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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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Indian Roller

The Indian Roller is a bird which is quite common all over India, especially Southern India. It is the State bird of Karnataka, and we saw it quite often on our visit to Hampi, Aihole, and Badami.





However, I never managed to get a decent photograph. On my recent trip to interior Maharashtra, we were surprised to see the Indian Roller all over the place. So often, in fact, that Samhith now prides himself on being able to identify it from a distance!!!



We spent much of our time in the bus looking out for birds, even though we couldnt always identify them... and every time we saw a Roller, it was nice to see Samhith excitedly pointing it out. I wonder what the other passengers thought of us!!!



I did manage to photograph the bird finally, when we were travelling by auto. And each time, the auto driver appeared surprised that I was stopping to take photos of birds!!!! The last one said, "Mumbai might be a big city and life there might be wonderful, but I guess you don't see birds there, do you?" How right he is! 


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Comments

  1. MridulaNovember 24, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    A perceptive auto driver and lovely pictures of the bird!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 24, 2012 at 8:08 PM

      Thanks Mridula! and such perceptive chaps are really rare

      Delete
  2. Rebecca SawNovember 24, 2012 at 4:14 PM

    Hi hi! I have sent you an email Hope you received it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. DietmutNovember 24, 2012 at 9:56 PM

    Indias roller, this is a very nice bird. A beautiful day for you. Greetings Dietmut

    ReplyDelete
  4. Airport Limo ServiceNovember 25, 2012 at 7:10 PM

    It's rare to find at our place. Nice to see the pic of this beautiful bird. Thanks for sharing. ~ Tariq Mehmood

    ReplyDelete
  5. R Niranjan DasNovember 26, 2012 at 3:04 PM

    Lovely clicks!!

    http://www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  6. SanandNovember 27, 2012 at 6:57 PM

    Superb clicks and useful info.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bindhu UnnyDecember 4, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    Nice shots! Didn't know it's the state bird of Karnataka. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Manu PonnappaDecember 4, 2012 at 3:31 PM

    Nice photos.. Thanks for sharing..:)

    manuponnappa.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
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