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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
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Giant Wood Spider

We were at Sringeri, visiting the Kala Bhairava Temple at one end of the village. We finished our prayers and came out, and as usual, I was trying to get a decent shot of the temple, when a movement on a tree nearby caught my eye. At first, it was difficult to see anything but a huge spider web.. But then, with the camera zoom, I managed to spot the creature that had created that web - a Giant Wood Spider..





I first saw these spiders at Corbett, but hadnt managed to get a photo.... We saw many more at Sringeri, but for various reasons, I never got a decent pic. This was the best I managed with my camera, and I was thrilled at having captured it at last!

Apparently, the huge spider is the female of the species, the male being much smaller....To get a better idea of these creatures, click here.

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Comments

  1. AartiNovember 14, 2012 at 8:02 AM

    Have seen these in sringeri but am invariably without a camera or unable to get half a decent shot.. Neat capture..:))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 16, 2012 at 12:40 PM

      Thanks Aarti!! that has happened to me too :D but this time I was lucky!

      Delete
  2. R Niranjan DasNovember 14, 2012 at 4:38 PM

    Awesome shot. Never seen such a big one.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 16, 2012 at 12:41 PM

      THanks Niranjan!!! Once you see one, you keep seeing them wherever u go!

      Delete
  3. SudhageeDecember 8, 2012 at 3:44 PM

    Thanks, Anu. I saw one of these at a hotel bathroom in Kovalam Beach at Trivandrum and didn't know what they were called. Now I know :-)

    ReplyDelete

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