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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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The Last Kolu Pics for this year!

Some of you might be bored of Kolus by now, after seeing so many over the last few days! However, before I close the Navaratri chapter for this year, here are the last three kolu arrangements for this year.....

The Fine Arts Society, Chembur, has a mammoth 15 steps Kolu which draws visitors over all the ten days of the festival. Besides, there is also usually an interesting decoration based on a theme. 



This year, the theme was a dual one - Of Andal and Meera, represented picturesquely with handmade dolls!


Everyone knows the story of Meera - who loved Krishna and none but Him, and in spite of facing all sorts of troubles, remained true to her Lord, finally merging with Him.....



Andal's is a similar story. She is the poetess saint of the south, who loved the Lord, and considered him to be her spouse. As with Meera, she too merged with the Lord, all decked up as a bride. Many Vishnu temples have sanctums dedicated to her.



While we loved seeing the beautiful dolls made with such care and eye for detail, there were some interesting dolls on display too.....By now, you all would have realised our fascination with Dashavataram dolls. Here was something different....

Dashavataram - featuring Ganesha!!!! Interesting depiction, right???



And then, there was this beautiful set depicting women near a river.....



and we love these sets depicting the merchants selling their wares.....



The next kolu was at the Bhajan Samaj, Ghatkopar. Here are the steps....



An interesting set of dolls depict the Sapta Matrika - seven forms of the Devi...



and on the side were these dolls..... There is a set depicting Ravana holding court and Hanuman sitting on a seat he has made by winding up his tail.... and also a set depicting a band....



Our last and final Kolu this year was at the Mariamman Temple in our colony.....



Most of the dolls are the same as last year... just one is new.....



This is half Ganesha and half Hanuman... I have never seen one like this. Have you?

Last, but not the least, at the same temple, the utsava murthy of the goddess was decked up as Saraswati..... Yes, this was on the ninth day of Navaratri....


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Location: Chembur, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. ArchanaOctober 8, 2011 at 8:20 PM

    Wow, read all your posts on Navratri. Lovely pictures and excellent documentation. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anu ShankarOctober 9, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    Thanks a lot, Archana!

    ReplyDelete
  3. MadhuOctober 9, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    Ya... we have the same doll like that... its called ADHI ANTHA PRABHU...half Ganesh & half Hanuman...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anu ShankarOctober 9, 2011 at 9:47 PM

    Thanks Madhu.. didnt know that.. first time i saw such a doll!

    ReplyDelete

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