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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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Khajuraho - The Unexpected

Khajuraho. The very name conjures up exotic images of erotic art on temple walls. However, there is so much more to Khajuraho than just the erotic, or even just temples. Last December, Samhith and I spent three days at Khajuraho, exploring as much of the ancient town as we could, and over the next few weeks, I shall try to show you the Khajuraho that we saw, beginning with this photo clicked at the Kandariya Mahadev Temple.



The Kandariya Mahadev is one of the most impressive temples at Khajuraho, and it’s the details which make it so impressive. This particular figure is of Agni, the God of Fire. Here, though, he is one of the Ashta-Dikpalas, the guardians of the 8 directions. Agni guards the South-East, and it’s his placement on the South East wall of the temple, which allows us to identify him here. Notice the finer details, such as his beard….



These photos are among my favourites; among the hundreds I clicked at Khajuraho, thanks to this female Plum-Headed Parakeet which chose Agni to be her perch!

Her mate was nearby, perched on one of the smaller Shikaras….




And they patiently posed for me as I went click-happy; thrilled by the sight of birds on a temple, a combination I am always thrilled to see!

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Location: Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh 471606, India

Comments

  1. BIGBIGBANGOctober 14, 2016 at 7:21 PM

    Lovely pics.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SudhageeNovember 23, 2016 at 10:29 AM

    I usually wait for the birds to fly away before taking pictures. :P

    But this time at the Rani ji ki Baori in Bundi there was a flock of pigeons who refused to fly away and all my pictures of the Baori are with them in the frame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 23, 2016 at 10:41 AM

      And I look for birds to photograph! no matter where they are!

      looking forward to your pics of the Bundi! esp with the pigeons now!

      Delete
  3. Anuradha ShankarNovember 23, 2016 at 10:40 AM

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete

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