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Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
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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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