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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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Waders (and other birds) somewhere near Mysore

Looking at the photos of the birds I clicked during my recent Dandeli trip, I have been remembering all the birds we saw near Mysore during our vacation in May.... which reminded me that I had yet not completed that series. On that note, here is another one.. this one about some birds we saw in a marshy area just outside the city...



It was the Oriental White Ibis, or the Black Headed Ibis which first drew our attention and got us to stop in the first place. A closer look revealed that there were many waders around. Even among the ibis, we spotted this one, which I think is a juvenile...


This Grey Heron stood tall by the water, posing beautifully for us! 



 Pond Herons are a common sight for us, but still, it was impossible not to click this one as it stood prettily among the lily pads.


Among all these waders sat a lone Brahminy Kite......


A little farther were a few more interesting birds....

 

A flock of Black Ibis..



And among them, a flock of Purple Moorhen too...




Our tryst with birds during the summer vacation began with these birds just outside Mysore, and continued for the next week as we saw birds wherever we went - especially Kukkarahalli Kere and Karanji Lake. But the most spectacular sight was at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary - an experience I have yet to write about. So, stay tuned, and you can look forward to loads more birds on the blog...
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Location: Mysore, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. R Niranjan DasJanuary 15, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    That is a whole lot of colourful birds. Nice captures.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete

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