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Odisha Part 7: The Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneshwar gets its name from the stone used to build it - the red and yellow sandstone used here is locally called Rajarani. This temple was once known as the Indreshwara temple, which is mentioned in the Ekamra Purana, which tells us about the temples of Bhubaneshwar, which was then known as Ekamra Kshetra. Today, the temple stands in a well-maintained lawn, and is the only ticketed monument within the city. The temple is built in the typical Kalinga style, with the tall curvilinear shikara over the garbagruha , and a jagamohana connected to it. The temple is believed to date back to the 11 th century, and is most well known for its sculptures. The entrance to the temple has two pillars with a Naga couple protecting the sanctum, holding garlands in their hands. The base of the pillar shows 3 lions standing over 3 elephants, a typical motif in temples of this region during this period. On the other side of the pillar is a horse and rider, and the two mo...
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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!!!




For more skies around the world, go to Sky Watch Friday



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Comments

  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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