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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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Memories of 2013 - Festivals, Events, and other such interesting stuff

The year began on a festive note with the much awaited Kala Ghoda Fest. When I clicked this photo of one of the installations, little did I know how important a part cycles and the city would play in the coming year!



To begin with, the Fest was fun! As usual, I took Samhith along, and he enjoyed it so much, he actually wrote about it! And then, I went by myself, a second time, and had a blast with some blog friends! It truly set the tone for the year - me taking Samhith along first, and then going by myself to enjoy it in peace... something which I did through the year!

However, coming back to the pic, we loved the installation, simple as it was. Little did we know that stuck in the city, we would explore it more than we had for the past few years, or that Samhith would rekindle his love for cycles, and discover that he enjoyed cycling for long distances! Yes, he not only participated in a Cyclothon this year, riding 5 Kms to the finish line, he also cycled all the way from Chembur to Thane, a distance of at least 15 Km, accompanied by his dad! Is it any wonder that I can not stop bragging about it?

A small part of Mr. Swamy's Navaratri Golu 

Then, there were so many fests through the year - the Tata Lit Live, which I dropped into, for a while, the Junior Writers Bug, which I sadly missed, and the Earth Mela, where my photos were exhibited for the very first time!



There were events we enjoyed ourselves at, such as the Lego Train Building event, the National Book Trust's Book Fair, Sandcastle for a Cause, the Google Plus Photography Day event, and of course, all my sister's performances!


And then, there were the traditional festivals, which we couldn't celebrate, but made the most of, by attending others' celebrations!!! The most memorable among these was certainly the awesome Golu kept by Mr. P.E.P.Swamy, and the Ramlila finale!


The best thing about all the festivals and events this year, was that they kept us busy and occupied throughout the year, and helped us cope with the fact that we were stuck at home, and unable to travel! While I hope the new year brings me more travel, I would also like to be a little bit selfish, and also hope I am able to attend as many fests and such more such interesting events in the coming years!! 

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Location: Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India

Comments

  1. wholesale fashion jewelryJanuary 7, 2014 at 4:10 PM

    Thanks for your post .....Nice sharing this..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Factory Direct GazeboJanuary 10, 2014 at 12:48 PM

    The most anticipated of the year is welcoming events and festivities all over the world. Traveler, bloggers, and photographers love such events and thanks for encouraging us Anuradha for these memories of yours. Visiting Mumbai soon!

    ReplyDelete

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