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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 - Mountains and a Temple

There is something about mountains that inspires devotion. Maybe it is the thought that they reach out to the skies, and are our connection to the heavens. Yet, the temples we build, are but specks against the backdrop of mighty mountains such as these.....



We saw this small temple with the Dhauladhar Ranges in the background, from the top of the Kangra Fort. 

It was a beautiful sight, a lot more impressive than my camera managed to capture, and it reinforced the thought of how small we were, and how insignificant, as compared to these mountains, which have stood here for centuries. Yet, it was deeply spiritual. No wonder someone wanted to build a shrine here! 

This post is part of Skywatch Friday. For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page. 

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  1. arvAugust 21, 2015 at 2:46 PM

    the snow on the mountain in the background looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. R Niranjan DasAugust 22, 2015 at 12:20 PM

    Looks majestic! Nice shot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shoma AbhyankarAugust 23, 2015 at 3:28 PM

    nice...

    ReplyDelete
  4. AngelaAugust 25, 2015 at 9:01 AM

    Wonder landscape with great background of of mountain. Really interesting your picture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AwantikaAugust 30, 2015 at 6:01 PM

    Wow.. nice capture. The mountain looks so beautiful which can't define in the words.

    ReplyDelete

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