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Photo: Amartyabag, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This temple got its name from a red-gold sandstone used, which is called Rajarani locally. It is an abandoned temple and has no presiding deity. The Rajarani Temple differs significantly from traditional Odissa Temple style. The spires of the Rajarani Temple consists of several sub – spires, which is very similar to the temples of Khajuraho. The star attraction of the Rajarani Temple is its intricately curved exterior. From floral design to geometric patterns and from figurative images to Yakshis to Gods cover the outer wall. The striking feature of the exterior carving is the presence of female figures many of which are in an erotic posture, this again has similarity with Khajuraho.
Rajarani Temple is an 11th-century CE Hindu temple located in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, India. Believed to be devoted to Lord Shiva, the shrine is called Raja Rani because it is made of yellow and red sandstone and the two colors are locally called ‘Raja Rani’.
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Located north of the Kotiteertheswara Temple, the Swarnajaleswara Temple heavily is encroached, making it almost impossible to photograph the entire temple. The temple dates back to the 7th century and corresponds to the reign of Sailodbhava dynasty. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva went through an extensive restoration during the 1980s. The restoration was carried out by the State Archaeology Department of Odisha. The temple still exhibits some intricate ornamentation, including sculptures from Mahabharata and Ramayana.
The 13th-century Champakeswara Temple is located in a densely populated neighbourhood of old Bhubaneswar, but luckily it is one of the least encroached temples of Bhubaneswar. The temple follows the traditional Odiya architecture with interconnecting jagmohan and vimana. The temple lacks ornamentation had the central niches on all three sides contains images put up at a much later date. The complex house smaller shrines at the north east and south east corners. It may be assumed that the complex once followed the panchayatana plan, with the central structure being flanked on the four corners by minor shrines.
A winding road connects the Mukteshwara Temple Complex with the Bindu Saravor. The winding lanes and by lanes houses several ancient temples. Kotiteertheswara is the first of the temple and lies on the left hand side of the road. The 11th-century Shiva temple was built by the Somavansi dynasty. According to legend single worship of the lingam in the temple is equivalent to 1 crore (10 million) pilgrimage, hence the name Kotiteertheswara. Apart from the main temple the complex also houses a subsidiary temple. Both the structures consist of the vimana only and have almost no ornamentation. The complex also has a pond named Kotiteertha Tank.
Subarnajaleswara Temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva dating back to 9th-10th century. The area was once inhabited by goldsmiths, hence the name. It lies east of Kotiteertheswara Temple and lies east of the Lingaraja West Canal. Consisting of the vimana only it has almost plain walls devoid of any ornamentation.
Sampoornajaleswara Temple lies on the west of Lingaraja West Canal and is approachable from the Subarnajaleswara Temple by a small bridge spanning over the Lingaraja West Canal. The temple dates back to the 9th-10th century. Unlike its counterpart on the other side of the canal, this temple has rich ornamentation on its outer wall.