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Tells of temples............
Orissa being a land of ancient and sacred temples, and a state where three religions flourished, is thronged by pilgrims throughout the year. There are a large number of fairs and festivals celebrated in the state relating to each religion, tribe. Festivals relating to Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of the Puri Temple, and many seasonal exhibitions and fairs as well as special festivals such as the Konark Dance Festival, the Rajarani Music Festival, the Puri Beach Festival etc are regarded as prominent one . |
Bhaskareswar Temple(7th century AD) :
Location: Bhubaneswar
Typical feature of this temple is it was built in 7th century AD . A double storied temple with a tall linga ( about 2.74 meters height from the floor level) is said to be originally a free- standing Ashokan pilar . To enable the devotees to reach the top of the linga and to perform rituals , here arranges have been made for the years. The upper tier, approachable by a flight of steps against the northern wall of the lower tier, is pierced with a door on the West side; the lower one looks like a platform and is provided with four doorways, one on each side, leading to the floor of the sanctum. Both the tiers are pancharatha on plan and have five-fold divisions .
Brahmeswar Temple(11th century) :
Location: Bhubaneswar
Built in 11th century AD, Brahmeswar temple, is a milestone in the temple architecture of Orissa. The slab-sealing interior is carved as an inverted lotus with serpentine figures at corners. The procession of armed infantry, cavalry and elephants, animals and birds adorn the friezes of the structure.
Daiteswar Temple (10th-11th Century) :
Location: Bhubaneswar
Daiteswar temple is a single shrine of Rekha deula built with sandstone . The temple faces east and the door-jamb has carved designs. The Outer walls of the temple are found plain and without moulding or designs. From architechtural features it is believed that this temple was built in between 10th - 11th century AD . The temple was in a collapsing stage and recently structural conservation and part renovation work was done .
Kedareswar Temple(11th Century) :
Location: Bhubaneswar
The architectural features as well the sculptural style noticed on the sculptures of this temple would place it during the Somavamsi rule in Orissa in 11th century AD. This temple is Pancharatha in design and contains a 'Rekha Deula' and a "Pidha Jagamohana". The temple faces south and the height of the sanctum would be about 13.7 meters. This is the main shrine of the Kedar-Gouri Complex, which can be approached on the east from the Lewis Road .
Khichakeswari Temple(7th-8th Century) :
Location: Khiching
A remote destination in the northern area of Orissa here is the town of Khiching which was obviously once a religious center of some importance. The temples which remain today, although interesting in their own right . The large temple of Kichakeswari originally probably dating back to the 7th or 8th century, was reconstructed from the ruins of an earlier temple in the early 20th century. The reconstruction, which used the traditional technique of moving large stone elements up a huge earthen ramp, proved that the ancient skill of temple building and architecture survived into the current century.
Leaning Shiva Temple :
Location: Huma, Sambalpur
On the bank of the river Mahanadi, leaning shiva temple of huma is a excellent scenic spot of great excellence. This spot is about 32 km from Sambalpur town and 350 km from Bhubaneswar. This temple is dedicated to Lord Bimaleswar. Here for a visitor, another attraction are Kudo fishes . Research scholars reveals that constructed temple does not reflect the true form of the original, because it had a unique approach previously. Here Large and tall images are slender and graceful, reflecting a remarkable sophistication of touch.
Madhava Temple(13th century) :
Location: Niali, cuttack
About a distance of 6kms from Niali, the famous Madhava temple of 13th century is located on the eastern bank of the Prachi River . This area is famous for four armed Vishnu cult . Particularly, the area between Niali and Madhava appears to have been the principal centre of the Madhava i.e. four-armed Vishnu cult in Orissa. This is widely described in Sri Jayadeva's Gita Govinda. The temple is also sometimes referred to as "Durgamadhava" because of the presence of a small Durga image next to Madhava within the sanctum. Strong believe of devotees on this temple draws a large number of pilgrims from all over Orissa and other visitors also.
Nrusinghanath Temple (15th centuary) :
Location: Nrusinghnath, Gandamardhan Hills
Built in 15th centuary AD , the temple Nrusinganath is about 165kms away form Sambalpur via Baragarh. Located at the foot of the sacred Gandhamardan Hills, this temple has strong mythologiacl background. According to legends Lord Hanuman carried on his shoulders from the Himalayas as described in the ancient epic Ramayana. This place was previously known as Parimalagiri and all the time this temple at Nrusinghanath has been an important pilgrimage site. It is also an exceedingly fascinating and beautifully located temple and is worth the journey to this rather remote spot.
