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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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Skywatch Friday - Yearning to be somewhere else!

The hectic days of the Navaratri festival are over, but the chaos in our house continues, with repair work going on. I find myself under a virtual house arrest, which, for itchy feet like mine feels like the harshest of punishments. Stuck inside the house, I yearn for the hills and open spaces.... and feel like getting away somewhere, even if just for a short while... This tiny village tucked in amidst the western ghats, surrounded by mountains, clicked somewhere near Mahabaleshwar, is just the kind of place I would love to escape to, at the moment!


Meanwhile, my post on Wai, near Mahabaleshwar, has been featured on the Club Mahindra Blog!!!

For more beautiful skies from around the world, go to Skywatch Friday!
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Location: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India

Comments

  1. MridulaOctober 26, 2012 at 11:00 AM

    What a beauty! And I am exactly in the same state of mind, itching to be someplace else!

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 26, 2012 at 12:09 PM

      Thanks Mridula!!! i guess we cant stay more than a month or so at home before the itch sets in... or i wonder, does the itch go away at all, or do we just suppress it because we have work to do?

      Delete
  2. Julia DuttaOctober 26, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    Lovely Anu! I have been to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar many times, but stay over at Wai, never! So is there a flight to Mahabaleshwar now? Or you were going elsewhere, flying low over Wai?
    Julia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 26, 2012 at 12:11 PM

      Thanks Julia! No, this is not taken from a flight... but from the winding road to Mahabaleshwar! looks just like it was taken from the air, right?

      Delete
  3. R Niranjan DasOctober 26, 2012 at 11:52 AM

    Beautiful click!!

    http://www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Vishal RathodOctober 26, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    Wonderful picture

    Congrats on Wai .

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://www.p-ter.netOctober 26, 2012 at 3:29 PM

    A photo from the air! :-)
    Amazing shot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 26, 2012 at 3:34 PM

      Thanks P-ter! but this is not taken from the air, but from the road!

      Delete
  6. AartiOctober 26, 2012 at 4:53 PM

    Lovely photo Anu... Have been itching to escape and it seems the more i itch, the more grounded i become :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 26, 2012 at 5:54 PM

      Thanks Aarti!! thats so true for me too... the more I try, the more I cant escape... the less i plan, the more I go...

      Delete
  7. CarverOctober 26, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    That looks like a wonderful place to escape to. Great shot!

    ReplyDelete
  8. LizOctober 27, 2012 at 3:06 PM

    Beautiful capture! Happy sky watching.

    Skywatch

    ReplyDelete
  9. SudhageeOctober 30, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    Oh my, my. I don't think any place can beat the Deccan Plateau region in the monsoons. Beautiful capture, Anu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 30, 2012 at 10:59 PM

      So true, Sudha! its certainly among the most beautiful places in the monsoons.. i can never tire of them!

      Delete

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