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Odisha Part 9 : The Vaital Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Vaital temple is of the many intriguing temples in Bhubaneshwar. To begin with, the structure itself resembles a South-Indian temple more than the typical Kalingan style that we see everywhere else in Odisha. The temple has been dated to the last quarter of the 8 th century CE. Further , unlike most of the temples in Bhubaneshwar, this temple is not dedicated to Lord Shiva. Inside the sanctum is one of the deities who is very rarely seen in a sanctum – Chamunda, along with the Saptamatrikas. This is evidently a Shakta shrine. However, the presence of Lakulisha on the vimana indicates the connection with the Pasupata sect, which is most prevalent in this region during this time period. Further, the name of the temple – ‘Vaital’, comes from the word ‘ vetala’ , referring to spirits, which were invoked by tantrics to attain siddhis. Thus, this temple is an amalgamation of Pasupata and Shakta philosophy, with a strong emphasis on tantric rituals, and this is reflected in the iconogra...
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Merry Christmas!!!! X Mas Memories of Shimla

Since the last few days, I have been reminiscing on the blog about the year gone by. Today, for the special occasion of Christmas, I am taking the reminiscing a bit further, going back to the wonderful X mas we spent last year, at Shimla! 




This was the Gingerbread house at the Club Mahindra's resort - Whispering Pines, at Mashobra, near Shimla, which is where we stayed. Standing next to the Christmas tree, loaded with presents, it was surely the first thing anyone stepping into the resort headed to! 


That wasn't all.. the whole place was decked up....

A Christmas tree made of fir cones

Santa and his reindeer - the reindeer are made of fallen twigs

Samhith particularly enjoyed the Christmas party, with all the goodies we had, to eat. Here is a glimpse of the spread... which, just remembering it, makes my mouth water! 


This year, to say we have missed all that, would be an understatement. However, staying home has had its perks, chiefly among which is Samhith's experience, of singing Christmas Carols with all his friends, at a Remand Home, nearby... and we look forward to playing Santa on Wheels with the Breakfree gang! Thus, it seems apt to say that if it was Xmas for pleasure last year, it is Christmas with a Purpose, this year!!

On that note, let me wish you all, a very, very Merry Christmas!!!

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  1. Meghana HassanDecember 25, 2013 at 1:02 PM

    Wow, you had a wonderful Christmas last year..
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year..

    ReplyDelete
  2. SanandDecember 25, 2013 at 1:44 PM

    That's a heart warming recap! Enjoy every moment. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete

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