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Odisha Part 9 : The Vaital Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Vaital temple is of the many intriguing temples in Bhubaneshwar. To begin with, the structure itself resembles a South-Indian temple more than the typical Kalingan style that we see everywhere else in Odisha. The temple has been dated to the last quarter of the 8 th century CE. Further , unlike most of the temples in Bhubaneshwar, this temple is not dedicated to Lord Shiva. Inside the sanctum is one of the deities who is very rarely seen in a sanctum – Chamunda, along with the Saptamatrikas. This is evidently a Shakta shrine. However, the presence of Lakulisha on the vimana indicates the connection with the Pasupata sect, which is most prevalent in this region during this time period. Further, the name of the temple – ‘Vaital’, comes from the word ‘ vetala’ , referring to spirits, which were invoked by tantrics to attain siddhis. Thus, this temple is an amalgamation of Pasupata and Shakta philosophy, with a strong emphasis on tantric rituals, and this is reflected in the iconogra...
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Bringing Ganesha Home

Ganesh Chaturthi is here, and all around me yesterday were people bringing their Ganesha home.


Usually this is a time when my home is buzzing with activity, but this year I have a break since we can not perform the puja. I am planning to visit a few pandals around our home, though, so will try to post more photos....

P.S. Incidentally, I just realised that this is my 555th post on the blog!!
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  1. MridulaSeptember 20, 2012 at 8:39 PM

    Lovely capture Anu!

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  2. ArtiSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:18 PM

    Ah, Anu... I was eagerly waiting for your Ganpati celebrations post. But never mind, will definitely enjoy my pandal hopping with you :) I am also looking forward to covering a bit of the festivities.

    PS: Congratulations! 555 is huge. You have been an inspiration to me since long. Keep blogging :)

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    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:25 PM

      Thanks so much, Arti! Looking forward to reading your ganpati blogs now!

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  3. ZephyrSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:12 AM

    Wish you many more such milestones. I Can't even imagine that figure. Truly mind boggling. And hey, did you notice that boggling is an anagram of blogging? :)

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    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:32 AM

      Thanks so much, Zephyr!! Actually, I have been trying to increase that figure by posting daily, but every time I try, I end up not writing for the whole month!!! as to the anagram, wow!! trust you to come up with something like this!! had never noticed it before!!!

      Delete

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