With the eastern
Gangas in power since 11th century, Bhubaneswar became an important religious center filled with many temples in the
nagara style. At one time, there were 7000 buildings grouped around
BinduSagara, the sacred pool, but today there are only few hundreds. The temples of Bhubaneswar are for the most part built of stand-stone without cement, with plinths and enclosure walls made from laterite clay. They were constructed over 3 periods: the early 7th-10th centuries, of which important examples are
Parashurameswar and Vaital Deul temples; the middle period, 10th-12th centuries, of which
Mukteswar, Brahmeswar, Lingaraja and the
Jagannatha temple at Puri; and the late period, 12th-13th centuries, of which
Rajarani and
Ananta Basudeva are the principal monuments.
The 7th century Parashurameswar is one of the oldest temples of all. It is small and stands directly on the ground with no platform.
 |
| Parashurameswara Temple |
Vaital Deul, dating from 8th-9th centuries is an example of
khakhara deul, a temple covered by a rectangular cupola similar to half a watermelon from which it takes its name
khakhara. The nearby Shishireswar temple, also decorated with elegant sculptures, is attributed to the same period.
 |
| Vaital Deul |
The jewel in Odisha's architectural crown in Mukteswar Temple, dating from 950-975 AD and standing on a low platform. It is a typical example of a
pancharatna , a temple with five projections. The most characteristic element of this temple is the
torana detached from the main building. The
torana is presented as an arch built with horizontally as opposed to radially-set stones and decorated with reclining figures on two floral capitals. A nearby pool for ablutions, particularly frequented by women afflicted by sterility. Not far away, Gauri temple is very similar to Mukteswar temple probably from same period famous for its wonderful decoration.
 |
| Mukteswar Temple |
Brahmeswar temple was built in 11th century between two enclosing walls on a platform using the
panchayatana layout (a central temple with four minor temples at the corners and is reflected in a square pool). It is mainly decorated with
mithunas (pairs of lovers) and
kanyas (divine girls). The
jagamohana has a lotus flower ceiling with
nagas at the corners.
 |
| Brahmeswara Temple |
Lingaraja temple was built from 1000-1040 AD. It represents the
nagara style. Besides the
rekha deul and
jagamohana it has a
natamandira (dance hall) and a
bhogamandapa (offerings hall). The 146 feet high
shikhara boasts 10 floors and vertically emphasized by the unbroken
anghashikhara that overlay the projecting bands. One of the many annexes surrounding the
Lingaraja is the temple of
Parvati from 8th century. It has the same four part structure and refined decoration of
Lingaraja.
 |
| Lingaraja Temple |
Rajarani temple was built during the first half of 12th century is famous for the beauty of its statues. It is different from other temples for its unusual
shikhara, similar to that of
Khajuraho. It has
anghashikhara added to the main body of the tower but here they do not overlap as in other temples. The images of the
digapalas on the corners jutting out from the walls of the inner sanctum. The entrance is decorated with effigies of nine planets and
nagins. There are various sculptures in the walls around the temple and the vimana, depicting scenes of the marriage of Shiva, Nataraja, Parvati, in various roles and moods such as turning her head from an emaciated ascetic, fondling her child, holding a branch of tree, attending to her toilet, looking into a mirror, taking off her anklet, caressing her pet bird and playing a musical instrument.
 |
| Rajarani Temple |
Ananta Vasudeba is the only temple in Bhubaneswar dedicated to Lord Vishnu with a ground plan similar to
Lingaraja. It was built in 1278 by the princess
Chandradevi. A lot other temples are evidence of past splendor of Bhubaneswar projecting the beauty in the details of their architecture, statues and decorations.
 |
| Ananta Vasudeva Temple |
No comments:
Post a Comment