Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...
Navagrahas – the nine planets – Sun (Suryan), Moon (Chandran), Mercury (Budhan), Venus (Sukran), Mars (Angarakan or Sevvai), Jupiter (Guru), Saturn (Shani) and the two shadow planets Rahu and Kethu , form an important part of Hindu Mythology and beliefs. They are believed to govern each and every aspect of our lives, our actions, and even the results of our actions. They inspire varied feelings such as awe as well as fear in the hearts of people, who wonder what effect a particular planet will have on their lives. Every temple in south India has images of the Navagrahas standing in a 3×3 matrix, facing in different directions. However, as we discovered on this trip to Thanjavur and surrounding areas, this is not necessarily true. In many temples in this area, the Navagraha group has Surya in the centre, with all the other 8 facing him. This is the case in most of the Saptha Sthaanam temples, and most Ashta Veeratta Sthalams. Another interesting layout of the Navagrahas is seen in th...