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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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Skywatch Friday - Sunset between the trees

I took this photograph more than 2 years ago, on a trip to our home town....Before any of you think its a normal thing, well, for us, it isn't! It is our 'home-town' only in name, for we have no 'home' there..... we just go there (or rather try to go there) at least once a year to visit the temple there...... As it happens, I haven't visited the temple since then, but have a real yearning to visit again, which has only intensified after seeing this pic, which was taken just after we left the temple... It was a wonderful trip, which we made as a family, visiting almost 75 temples in just 10 days!!! Wish I could make another such trip again!!!




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  1. MridulaJune 11, 2010 at 3:27 PM

    A very beautiful sunset indeed. Hope you go to the temples again. Have you seen the Rajasthan Jain temples?

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  2. Anuradha ShankarJune 11, 2010 at 3:29 PM

    @Mridula: I hope so too...wanted to go this may, but ended up staying at home...
    I have visited only the temples at Ranakpur... they were beautiful! have to go to Mt.Abu sometime....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lavanya SriramJune 11, 2010 at 4:56 PM

    Beautiful :) as usual :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. indicaspeciesJune 11, 2010 at 6:15 PM

    Beautiful shot!

    The tall trees are Palmyra palms....called Tadgola in Gujarati (maybe in Marathi too).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Larry DJune 11, 2010 at 6:31 PM

    Wonderful photo, this looks like an amazing place to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ma.linksJune 13, 2010 at 5:25 PM

    Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJune 15, 2010 at 8:48 PM

    Beautiful picture,Anu.
    Padma.

    ReplyDelete

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