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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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Sky Watch Friday... Sun and Moon

I was looking through some of my older photos and found this one that I had somehow missed posting...... We were on our way to Morachi Chincholi and all of us were stunned to see this wonderful sight before us.... the sun setting over the hills and the moon rising.... This pic was taken at a point where we could see both of them together... 



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

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  1. LakshmiAugust 20, 2010 at 7:06 AM

    nature is amazing isnt it..we just dont pay attention to it ..wonderful sighting

    ReplyDelete
  2. meghanaAugust 20, 2010 at 11:22 AM

    Thats my native place.NIce to see this picture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MridulaAugust 20, 2010 at 5:17 PM

    Lovely picture Anu. If I was posting it I would crop out the black part but maybe you left it for the effect?

    ReplyDelete
  4. TracyAugust 21, 2010 at 5:54 PM

    Beautiful picture, I love it when the moon is up in daylight!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bhavesh ChhatbarAugust 23, 2010 at 4:45 PM

    What a rare one, indeed! I'm so happy that you posted this; reminded me of the moon and sun in one photo when I was in Matheran.

    ReplyDelete
  6. IndraniAugust 23, 2010 at 5:23 PM

    Yes, a beautiful sight. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. UshaAugust 23, 2010 at 6:11 PM

    surreal!

    ReplyDelete

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