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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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Scenes from a small railway station in the hills

Passing via Kangra Railway Station en route to the Kangra Fort, it was impossible for us to simply pass by, without taking a closer look. 




Ideally, we would have loved to take the train... the Kangra Valley Railway is one of the Heritage Hill Trains of India, but time was a big factor, and the train timings didn't match our schedule. We settled instead for just a peek at the railway station. The next train was due only an hour later, and our delight at the old world charm of the station provided quite some amusement to the few passengers patiently awaiting it. Here are a few scenes from the station... take a look, and I am sure you will agree that these tiny stations are truly charming, compared to the steel cages our new ones are! 

A view of the main station from the platform.. and the manual track changing apparatus...


What a pretty shop this is, isn't it? with the vines growing all over? Shankar went to take a look at what was available, and the gentleman's eyes simply followed him, while the lady in the shop stared at me. They were probably wondering why we were there, clicking photos of their local railway station!  

The ticket counter... quaint, isn't it? 


The Time Tables, painted in the old style. The idea is two-fold.. to remind you of a time when all stations had such painted boards.. and to help you if you ever plan a trip here and want to take the train!

Take a look at these fares too. They are current fares, and at Rs. 20 and 25, are a steal, for journeys lasting half a day!! And the First Class Fares makes me want to go at once!! Hope I can visit Dharamsala again soon! 



Finally, this pretty structure stood aloof, probably a cabin used by the station master, but there was no board, so I have no idea what it is. 


Pretty and picturesque as it is, the Kangra Railway Station is not unique. We see such old railway stations across India, on the mountains as well as plains. Built in colonial times, they share a similar architecture, which today charms us by its rarity. Our new railway stations might have digital screens and latest technology to hasten and make safer our train journeys, but there is something about these which draws us again and again! 


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Location: Kangra Railway Station, Kaswara, Himachal Pradesh 176038, India

Comments

  1. TravellingcameraAugust 19, 2015 at 12:49 PM

    I have visited Kangra, Palampur and Dharmshala many times, but never got a chance to visit the railway station. I did few journeys on Shimla-Kalka route but this is something I have to plan in near future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. R Niranjan DasAugust 19, 2015 at 6:13 PM

    Such a pretty station. It still exudes the old world charm. Nice post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TusharAugust 20, 2015 at 9:04 AM

    Old is Gold - They say. Nice observation. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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