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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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Skywatch Friday - Sunset at Gokarna

Gokarna lies on the West Coast of India. Which means, we should have a good view of the sunset from anywhere. As it turns out, that is not true, thanks to the mountains and hillocks which cut off our view of the sun at different angles. To see a good sunset, you need to be at the right place, at the right time. Strictly speaking, we weren't. We missed the sun actually going down, since the monsoon clouds put a premature end to the spectacle, but what we did see was a beautiful play of light....



Which is why this is my post for Skywatch Friday today! Here are some more pics of the sight...





For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page. 


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Location: Gokarna, Karnataka, India

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