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Odisha Part 7: The Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar

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...

Butterflies

We saw so many butterflies at Maharashtra Nature Park, but could manage to capture just a few of them..... The best of them all was the Blue Oak Leaf butterfly, which I have already written about.... Here are a few more I managed to photograph...

Mating Insects

You never know what you will spot when you spot when you amble along a path lined by trees. The Maharashtra Nature Park was a treasure house of insects - we didnt have to look for them.

Camouflage

White Flowers

These flowers are pretty, aren't they? But these arent just any decorative ones.....

Many little ducks went out one day.....

A rhyme we once learnt in school went.... Five little ducks went out to play Over the hill and far away  The mother duck said Quack, Quack come back Four little ducks came running back

Blue Oak Leaf Butterfly

On our recent visit to the Maharashtra Nature Park , we were early as usual and waiting for others to turn up. Not having permission to enter the campus itself, we were sitting near the entrance, Samhith jumping up and down. Even as I was wondering how to make him settle down, we noticed a butterfly hovering over the nearby tree. I despaired of taking a photograph, since in my limited experience, butterflies rarely stop long enough to allow me to focus my camera and take a decent pic. This turned out to be my lucky day, since the butterfly settled on the tree and refused to move.

Birds at the Rail Museum

My cousins have never traveled much with me, and certainly never since I started writing. Though they do read my blog, they aren't really used to seeing me looking for material to write about. When I visited the Rail Museum in Delhi along with a couple of them, they were really amused to see me ignore the trains when I saw a flock of birds on the lawn.