On the 14ht day of bright fortnight of Baisakhi, a great fair is held here in the honour of lord Nrusinghanath. The site of the temple is unique. Stone steps wind up the hillside behind the temple, leading past a waterfall and eventually curving under the falls to a spot where some beautiful, and very well- preserved relief sculptures are found. The climb to the carvings and return journey will take about an hour. Since shoes are not permitted on these sanctified pilgrimage steps, those with tender feet should take along a pair of heavy socks for the climb.
Harisankar temple :
Location: Bolangiri
On the opposite slope of the Gandhamardana hill on which Lord Nrusinghanath temple is located, the temple Harishankar is located. Between the two temples there is a 16 km. plateau, littered with Buddhist ruins that scholars feel may be the remains of the ancient university of Parimalagiri, referred to by the seventh-century Chinese traveler Hiuen T'sang .
Parasurameswara Temple (7th centuary) :
Location: Bhubaneswar
This highly ornate monument is 12.80 meters high and hailed as the earliest surviving temple, belongs to the middle of the 7th century AD. It is furnished with four latticed windows and grill decoration of ‘bands of animated musicians and dancers, remarkable for ingenuity of conception, beauty of design and rhythmic vigour writes Debala Mitra. Every Stone here is of informative character, one visitor can say resistlessly.
Pataleswar Temple :
Location: Budhikomna
Located at a distance of 115 km from Bhawanipatna, Budhikomna houses the famous temple of Pataleswar . The uniqueness of the temple is that it is made entirely of brick in Trirath style. The architectural design is quite interesting to art-lovers and general visitors also. And particularly this unique architecture is a centre of attraction.
Voital temple (8th centuary) :
Location: Bhubaneswar
This temple has different and unique architecture and believed that it was built in 8th centuary. Here the deity is chamunda,the terrible and blood thirsty goddess represent violent principles of the universe .The roof is not a tower but a vault,looking like an overturned boat. The roof is plain.
64 Yogini Shrines(9th centuary) :
Location: Hirapur & Ranipur-Jharial
On the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, 15 km south-east of the city, is a small, circular temple which is widely known as Yogini Temple. It dates to the early ninth century. It is hypaethral i.e.open to the sky, and belongs to a genre of architecture completely apart from the major Orissan school. Although it seems that temples of this type existed throughout India at one time, today only four remain. Two of them are in Orissa; the shrine at Hirapur and one at Ranipur-Jharial, located 104 km from Bolangir. The temple's circular wall, which is barely 2 meters high, contains 64 niches within its inner circumference. All except one of these contain an image of a Yogini Goddess. Some of the Goddesses are portrayed with sensual bodies and jewelled bodices, others with horrific shrunken features, still others with animal heads. Even today, standing in the deserted temple with bright sunshine pouring in, one senses a strange emanation from the temple, and this feeling is in keeping with its original purpose. Active between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, the cults responsible for these temples worshipped Yogini Goddesses in expectation of the direct acquisition of supernatural powers. The Yoginis were thought to be able to confer on their devotees the power to become microscopic or gigantic in size, to control the body and mind of oneself and of others, to fly, become invisible, and myriad other useful abilities. Worship seems to have centered on the repetition of the names of the Goddesses, and in later centuries, when active use of the shrines ceased, worshippers transferred their devotions to mystical paper diagrams.
Kapilas Shiva temple :
Location: Dhenkanal
Here lord Chandra Sekhar Mahadev resides. The temple is on the top of the Kapilas mountain whish is 223ft height from the ground. The great fair here held every year on Maha Shivaratri day, where lakhs of devotees thronged here all over India.
Dhabaleswar Temple :
Location: cuttack
At a distance of 3kms form cuttack city and on an Island in the middle of the river Mahanadi, the temple of lord Dhabaleswar stands.It is believed that to save a devotee form disaster, lord shiva turned a black bullock into white.On the full moon day of Kartika , lakhs of devotees gathered here to observed Bada Osha utsav.
Jagannath temple(Chhatia Bata) :
Location: Chhatia, Jajpur
Traditionally forecast teller epic Malika is associated with this temple. Because Malika writer Saint Hadi Das was resides here.Here is an ancient banian tree which is popularly known as Chhatia Bata and the lord Jagannath termple is also a really worthy visiting place for all the visitors.
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Here the architectural features and the sculptural style establish that this temple was constructed dated to 8th-9th Century A.D. History says this temple was constructed during the Bhaumakara rule in Orissa. As facing east , this temple is a single shrine built in "Rekha" order of Kalingan style of temple architecture. The temple is "Pancharatha" in plan, over a raised base to a height of about 3.7 meters. Recently renovation gave this temple a new look.