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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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Navaratri 2009 - Days 1 and 2

The first day of navaratri was even more hectic than I had thought it would be. The day began with my trying to complete the arrangement of the Kolu, but wasn’t able to, since I had to leave at mid-afternoon for the NCPA, where we attended a symphony orchestra concert, the highlight of which was a performance by their students, many of them about Samhith’s age!

Having gone all the way to Nariman point, Samhith couldn’t be induced to return without walking for a while along Marine drive, him wanting to stand and stare, me hurrying him along…..




Sunset on Marine Drive...



A fishing boat...



The streets are alight - with the traffic as well as decorations....



The Devi arrives...




We rounded off the day by attending a wedding reception (Thank God for that, at least I didn’t have to cook!!), and visiting the Chedda Nagar Subramania Samaj Temple…..


As I mentioned in my earlier post, the temple has an interesting decoration everyday, and the first one this year was Kubera Shiva and his consort, Hemavathi…I was curious about this form of the lord, and on enquiry, and aided with a bit of research on the net, was able to learn that Kubera performed austerities which earned him the favour of Shiva, who gave him a status as one of his dearest ones. Kubera Shiva is that aspect of Shiva, where Kubera co-exists with Shiva. The importance of the Devi in this form is that Kubera first gained the blessings of the Devi, praying to her on the Himalayas. As daughter of Himavat, one of her names is Hemavathi.




The second day was no less hectic, but I managed to get my kolu completely ready by evening, when my mom, uncle and sister came to take a look. Again, the day ended with our visit to the temple, where the decoration was Shiva as Kirata Moorthy – the hunter. There are many instances of Shiva appearing in the form of a hunter, the most popular story being that of Arjuna, when Shiva fights with him, trying to gauge his strength and his ability to handle the Pasupatha weapon, for which he has been performing austerities.






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Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2009 at 12:30 PM

    oh such a lovely post... I would have loved to stay & walk along Marine drive with you & Samith...

    ReplyDelete
  2. thecoupleSeptember 22, 2009 at 7:34 PM

    Thanks for posting this. Must visit Chedda Nagar temple.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 22, 2009 at 11:06 PM

    Patricia : Thanks.. it would have been great to have you there..... next time you are here in Bombay, lets try to make it!!!

    Bindu and Unny - Yes, you must certainly visit the temple, and this is the best time to do it!

    ReplyDelete

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