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Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

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...

Skywatch Friday - Lonar Crater Lake

For Skywatch Friday today is a place I havent been able to get out of my mind since I returned from my Diwali trip... the Lonar Crater....

Indian Roller

The Indian Roller is a bird which is quite common all over India, especially Southern India. It is the State bird of Karnataka, and we saw it quite often on our visit to Hampi , Aihole , and Badami .

Vasudev

The name Vasudev reminds us of Vasudeva - the father of Krishna. But Krishna himself was known as Vaasudeva - the son of Vasudeva. And that is what this man is known as too...

Bangle Sellers

In a country as vast and diverse as India, ornaments vary from region to region just as much as language and customs do. However, one ornament that is used widely all over India is the bangle – whether made of gold or glass, bangles are an inevitable part of a woman’s jewellery, especially during her wedding.

Flying High

We know little of Flags except our National Flag. However, there was a time when India was made up of tiny kingdoms, and each one of them had their own flag! Can you imagine how many varieties of flags there must have been? I have never really been interested in flags, and honestly, can't say that I recognize many, but my interest in flags was aroused when I noticed the one atop Jaigarh Fort. 

Donkeys

We see all kinds of animals on our roads ... There are dogs all over the place, cows and buffaloes are seen now and then, goats and sheep are a regular feature as Id approaches, pigs are a common sight, and we even see the odd elephant at times. The only animal we see rarely is the donkey...

And I am back!

I am back from my Diwali trip.. . and what a trip it has been, memorable for more reasons than I can count!  We kept to our aim of sticking to public transport, so buses it was, all the way... Well, almost, except for the times we splurged on auto rides J . This was the trip when Samhith finally learnt not just to cope with, but also enjoy, travelling by local buses... He learnt to wriggle in amidst the crowd waiting to get in, find, and reserve us seats! He was impressed when a woman called him to share her seat when he didn’t find one, and when he did find one, he made me proud by giving it up to an old man who was standing in the aisle.