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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 - Mountains, River, and the sky....

As the weekend approaches, with exams done, all I wish is that I could get away somewhere... anywhere! Of course, other matters call, and I know I can't, but meanwhile, I try to console myself with all the photos I have clicked on the recent trips....





These wide open spaces... the mountains, the rivers.... these are what I love to see.... the kind of place where I wish to be.... without a single other human in sight!



I clicked these photos somewhere on the way back from Goa. The Konkan railway offers views like none other, especially in the monsoon, which is why this is my entry for Skywatch today!

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

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