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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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Skywatch Friday - Sunset at Virajpet, Coorg

I am at Coorg now, enjoying a much needed break, taking a long overdue vacation with both Shankar and Samhith. It was a wonderful day, filled with the kind of stuff that makes our day! A lovely morning spent in peace, watching birds, then a bit of heritage at the Nalknad Palace, and an afternoon spent on the plantation,walking around, spotting spiders, and finally kiddo trying a bit of adventure sports. What better way to end the day than with such a beautiful sunset! 


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