  called  Mahashivratri was  celebrated  here  in Lingraj temple. Unlike  various  other  temples  in  Bhubneshwar, Orissa, here  in  Lingraj  temple, Shiva  is also worshipped  as  Harihara,  a  combined  form of  Shiva  and  Vishnu.

Many images  of  Vishnu  have  been  found  in  the  temple  as  well. The  central  deity of Lingraj  temple  is  Lingraj.  At  present , Lingraj  temple  is  being  maintained  by  the  Temple  Trust  Board  and  the  Archeological Survey  of  India.

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Hello all!!! I am back. After  a  long  time .. 

I really  missed  this  platform after I  had  left  it . Now I am really  interested  in writing  a lot in  this  platform again  and  share  all the  knowledge  that I  get  from my research  studies.

These  days  I  am  exploring  a lot  on temples  and  architecture. I would  love  to  share  on  this  platform   about  my  current  research  plans  with as  many  people possible. 

These days I am aiming  to  write  on  differen temples  in Odisha. Odisha is  a  state  in East India. Being  from Odisha myself, I am  having  a lot of curiosity  these  days  to  explore  as  many  temples  as possible  in  Odisha which is also  called  Temple  city. 

Hope  to  see you  all again soon. Have a  nice  day  ahead.

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