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Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
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Red Flowers

Looking back, collating the images from my summer trip, I realized that we had seen many flowers, and most of them were red!! Here, take a look -

Red Passion Flower - can you see a bee buzzing in there?




Red Ginger
I saw these two flowers in the resort in Bangalore where I attended a wedding. Is it any surprise that I clicked them instead of paying attention to the ceremonies?

Lobster Claw or Hanging Heliconia

Flamingo Flower
These two were abundant in the compound of our hotel at Wayanad. It was impossible, not to click them!

Blood Lily
As to this one, it stood out proudly, the only splash of colour, in an otherwise green landscape, at the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary Visitors Enclosure!

Beautiful, aren't they? And with such interesting names too!!!

P.S. Many thanks to Flowers of India for helping me identify them!

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Comments

  1. MridulaSeptember 24, 2013 at 4:41 PM

    Beautiful collection.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bindhu UnnySeptember 24, 2013 at 6:16 PM

    Nice clicks, Anu. Never seen a red passion flower and red ginger flower.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 25, 2013 at 4:35 PM

      Thanks Bindhu! I hadnt seen these either! had to search to get the names too :D

      Delete
  3. SujitSeptember 25, 2013 at 2:15 PM

    Awesome...
    Really nice collection,

    ReplyDelete
  4. IndraniSeptember 26, 2013 at 1:57 PM

    These are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2013 at 3:53 PM

    I like your post and everything you share with us is current and very informative,you have done a fantastic job
    Car Hire Punei

    ReplyDelete

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