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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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Celebrating Pongal with books


Any festival is a reason to celebrate, and Pongal happens to be one of the important ones. Here is the kolam welcoming you to our home....





This year, the festival   has brought along an unexpected deluge of books, and what better way to celebrate than read!!  It all began with a temple visit which got so delayed that the temple closed! With nothing better to do, we ended up at a book store, and ended up coming home with a bagful of books for Samhith!!



With so many books for him, could I be far behind? Here are mine.... two different genres, two completely different kinds of books, but I am eager to read both!



The first book Bala Saraswati, is part of Blogadda's book review program, and I need to read it soon so that I can review it. The second, The Reluctant Detective, is the first novel of Blogger Kiran Manral, whom I met during the Lavasa Women's Rally. I am eager to read it, for this is the first time I am getting to read a book by a  person I actually know!!!

So now you know what I am going to be doing for the next few days, so if you don't see any posts here, please excuse me, for my nose will be buried deep inside one of these books!

Meanwhile, wish you all a Happy Pongal!!!

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Comments

  1. Aabha MidhaJanuary 15, 2012 at 10:12 AM

    Hi Anu, wishing you a Happy PONGAL. The welcoming Kolam is lovely..... so traditional.  I didn't know Kiran Manral had published a novel.  I have read both her blogs... 36 and counting and Karmic Kids where she blogs about her son.  wud luv to read her book.. thanks for sharing this info.

    Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PN SubramanianJanuary 15, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    Happy Pongal and happy readings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anu ShankarJanuary 15, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    Thanks Aabha! Kiran has been promoting her book mostly on fb, and its available online too...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anu ShankarJanuary 15, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    Thanks PNS!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SowmyaJanuary 15, 2012 at 1:22 PM

    Super!! Happy Pongal to your family!! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Indrani GhJanuary 15, 2012 at 7:54 PM

    A very Happy Pongal to you too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ViyomaJanuary 15, 2012 at 9:10 PM

    So how do i start...from your Kolam i can make out..you are a Tamilian. And yet what fully agree..what better way to celebrate than read..we do this at our place during New Year.
    Happy Pongal to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Santosh bsJanuary 15, 2012 at 9:58 PM

    happy pongal, happy reading and happy posting so that readers like us can be happy :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. ZephyrJanuary 16, 2012 at 5:09 AM

    Happy Pongal to you and your family,  Anu! Happy reading! btw., I don't see my book! Is it among the 'read' list and hence doesn't feature in the collection? :))

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anu ShankarJanuary 16, 2012 at 8:30 AM

    THanks sowmya!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anu ShankarJanuary 16, 2012 at 8:30 AM

    Thanks Indrani!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anu ShankarJanuary 16, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    Yes, Viyoma, I am a tamilian, and we do celebrate the festival the traditional way.. the only thing is, for me, no celebration is complete without books :D

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anu ShankarJanuary 16, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    Thanks Santosh!! hope this year i can keep my readers happy!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anu ShankarJanuary 16, 2012 at 8:32 AM

    Thanks Zephyr!!! and ur book is not there because its being devoured!!! as of now by me.... but am planning to carry it to sringeri so he can read it in the train to and fro!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Capt T.RajkumarJanuary 16, 2012 at 6:27 PM

    Vanakkam--Pongal Greetings
     Excellent post glad -to see Arts &Culture spreading with Books at Pongal ;
    am telling  my friends too..
    Kind rgds &best wishes
    Capt.TR (Retd)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hindi SmsFebruary 3, 2012 at 3:42 PM

    happy pongal to all friends and families..

    ReplyDelete

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