Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8^th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures.

This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas, who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence on this temple. Further, there are also images of Lakulisha here, indicating that it is essentially a Pasupata shrine. Thus, this temple shows all the hallmarks of a Pasupata temple, along with a strong Shakta influence.

Having given you the context in which this temple must be seen, let me take you on a visual tour of the temple, through my lens.

I am sharing these images in no particular order, but simply as they turned up in my album…

Let me begin with this gorgeous Ardhanareeshwara, who, very unusually, is in a Tribhanga posture, as if he/she is dancing. The posture is so striking that at first glance it appears to be a Nataraja. However, a second, closer look shows us the breast of Parvati which is partly damaged, and also the mirror that she holds in her left hand. These two alone are enough for us to identify the figure correctly as Ardhanareeshwara. The skeleton-like figure on the bottom left is interesting, and I am not quite sure if it is supposed to be one of the ganas or the sage Bhringi.

This next photo shows one side of the temple, with a row of seated figures. The seated figures appear to be the ashtadikpalas, the guardians of the eight directions, though only 3 are seen here. The iconography is not quite what I am used to, since I don’t know much about the temples from this period in Odisha, but going by their attributes, they are most likely among the dikpalas. The figure on the extreme left holds a noose, for instance, though he has a bird for a vahana. The second figure holds a club, but has a bull or buffalo for a vahana, while the last figure is partly damaged, and not very clear.

This figure, further down the same wall, appears to be Kubera, since he holds a covered pot like thing in his hand.

This is another carving from the same wall, a gavaksha-like pattern, which has a form of Shiva looking out.

What I find very interesting about this form of Shiva, is his right ear-ring, which has a snake peeping out from in-between. It could also depict a snake wound around his ear like an ear-ring. In the above photo, the second similar figure on the top has the same pattern. And this pattern is repeated all over the entire temple. This next photo is from the spire, and is much clearer…

Some of the gavakshas have three-faced Shivas, like this one. These most probably represent Sadashiva, the ultimate form of Shiva, according to Pasupata philosophy. This is a pattern very often seen at Pasupata temples of a similar, and even slightly later period, such as at Jageshwar in Binsar, Uttarakhand.

Every part of this temple is covered with carvings and sculptures, even the windows to the main shrine, the garbagriha. This window, for example, has 3 dancing figures.

Above one of the windows is this panel, depicting worship of a linga. Note, that on the extreme left, is a pot, probably holding sacred water from a river (probably the Ganga?). This panel, though relatively simple, reminded me of another, far more detailed panel depicting the same topic – worship of a shiva linga. That panel, a later one, was at Padhavali in Madhya Pradesh, and it is believed to depict the consecration of the Linga. I wonder if this one too, depicts a similar consecration ceremony. Take a closer look and you can make out a variety of offerings being made to the Linga.

This row of sculptures on another section of the temple wall is also interesting. The figure on the extreme left is clearly Surya, since he holds two lotuses. The others are all seated figures, like the dikpalas. The next 3 could be either dikpalas or planets, but the fifth figure appears to be Lakulisha, holding a club. Two things help identify him – first, his mudra, which identifies him as a teacher, and secondly, his erect phallus. The final figure is Shiva.

Some of the other gavakshas have other figures on them – like these two. The lower one is clearly Durga, seated on a lion. The upper one is unclear.

This Gajalakshmi graces the lintel of the main entrance.

Outside the temple is this beautiful Sahasralingam. A Sahasralingam literally means a thousand lingas in one, and this one, like most, has lingas carved all over it.

On the wall behind the Sahasralingam is a panel of Saptamatrikas – probably the earliest Saptamatrika panel seen in Odisha.

Let us take a closer look at this panel. The first figure is broken, but since he is seated on a bull, it is most probably Shiva, or to be more precise, Veerabhadra, who is usually seen with the Saptamatrikas.

The first Matrika is three faced, and below her is a bird, so she is Brahmani, the shakti of Brahma.

The second Matrika holds a trishul, so she is Maheshwari, the shakti of Shiva,

The third Matrika holds a danda, and the way her hair is styled leads me to believe that she must be Kaumari, the shakti of Kumara or Kartikeya.

The fourth Matrika holds a conch in her left hand, so she is Vaishnavi, the shakti of Vishnu.

The fifth Matrika is beautifully preserved, and we can see both, the Vajra in her left hand, and her vahana, the elephant, thus identifying her as Indrani, the shakti of Indra.

The sixth Matrika is Varahi, identified easily by her boar-face. Like most Varahi images seen in Odisha, she holds a fish in her hand. The figure below her, seems almost human, though he is crouched like an animal, so I am not quite clear on who it is.

The seventh and last Matrika is Chamunda, again, beautifully preserved. She is all skin and bone, with sagging breasts, holds a trishul and skull cup, and sits on an owl. We can also see her fangs.

