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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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Skywatch Friday - Mountains on my mind...


Earth, Water, Sky and Mountains......... at Karjat just on the outskirts of Mumbai.....

Mountains occupy my thoughts as I head towards the mountains... for a short holiday. I am off to Delhi today and onwards to Binsar as Samhith's school closes this year. We have a week before school resumes for the new term, and we plan to make the most of it....  

I shall not be able to access my mails for a week... but please do leave your comments on this as well as the other blogs I have scheduled... I shall certainly reply as soon as I get back!!

For more skies around the world, go to SkyWatch Friday



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Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 26, 2010 at 4:08 PM

    enjoy your vacation!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JossieMarch 26, 2010 at 4:16 PM

    Beautiful and peaceful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MridulaMarch 26, 2010 at 8:20 PM

    The water and the sky make for a very nice combination!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Smalltown RNMarch 26, 2010 at 10:08 PM

    Yes you have captured a little of everything in this photo...wonderful shot!

    ReplyDelete
  5. HemaMarch 26, 2010 at 10:54 PM

    Hi Anu...Lovely picture. BTW I've tagged you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anil PMarch 27, 2010 at 11:41 AM

    A very pretty landscape. Where was this taken?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anuradha ShankarMarch 27, 2010 at 12:03 PM

    @luna Miranda: thanks....

    @Jossie: thanks .. it was wonderful out there..

    @smalltown RN : thanks....

    @Anil: thanks a lot.. this was at a small village called Burujwadi in Karjat....beyond Morbe Dam

    ReplyDelete
  8. indicaspeciesMarch 28, 2010 at 9:12 PM

    Lovely picture of Karjat.
    Binsar is a cool choice, and am sure you will have a good trip.

    ReplyDelete
  9. P.N. SubramanianMarch 30, 2010 at 1:55 PM

    Beautiful photograph. Karjat is a nice place.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anuradha ShankarApril 4, 2010 at 10:32 PM

    @Hema: thanks a lot.....i just read your tag post... and looks like it will take a while... have to think, u see :)

    @Celine: thanks..... Binsar was just too good!

    @P.N.Subramanian: thanks....

    ReplyDelete

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