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Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
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Pictures of 7 Cat Species Found in 1 Forest - A Record

I stumbled across this as I was surfing through the net, aimlessly as always...... and then my eyes fell on this, and I was absolutely stunned!

This article from the National Geographic News tells us of a rare sighting of seven different species of cats - one of which was totally unknown there. But what was really surprising was the location - Assam! Yes,  in our very own country!!!! Hard to believe isn't it, considering the state of our forests?? Maybe everything is not yet lost....Let us salvage what we can while we still have it.

You can read the whole article here.


Meanwhile, I couldn't resist downloading the pics onto my blog..... All the photos belong to Kashmira Kakati, the wildlife biologist whose research led her to this wonderful sighting. Thanks to Kashmira and National Geographic for these wonderful pics..

Leopard

Leopard Cat

Clouded Leopard

Golden Cat

Jungle Cat

Tiger

Marbled Cat

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Comments

  1. A journey called LifeMarch 17, 2010 at 5:18 AM

    Hey Anu.. loved ur new organised look.. This made very interesting read.. thanks so much

    ReplyDelete
  2. SoulSpaceMarch 17, 2010 at 7:57 AM

    wow..thats awesome
    going by this i am hoping this Tiger no of 1114 is false and there are many more safely (and thankfully)hidden away in our forests
    and not the end of the world as predicted...
    eternal optimist!
    love the blue feel to yr blog..feels like I am at the beach...and thats my fav.spot!

    ReplyDelete
  3. sriMarch 17, 2010 at 8:50 AM

    you wont believe how happy and scared this news makes me. Happy that such things still exists intact, scared that it may be the last time we see them, even in pics. I really wish the forests are conserved for the wonderful bio diversity they have. And thanks a load for the pics!

    ReplyDelete
  4. chitraMarch 17, 2010 at 10:53 AM

    That is really good news Anu and thanks for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Julia DuttaMarch 17, 2010 at 11:02 AM

    Wow! That is something!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anuradha ShankarMarch 18, 2010 at 10:30 AM

    @AJCL: thanks a lot...knew this would interest a lot of people like us, which is why i put this up...

    @ssstoryteller: i hope so too...... thanks...... i just noticed the new template designer on blogger and tried it out.....

    @Sri: absolutely!!!! it is great news certainly, but we dont want more tourists rushing there trying to spot them and disturb their habitat!!!

    @CHitra : its really great news..

    @Julia: Absolutely!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UshaMarch 18, 2010 at 11:25 AM

    Hey
    This is awesome stuff! I'm fwding the link to ur blog to a few of my friends!

    ReplyDelete
  8. SaravananMarch 29, 2010 at 9:02 PM

    It is quite exciting to see all 7 breeds of cats

    ReplyDelete

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