ଚଉଷଠି ଯୋଗିନୀ ମନ୍ଦିର Choushoṭhi Joginī Mondiro
Photo: Rohit Agarwal, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Chaushat Yogani Temple or the temple of 64 yoganis is 20 km south east of Bhubaneswar in the village of Hirapur. In 1953 archaeologists and historian Kedarnath Mohapatra of Odisha State Museum pieced together the sandstone blocks to reconstruct the temple. It consists of a circular open-air structure with a small square central pavilion. According to legend in order to defeat a demon goddess Durga once took the form of 64 yoganis to defeat a demon. Once victorious, the yoganis requested Devi Durga to construct a temple in their honor, hence the concept of Chaushat Yogani Temple. There are five Chaushat Yogani Temples in India. Nothing much is known about the original date of construction of the temple near Bhubaneswar. Some scholar opine that the temple was constructed by Queen Hiradei of the Bhauma dynasty during the 8th – 9th century CE, as the nearby village of Hirapur (originally Hiradeipur) was named after her, while the other suggest a slightly later date of 11th century CE. The outer walls of the circular temple rise to a height of 2 m. The entrance is on the east and is flanked with statues of two guards (darpal). The outer wall has nice niches housing the images of nine Katayani, each of which stands on a served head flanked with digs. The Katayani are topped with an unbrella and each holds a blade as if the beheading has just happened. The inner wall has sixty niches housing sixty yogani statues. The central square pavilion has arches on each side, which are flanked on both sides with statues. Out of the eight statues in the pavilion three are of yoganis (one yogani statue is missing) and the remaining four are of Bhairavas.
The Chausathi Yogini Temple of Hirapur, also known as the Mahamaya Temple, is 20 km outside Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha state of Eastern India. It is devoted to the worship of the yoginis, auspicious goddess-like figures.
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ମେଘେଶ୍ଵର ମନ୍ଦିର Megheshworo Mondiro
Megheswar Temple is at a trijunction east of Bhaskareswar Temple. The temple is housed inside a walled complex surrounded by a large open space, which houses a rectangular tank. The temple is built in late 12th century CE and the inscription states that the temple was built by the instructions of Swapnesvara, who was brother-in-law of the Ganga King Rajaraja. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva consists of two interconnecting parts of jagmohan and vimana. The exterior walls of the temple are decorated with intricate sculpted images, but sadly many of them have been badly damaged. The exterior walls have carvings of dancing females, various animals such as lions, elephants and yalis, birds. The entrance is flanked with sculptures of nag and nagani and is topped with sculptures of nine planets.
ପର୍ଶୁରାମେଶ୍ୱର ମନ୍ଦିର Porshurāmeshworo Mondiro
Dating to 650 AD this is the oldest surviving temple in Bhubaneswar, and possibly Odisha. It is the earliest example of Odisha temple architecture and is considered as the seed of the mighty Kalinga temples of Jagannath Temple, Lingaraja Temple and Konark Sun Temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple consists of two parts the biaman and the jagmohan, the jagmohan was constructed at a later date. The outer walls of the Parasurameswara Temple are covered with intricate carvings, depicting various religious and social scenes. Next to the entrance of the temple is a giant Shivalinga.
ବ୍ରହ୍ମେଶ୍ୱର ମନ୍ଦିର Brohmeshworo Mondiro
Bramehswara Temple is located south of Bhaskareswar Temple and was built in 1058 CE. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main shrine enclosed in a wall consists of two connecting parts, the jagmohan and vimana. The vimana housing the inner sanctum towers to a height of 18.96 m (62.2 ft) tall. The jaghoman, the assembly hall is topped with a stepped pyramid. The walled complex also four subsidiary shrines in the four corners of the walled complex. There are a few structures even outside the walled complex.
Sisupalgarh is an archeological site south of Bhubaneswar. Archaeological evidence has confirmed that the fortified settlement was continuously inhabited from the 5th century BCE to the 4th century CE. Set on a square plan, Sisupalgarh covers an area of 1 km². The ancient fortified settlement is surrounded by a 9-m-high defensive wall. The fortified city had intelligent traffic management, pedestrian-friendly pathways, grand gateways with guardhouses, wide roads and vast open space. It was a smart city dating back to 500 BCE. Sisupalgarh is named after Sisupal a character from the great Indian epic Mahabharata. According to historians, the original name of the citadel has been lost. Today the remains of Sisupalgarh are scattered in two parts, the northwest gate and the pilar complex. The gate is an elaborate brick structure. It is poorly maintained, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) boards have long vanished, leaving only the frame and the site is overgrown with vegetation.The pillar complex or the queen complex is located just southeast of the gate and is locally called Shola Khamba, literally meaning 16 pillars. Contrary to the name there are only 14 pillars. The front row contains 5 pillars (excluding one, which has only its base) there is a cluster of four pillars in a square arrangement at the eastern end of the front row. Sadly today large part of the fortified area of Sisupalgrah have been encroached upon by rapid building activities. Close proximity to the state capital of Bhubaneswar, soaring land prices and administrative neglect have made Sisupalgarh a soft target of the land sharks.
ମୁକ୍ତେଶ୍ୱର ଦେଉଳ Mukteshworo Deulo
Built in 996 CE, the Muktesvara Temple marks an important transition point between the early and the later phases of the Kalinga architecture. This temple is considered to be the gem of Odishan architecture. Mukteswara means "Lord of freedom." The highlight is the magnificent torana: the decorative gateway, an arched masterpiece, reminiscent of Buddhist influence in Odisha. The arch with projected elephant heads on both sides is decorated not only with floral design but also with figurative sculptures, including female figures, monkeys and gaja–singha (a lion trampling an elephant). The Mukteswara Temple consists of two parts namely Jagmohan (assembly area) and Biman, housing the inner sanctum. The jagmohan is crowned with a stepped pyramidical structure while the biman is crowned with a towering spire. The outer walls of the temple is covered with intricate carving, depicting various religious and social scenes, including stories from Pancharatna. Located in the same complex is the Siddheshwara Temple. Higher than the Mukteswara Temple and built at a later date, the Siddheshwara Temple is a classic example of Odisha temple architecture, although it lacks the grace of Mukteswara.
ଭାସ୍କରେଶ୍ୱର ମନ୍ଦିର Bhāskoreshworo Mondiro
Bhaskareswar Temple is located east of the Rajarani Temple and lies on the opposite side of the road and is surrounded by open space. Built during the reign of Ganga Dynasty the 12th-century temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple consists of only the vimana, which stands on a 4-m-high platform. Doors on all four sides of the platform provide access to the interior of the temple. The interior houses a giant Shiva Linga with a height of 3 m and circumference of 4 m. The exterior lacks ornamentation and the only three statues on the outer wall are of Parvati, Kartikeya and Ganesha.