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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
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Oriental Garden Lizard

The Garden Lizard is a common reptile we see all the time. However, I still can not resist photographing it, especially when it decides to pose for me. Here are some photos of Garden Lizards taken at the Nehru Park on Fateh Sagar Lake....





In the breeding season, the male's head and shoulders turn bright orange/red and his throat black. From the pics, it seems the breeding season may just have started, for there is just a tinge of red on the head/shoulders while the throat is black.






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  1. diyaJuly 26, 2025 at 5:08 PM

    Lizards don't go away even after we do so many things. Good option is to seal the entry points. Installing nets on the windows, vents and exhaust is also important.

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