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Odisha Part 5: Two less visited temples

My quest for ancient temples often takes me to hidden corners of the country, often less visited by regular tourists. More often than not, my drivers are completely unaware of these temples, and we often get lost looking for them, despite the ease that Google Maps has provided. On my recent visit to Odisha, I had only two such less visited temples on my list – the Varahi temple at Chaurasi, and the Gangeshwari temple. I had heard and read about the Varahi temple at Chaurasi , and was eager to go see her. The form of Varahi has always fascinated me, and this particular temple was said to have an exceptionally beautiful idol of the deity. Persuading my driver wasn’t an easy feat – he was reluctant (to say the least) about going in search of temples he had never heard of, but my persistence paid off. The Varahi Temple at Chaurasi The Varahi temple dates back to the 9 th century, and the architecture is unusual, as compared to the other temples of Odisha. The temple is closest in st...
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Paraphernalia for Indian rituals.. some of them.....

Our first outing of the year was to Jalgaon where we attended a havan and a puja. An auspicious beginning to the new year, wouldn't you say?

Considering that we perform so many rituals ourselves at home, I have always been fascinated by all the paraphernalia that we use for them. I used the opportunity at Jalgaon to click pics, not of the puja itself, which everyone else was doing,  but of the preparations for the puja..........

Here is the puja site.. all ready and prepared....


That's the havan kund.. where the fire will be lit...



Here are the essentials - water, haldi(turmeric), kumkum, chandan...etc. etc. etc...
i love that kamadalu-like vessel with the spout.. Don't know its correct name.... look at the tiny different shaped wooden articles next to it. They are used for the havan for making the offerings...



Fruits and flowers... and the spoons used for the havan... again, sorry, but the names elude me.



The Kalash - the central item....



and finally, the sacred fire....





For those of you who think this is too much, next time, I shall click pics at my mother's place of her puja.. you will be stunned by the number and variety of things she uses!!!


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  1. Shrinidhi HandeJanuary 24, 2010 at 1:24 PM

    Good to see the prep. Its also critical to understand significance of each puja, which we never care about

    ReplyDelete
  2. indicaspeciesJanuary 24, 2010 at 7:23 PM

    I thought the Purnakumbha (the earthern pot filled with water with fresh leaves of the mango tree and a coconut placed on the top) is also important.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AartiJanuary 24, 2010 at 9:45 PM

    Am always fascinated by the amt of stuff we need for a simple puja or homam!!

    the number of vessels[ gramma will have me up late at nite, sitting next to the cupoboards, pulling out stainless steel vessels, some of her mom's silver wares and wot nots].. but its something i look fwd to, quite enjoy it!! :)

    and the bells.. small cups... the havan[earlier it was couple of bricks] n sitting platforms[palagais] n so much more!!

    But what i wanna know is why we use them all.. significance... what the point... no one knows that :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 24, 2010 at 10:36 PM

    Yes, shrinidhi... very true... we spend hours on pujas, but few of us know the significances... am planning to write a series on the details... dont know when, though!:)

    Special thanks to you Celine.... i hadnt even realise that the last two pics hadnt uploaded properly!!!! so the kalash is there....

    and well, Aarti, as you say, i am the one to get the stuff ready, so am really fascinated by the variety of stuff we use, though i dont really know the exact significance too.... i was hesitant to write what i did know, 'cause i was scared of writing something unverified... so, another post shall follow with the significance of the pujas.......... once my mom and m-i-l are back, so i can cross check with them :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. jayasreeJanuary 25, 2010 at 3:23 PM

    Nice to see another way of pooja arrangement different from what we follow.

    the vessel with the spout is called Kindi. In olden days, in many of the Kerala homes, water filled kindis will be kept near the entrance for the visitors to wash their leg before entering.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 26, 2010 at 10:21 AM

    Thanks Jayasree..yes,i did wonder if it was what we call a 'gindi'.. but the one i have looks somewhat different, except the spout!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nuri Leigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 3, 2010 at 8:31 PM

    It is nice to see pictures and read bits about your culture. Your pictures are great, but mostly now I would like to read more about the pictures.

    ReplyDelete

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