The final figure in the panel is Ganesha, holding an axe. He has a bowl of sweets in his hand, as well as below him.

Moving on to the other walls of this temple, there are niches which are empty, and would have once housed either some form of Shiva, or the goddess. This particular one, I think, would have had a form of the goddess, since the niche is flanked by two female attendants. On the lintel is a hunting scene.

This wall, the back side of the temple, is one I absolutely adore.

The figure in the niche is Kartikeya, or Skanda, seated on a peacock, holding a club. His hair is tied into 3 tufts, as is common for this period. He is seen with a similar hairstyle even in Gupta period sculptures from Central India.

The panel above him depicts the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. This is an incredibly detailed panel, as you can see. The divine bride and groom are in the centre, bashfully looking down. Next to them, on the left, we can see Agni, the sacred fire, depicted both, as the deity as well as fire. Below Agni we can see Ganesha. Next to Agni is Brahma, seen here with 3 heads, performing the marriage rituals as the divine priest. Next to him is Surya, once again holding two lotuses. These are the figures I have been able to identify. Around them are other figures, carrying items for the ceremony, and appear to be attendants, both male and female.

There are quite a few carvings of Uma Maheshwara, or Shiva and Parvati together. This particular one, from one of the gavakshas, shows them seated together, Parvati’s hand on Shiva’s thigh. Note that here also, Shiva’s ear ring has a snake peeping out.

Another Uma Maheshwara, from the temple wall. I love how Parvati is shown with her elbow on Shiva’s shoulder. This one depiction shows more intimacy than even the erect phallus that Shiva is shown with. Also, very interesting that Ganesha is shown between the lion and the bull.

This is Lakulisha, from one of the gavakshas on the spire, seen here with his 4 disciples.

Here is Natesha on another gavaksha…

This niche has a slightly damaged Ganesha, seated on a lion throne.

This niche is once again empty, but the female attendants on both sides indicate that it might have housed a goddess. There are also a number of Mithuna couples all around this niche.

If you take a close look at each of the niches, they are set inside what appears to be a miniature temple, with a spire or Vimana. Each level of the vimana has gavakshas, with deities or figures looking out.

This image in a gavaksha appears to be Shiva and Parvati, but this has some interesting features. To begin with, Shiva is shown with an erect phallus. Further, he holds a begging bowl in his hand, which is unusual. Also, instead of the trishul, he holds something else in his other hand.

It is the other figures who give us a clue as to who this is. The female figure next to Shiva doesn’t quite appear to be Parvati, and the other female figure doesn’t appear to be an attendant. The figure on Shiva’s right also doesn’t appear to be one of the ganas. The figure below does appear to be a gana. Hence, with all these clues, this sculpture seems to depict Shiva as the wandering ascetic; in the South, we call him Bhikshatanamurthy. As the story goes, Shiva is wandering around the forests, clad in nothing, and holding a begging bowl. The sages are performing a yagna, and their wives are attracted to this handsome mendicant. The sages are angry, and they bring forth the terrible elephant, Gajasura, who is killed by Shiva. This panel seems to depict the first part of this story.

This sculpture, though damaged, is another fascinating one, with a whole lot of details. The main figure is Ravana-anugraha-murthy – Ravana lifting Kailasha, and Shiva subduing his pride.

Take a closer look and you can see more details – there are ganas all around, shown falling down as Ravana tries to move Kailasha, Parvati clinging to Shiva, Ganesha, Virabhadra and Kartikeya on either side, ready to charge, a skeletal figure which could be Bhringi, or maybe just one of the Ganas. There is also a female figure whom I am unable to recognize.

Let us end this really long post with this gorgeous Natesha, also on the temple spire. He is surrounded by musicians and attendants, and the figure above him could either just be a pattern or a linga. On one side is Ganesha, and the other side has the skeletal figure again.

This has been one of the longest posts I have written in quite some time. However, with so many interesting sculptures, it is was impossible to leave anything out. Most people visiting Bhubaneshwar usually visit this temple, but I wonder how many notice the details that are scattered all over this gorgeous temple. If you visit this temple, do look around and try to see all these sculptures, and appreciate them. Each of them was carved and placed with great care, not just aesthetically, but also philosophically. They deserve a much closer look than they usually get.

P.S. I visited this temple twice, during both my trips to Bhubaneshwar. And both times, I was reminded of the other temple of Parasurameshwara that I had visited, many, many years ago. That temple is located in Gudimallam, near Tirupati, in present day Andhra Pradesh. While the temple itself is from a later date, the most striking thing about that temple is the lingam, which is much older, from the Satavahana period. The sculptures here reminded me of the gorgeous lingam there, though there aren’t any direct connections between the two temples (as far as I know).

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