The Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneshwar gets its name from the stone used to build it - the red and yellow sandstone used here is locally called Rajarani. This temple was once known as the Indreshwara temple, which is mentioned in the Ekamra Purana, which tells us about the temples of Bhubaneshwar, which was then known as Ekamra Kshetra. Today, the temple stands in a well-maintained lawn, and is the only ticketed monument within the city. The temple is built in the typical Kalinga style, with the tall curvilinear shikara over the garbagruha , and a jagamohana connected to it. The temple is believed to date back to the 11 th century, and is most well known for its sculptures. The entrance to the temple has two pillars with a Naga couple protecting the sanctum, holding garlands in their hands. The base of the pillar shows 3 lions standing over 3 elephants, a typical motif in temples of this region during this period. On the other side of the pillar is a horse and rider, and the two mo...
Are women more interested in visiting temples than men are? I have been wondering ever since I returned from Chennai. What do you think? Please do let me know. Why am I asking you? Well, the reason is an incident that occurred in Chennai. We had all planned to go to a number of temples, starting early in the morning. We all woke up, only to realize that one by one, people were pulling out, citing various reasons. Finally, it was only me, my mom, and two of my aunts who actually started out. Of course, Samhith came along. He had no choice! However, this got me wondering – why is it that in most cases, it is only the women who want to visit temples? Or is it so only in our family? I really would like to hear your opinions on this……….. Coming back to the temples that we visited, we had a long list in hand, but all the discussions about who was coming along, delayed us, and we could visit just 5 temples. Much has been written about these temples by others more qualified to do so, and I ...