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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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Little Green Heron

Walking around the Club Mahindra Cherai Beach Resort, I noticed a flash of feathers as a bird rose out of the water and flew to a tree. Curious, I waited till the bird returned, and I realized that it wasn’t wading in the water as I had thought, but stood at the edge of the water, on the boundary wall….




Even as I watched, it stretched out its neck, and pecked off something from the surface, and flew back to its perch, to eat in peace!



I was so fascinated by the sight, that I stood there for quite a while, watching the Little Green Heron catch its breakfast!



I spotted it again, later in the evening, this time perched on one of the Chinese Fishing Nets.




The Little Green Heron is apparently quite a common bird, seen frequently in these parts. For me, however, this was a first time sighting, one I thoroughly enjoyed! 

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Location: Cherai Beach, Vypin, Kerala

Comments

  1. SumitOctober 8, 2014 at 1:19 PM

    Great example of photography. Loved each one pics. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. divsiOctober 10, 2014 at 7:49 PM

    Lovely capture. This is also commonly known as the Pond Heron?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 10, 2014 at 10:25 PM

      Thanks Divsi, but nope, this isnt a pond heron.. a close cousin though :D

      Delete
  3. krishnaOctober 13, 2014 at 5:34 AM

    Beautiful bird.. also beautiful writing and photography..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marcia @ CuracaoVacationAccommodationOctober 16, 2014 at 1:52 PM

    And I have also seen this bird for the first time through your photos. Thank you for that.

    ReplyDelete

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