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Odisha Part 7: The Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneshwar gets its name from the stone used to build it - the red and yellow sandstone used here is locally called Rajarani. This temple was once known as the Indreshwara temple, which is mentioned in the Ekamra Purana, which tells us about the temples of Bhubaneshwar, which was then known as Ekamra Kshetra. Today, the temple stands in a well-maintained lawn, and is the only ticketed monument within the city. The temple is built in the typical Kalinga style, with the tall curvilinear shikara over the garbagruha , and a jagamohana connected to it. The temple is believed to date back to the 11 th century, and is most well known for its sculptures. The entrance to the temple has two pillars with a Naga couple protecting the sanctum, holding garlands in their hands. The base of the pillar shows 3 lions standing over 3 elephants, a typical motif in temples of this region during this period. On the other side of the pillar is a horse and rider, and the two mo...
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Red Flowers

Looking back, collating the images from my summer trip, I realized that we had seen many flowers, and most of them were red!! Here, take a look -

Red Passion Flower - can you see a bee buzzing in there?




Red Ginger
I saw these two flowers in the resort in Bangalore where I attended a wedding. Is it any surprise that I clicked them instead of paying attention to the ceremonies?

Lobster Claw or Hanging Heliconia

Flamingo Flower
These two were abundant in the compound of our hotel at Wayanad. It was impossible, not to click them!

Blood Lily
As to this one, it stood out proudly, the only splash of colour, in an otherwise green landscape, at the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary Visitors Enclosure!

Beautiful, aren't they? And with such interesting names too!!!

P.S. Many thanks to Flowers of India for helping me identify them!

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Comments

  1. MridulaSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:41 PM

    Beautiful collection.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bindhu UnnySeptember 24, 2013 at 6:16 PM

    Nice clicks, Anu. Never seen a red passion flower and red ginger flower.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 25, 2013 at 4:35 PM

      Thanks Bindhu! I hadnt seen these either! had to search to get the names too :D

      Delete
  3. SujitSeptember 25, 2013 at 2:15 PM

    Awesome...
    Really nice collection,

    ReplyDelete
  4. IndraniSeptember 26, 2013 at 1:57 PM

    These are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2013 at 3:53 PM

    I like your post and everything you share with us is current and very informative,you have done a fantastic job
    Car Hire Punei

    ReplyDelete

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