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...
Sunset at Binsar
Each day, the sun setting over the mountains looked different, and it was a wonderful sight to see, sitting in the balcony of our log hut at Manipur Villa, part of the Club Mahindra Binsar Valley resort.....
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This is a fabulous sight of the sunset in those mountains! Beautiful shot Anu.
ReplyDeleteAmazing sunset. And you have that every day?
ReplyDeleteSunsets in mountains are extra special!
ReplyDeleteAwesome picture!!
ReplyDeleteWow, the sun does look really poignant.. :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely mesmerizing and beautiful! What a shot!
ReplyDeletePixellicious Photos