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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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Mahabaleshwar

As trips go, the unplanned ones usually turn out to be the most fun, and our trip to Mahabaleshwar was no different. Looking back, it seems unbelievable that we went at all! The visit was a short one, but we managed to pack quite a bit into the time we had, but what was really memorable was the heavy rain which dominated our stay at the hill station. I have been to Mahabaleshwar before, but never in the monsoon, and the season certainly added an extra bit of gloss to the entire trip!



The Venna Lake is the highlight of Mahabaleshwar. I remember going boating on the lake on my first visit there, and it is usually packed with tourists... so packed that the last time I was there, we had to give boating a skip since the queue seemed to be never-ending! And here is my favourite photo of this trip - the Venna Lake in the monsoon! It was amazing how the clouds and the water seemed to merge....

That was just a glimpse of our trip. Read a more detailed account on my post on the Club Mahindra Blog....

Soaking in the spirit of Mahabaleshwar
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Location: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. krishnaAugust 22, 2012 at 11:12 PM

    It seems that you have enjoyed a lot. I had been in Mumbai for 4 years. Many times I thought of going there, but unfortunately that never happened.
    http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 23, 2012 at 4:56 PM

      Yes, we did, Krishna! you should go sometime.. but dont worry.. i visited Mahabaleshwar for the first time after living in mumbai for 25 years!! since then i have been there thrice! and there are so so many places i havent been to yet.. can u believe i have still not been to matheran?

      Delete
  2. R Niranjan DasAugust 23, 2012 at 4:40 PM

    Thats a beautiful click. Never been here.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  3. PanchganiAugust 25, 2012 at 11:15 AM

    Hi,
    Anuradha Shankar, We loved the way of your writing, we would like to make you our guest blogger. contact us at www.facebook.com/ravinehotel for further details.

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 25, 2012 at 5:17 PM

      Thanks a lot, but can you please send me a mail at anushankarn(at)gmail(dot)com ?

      Delete
    2. PanchganiAugust 31, 2012 at 6:24 PM

      Ok,
      Done!!!

      Delete

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