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Odisha Part 9 : The Vaital Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Vaital temple is of the many intriguing temples in Bhubaneshwar. To begin with, the structure itself resembles a South-Indian temple more than the typical Kalingan style that we see everywhere else in Odisha. The temple has been dated to the last quarter of the 8 th century CE. Further , unlike most of the temples in Bhubaneshwar, this temple is not dedicated to Lord Shiva. Inside the sanctum is one of the deities who is very rarely seen in a sanctum – Chamunda, along with the Saptamatrikas. This is evidently a Shakta shrine. However, the presence of Lakulisha on the vimana indicates the connection with the Pasupata sect, which is most prevalent in this region during this time period. Further, the name of the temple – ‘Vaital’, comes from the word ‘ vetala’ , referring to spirits, which were invoked by tantrics to attain siddhis. Thus, this temple is an amalgamation of Pasupata and Shakta philosophy, with a strong emphasis on tantric rituals, and this is reflected in the iconogra...
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Mountains, Rivers, and lots of clouds...


These are what have been keeping me away......



August has been a month with many holidays... and all arrived on weekends, giving us some time to actually get away somewhere... First, off we went to Mahabaleshwar, .. and then this last weekend, we spent at Nashik.



The Western Ghats in the monsoons are a spectacular sight, and the rains, clouds and fog simply made the trip unforgettable! There are lots of posts coming up, so keep your eyes peeled!

Comments

  1. SudhageeAugust 21, 2012 at 2:15 PM

    Eyes all peeled and ready, Anu. Waiting for the posts to come :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. PradeepaAugust 21, 2012 at 6:54 PM

    Love mountains, rivers and clouds. Waiting for the rest.

    ReplyDelete
  3. chitraAugust 21, 2012 at 7:48 PM

    Wow, Anu..you must have enjoyed a lot..shall read when I get time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 22, 2012 at 9:02 PM

      yes, Chitra we had a grt time.. and in any case, it will take me a while to write.. have loads to write... so catch up whenever u get settled..

      Delete
  4. MridulaAugust 21, 2012 at 8:21 PM

    If that is what was keeping away, may you travel even more!

    ReplyDelete
  5. indiamapAugust 22, 2012 at 6:22 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ArtiAugust 22, 2012 at 10:03 PM

    Looks like you have had a gala time travelling! Waiting for all to unfold, Anu! Pen it down soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. R Niranjan DasAugust 24, 2012 at 12:56 AM

    Splendid capture.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete

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