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Photo: Gayatree_Tripathy, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This temple complex houses four temples and the stone-lined pond named Papanasini. The temples are Papanasini, Baneswar, Maitreswara and Varunesvara and were not constructed at the same time. Papanasini is the smallest of the four temples and is on the north west corner of the complex. It is a very small temple dating back to 14th century CE. Next to it on the northern boundary of the complex is the Baneswar Temple. Again a very small temple dating back to 9th century CE, making it the oldest temple in the complex. At the centre of the complex stands the Maitreswara Temple the largest and the most prominent structure of the Papanasini Temple Complex. The temple consists of an interlinking jogmohan and a collapsed vimana. Its construction dates back to the 12th and 14th century and corresponds to the rule of Ganga Dynasty. Varunesvara Temple is the second largest temple of the complex and lies just north of the Papanasini tank. This is the newest temple of the complex. It was probably constructed in the 15th century by Kapilendra Deva, the founder of Gajapati dynasty. Both the jagmohan and viman of this temple has remained intact. The stone lined tank of Papanasini lies at the southern end of the complex. According to legend, a saga meditated in this area for a long time without food and water for a long time and finally, Lord Shiva appeared. The sage wished for the construction of a tank that would be filled with holy water to cleanse the sins of human beings. The Lord granted his wish and hence the name Papanasini, literally meaning “cleanser of sins”. According to historians, the pond was constructed in 11th century.
Papanasini Siva Temple is an abandoned Hindu temple located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
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A simple temple following the simple Odiya architecture. It was probably constructed in the 14th century and corresponds to the later Gangaa Dynasty. The temple has only traces of ornamentation, and includes sculptures of Ganesha, Kartikeya and Parvati, housed in their respective central raha niches. The complex also houses a subsidiary shrine located in the south west corner of the complex. It was probably built at an earlier date.
ଚିତ୍ରକାରିଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିର Chitrokāriṇī Mondiro
The main shrine consists of jaghmohan and vimana. The four corners of the complex houses four subsidiary shrines, consisting of vimana only. The temple was probably constructed in the middle of 13th century and was commissioned by Narasingha Deva I (also known as Parama Mahesvara). The temple lies in beautifully manicured gardens with flower beds maintained by the ASI. Goddess Chitrakarini is an incarnation of Devi Saraswati, but the present presiding deity of the temple is Chamunda. The main temple and the subsidiary shrines have their share of external ornamentation. Most of it has eroded away or has been damaged.
ଭାରତୀ ମଠ Bhārotī Moṭho
This is not a temple but a Hindu Monastery dating back to the 11th century CE. The three storied structure dates back to 11th century. It is in very bad condition and large portions of it have already collapsed. According to local belief, the monastery was constructed by Yajati Kesari, the architect of the Lingraj Temple and served as a living quarter for the artisans working on the temple. In front of the Bharati Math stands the Bharati Math Temple. Consisting of only the vimana the temple is partially buried under the present ground level. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is made of coarse sandstone with very limited ornamentation. There are nine small Shiva Temples behind the Bharati Math Temple.
According to legend, the temple is named after Mohini Devi, queen of Sivakara II of the Bhauma (Kara) dynasty, but historians doubt regarding it. The temple dedicated to Devi Chamunda and is severely encroached upon.
The 8th-century temple has a newly constructed jogmohan, built of sandstone block, with no ornamentation. The original jagmohan has been lost long back and the vimana contains some intricate ornamentation.
Sukha Sari is a temple complex housing the Sukha, Sari and another unnamed temple. Located on the northern end on the complex the west facing Sari Temple is the largest temple of the complex. Built in typical Odiya style is consists of the interconnected jagmohan and viman. It was probably built during the 13th century and corresponds to the Ganga dynasty. The temple has intricate ornamentation on the outer walls including human figures, deities, scroll work and floral motifs. The northern niche contains a beautiful statue of Parvati, Sadly the statues in the other two niches have gone missing. The temple complex has gone through an extensive archaeological excavation in 2014 revealing lower parts of the temple, which have been buried for centuries. The excavation also unearthed the remains of a further five temples, some of which may date back as early as the 7th century CE. Sarai temple lies south of the Sukha temple. It was built during the same time as Sukha Temple. The temple is west facing and consists of only the vimana, but the jagmohan footprints are clearly visible on the stone platform. The ornamentation of Sari is subjected to severe weathering but a few panels have remained intact over centuries and demand a closer look. The compound also houses a third nameless temple, consisting of the vimana only.