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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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Beginning of new lives.....

We visited the Maharashtra Nature Park after more than a month last Sunday, and the changes were startling, Where it was always green before, the monsoon had brought in an added brightness, and even Samhith noticed the wonderful smell of wet earth mingling with the fragrance of different flowers and herbs.
New life was sprouting everywhere - the seeds and saplings planted on the Urban Leaves terrace farm were flourishing, and along with them were butterflies and insects - mating and beginning new lives...... there were butterflies all over, but more about them later..... As of now, here are a bunch of newly hatched bugs or beetles.. They looked at first like ladybirds, but now I am not so sure. Any idea about what these are?



To read more about our Urban Leaves Sunday visit to MNP, click here or on the link below....
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