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Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...
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Faces in the Crowd - the girl drawing a rangoli

It has been a long time since I posted anything in this series, so reviving it with this pic from the Sirpur Village.



We were wandering around Sirpur village, when I noticed her. I am always drawn towards Rangoli, and hers was the only one in the village! When I asked, she said that they rarely drew Rangolis, unless it was a festival. "Why now?" I asked, and she replied "Because we cleaned our front porch and I felt like!"

P.S. I recently visited Sirpur to attend the Music and Dance Festival on invitation from Chhattisgarh Tourism. Read my other posts on the trip for more details and information,
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  1. Ranjana's craft blogJanuary 27, 2015 at 11:56 AM

    The happiness of drawing Rangoli is seen on her face too.

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 30, 2015 at 2:37 PM

      Absolutely, Ranjana. She wasnt doing it because it was the norm, but because she wanted to. and that makes all the difference, doesnt it>

      Delete
  2. BikramJanuary 29, 2015 at 3:04 PM

    She looks HAppy doing that .. lovely rangoli too so many colors

    Bikram's

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 30, 2015 at 2:38 PM

      Yes, Bikram, she does... as I said above, i guess its because she was really enjoying it

      Delete

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