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...
Life , all of a sudden, seems to be throwing things at me, one after the other. Thankfully, amidst all the sudden upheavals and tensions, some at least seem to be good... the silver lining so to speak. Among these have been publications and offers, only some of which have worked out, but at least they offer some hope... The latest among these good things is that I have been interviewed!!! Yes!! This is my first, so you can imagine how excited and upbeat I am! The interesting thing is that I have been interviewed, not as a travel blogger, but as a book reviewer! What is surprising about it is that of the 700 odd posts on my blog, barely 30 are book reviews, and they have invited the least number of comments so far. I have often wondered why it is so, especially when I get emails from people saying they like my book reviews and that they are thinking of picking up the books I have recommended. Under such circumstances, it feels great to be accepted and picked out as a bo...