Holy Pilgrimage –Some of the Shiva Temples in India -1 at 6:05 AM

Holy Pilgrimage – Some of the Shiva Temples in India

Airavatesvara Temple, near Kumbakonam

 

Airavatesvara Temple is a Hindu temple of Dravidian architecture located in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This temple, built by Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram that are referred to as the Great Living Chola Temples

 

Legend

The Airavatesvara temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shiva is here known as Airavateshvara, because he was worshipped at this temple by Airavata, the white elephant of the king of the gods, Indra. Legend has it that Airavata, while suffering from a change of colour curse from Sage Durvasa, had its colours restored by bathing in the sacred waters of this temple. This legend is commemorated by an image of Airavata with Indra seated in an inner shrine.^[2] The temple and the presiding deity derive its name from this incident.
It is said that the King of Death, Yama also worshipped Shiva here. Tradition has it Yama, who was suffering under a Rishi's curse from a burning sensation all over the body, was cured by the presiding deity Airavatesvarar. Yama took bath in the sacred tank and got rid of the burning sensation. Since then the tank has been known as Yamateertham.

Deities

The main deity's consort Periya Nayaki Amman temple is a detached temple situated to the north of the Airavateshvarar temple. This might have been a part of the main temple when the outer courts were complete. At present, it stands alone as a detached temple with the shrine of the Goddess standing in a single large court.^[3]

Architecture

  his temple is a storehouse of art and architecture and has some exquisite stone carvings. Although this temple is much smaller than the Brihadeesvara Temple or the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple, it is more exquisite in detail. This is because this temple is said to have been built with nitya-vinoda, "perpetual entertainment", in mind.
The vimana (tower) is 24 m (80 ft) high. The south side of the front mandapam is in the form of a huge chariot with large stone wheels drawn by horses.
To the east of the inner court lies the a group of well-carved buildings, one of which is the Balipita ('seat for sacrifice'). The pedestal of the Balipita adjoins a small shrine which contains an image of Ganesha. The pedestal has a set of 3 finely carved set of steps on the south side. Striking the steps produce different musical sounds.
In the south-west corner of the court is a mandapam having 4 shrines. One of these has an image of Yama. Adjoining this shrine are large stone slabs sculptured with images of the sapthamathas (seven celestial nymphs).

Inscriptions in the Temple

There are various inscriptions in the temple. One of these records the renovation of the shrines by Kulottunga Chola III.
The north wall of the verandah consists of 108 sections of inscriptions, each containing the name and description and image of the Saivacharya (Saivite saints) listing the principal events in their life.
Another inscription close to the gopura, records that an image was brought from Kalyani, then known as Kalyanapura by emperor Rajadhiraja Chola I after his defeat of the Western Chalukya king Someshwara I, his sons Vikramaditya VI and Someshwara II his capture of the Chalukyan capital.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

This temple was added to the list of Great Living Chola Temples in the year 2004. The Great Living Chola Temples includes the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. All of these temples were built by the Cholas between the 10th and 12th centuries CE and have a lot of similarities

 

Aisanyesvara Siva Temple, Bhubaneswar

 

Aisanyesvara Siva Temple is a 13th century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, India. The temple is in the precinct of Municipal Corporation Hospital, Sriram Nagar, Old Town, Bhubaneswar. It is close to the western compound wall of Lingaraj Temple. This is a living temple and with a shrine facing east.
The enshrined deity is a Sivalingam within a circular yonipitha (basement). Rituals like Sivarathri, Jalabhiseka, Rudrabhiseka, Sankranthi are observed here. The festival deity of Lord Lingaraja is brought to this temple after the 6th day of Sivaratri.

 

 History

Architectural features like Saptaratha (seven chariots) plan that bears close resemblance with Megheswar temple suggests that Aisanyesvara Siva Temple was built in the 13th century AD. Other architectural features suggests that it was built by Gangas.

Architecture

The temple is constructed in the Kalinga architecture style using grey sandstone. Tala jangha and upara jangha are decorated with khakhara mundi and pidha mundi respectively. The pista has three mouldings, which is decorated with series of khakhara mundi. The anuratha paga(main portion) has series of khakhara mundis in succession, lotus cup in anuraha paga and 10 bhumi amlas in the kanika pagas. Two udyota lions are noticed in the gandi of rahapaga. At the base of the gandi in the frontal wall there is a miniature rekha angasikhara.
The doorjambs are decorated with three vertical bands of puspa sakha, patra sakha and lata sakha from exterior to interior. At the base of the doorjambs there are khakhara mundis on either sides. The deity of Lalatabimba Gajalaxmi is seated in Lalitasana. In the architrave right above the jamb there is a navagraha panel, each graha within a niche. Surya (Sun god) holds lotus in his hands. Ketu (serpent god) is in serpent tail and holds bow in his left and a shield in the right hand. The temple is maintained by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. Aisanyesvara Siva Temple is in good state of preservation.

Akhandalamani Temple, Orissa

Akhandalamani Temple at Aradi village, Orissa, India, is dedicated to Lord Siva. Aradi is about 37 kilometers away from Bhadrak. The present fifty-foot cement and concrete temple structure replaced a wooden temple some time between 1830-1840 AD.

 

Location & transportation

This famous temple, the abode of “Lord Siva” is located in the bank of river Baitarani, at Aradi, 37 km to the east of the district headquarters of Bhadrak via Asurali, Kothara and Dhusuri. This place is also linked to Chandabali by boat through the river Baitarani. From Chandabali ferry ghat to Aradi it will take hardly two hours by boat.

Legend/History

There is no conclusive history available either regarding Baba Akhandalamani or the temple of the lord Siva. According to legend, around 350 years ago during the rule of Raja Sri Niladri Samara Singha Mohapatra, one early morning the Raja sent a peasant to cultivate his paddy field on the bank of the river Baitarani. While cultivating, the blade of his plough was broken by hitting with some hard material. The peasant was astonished and found a black glazed granite stone full of blood flowing toward the river Baitarani. The peasant ran to call King Niladrisamar Singhm and he hurriedly came to the spot, finding a flood of milk in place of blood and a huge black cobra hooding the stone.
That night the king had a dream regarding the arrival of the God Akhandalamani on that place. This news spread like wild fire in the locality. The next day King Niladri Samara Singha Mohapatra started worshiping the great god and immediately built a wooden temple on the spot. A large number of devotees from different villages started visiting and worshiping the great God. The king invited five Brahmins from a village named Naharagrama of Jajapur district to perform seva-puja (worshiping and taking care) of lord Akhandalamani.
The present main temple of Aradi was built by the King of Konika Shri Harihara Bhanja and his chief queen Satyabhama Patadei. The height of the temple is around 150 ft. All the stones used in this temple were brought from the historic hill of Lalitgiri near Chandikhol.

Temple

The main hall was built by a sage named Shri Narasingha Pratap Kumar and the surrounding wall of the temple was built by a noted sage named Shri Darshan Sekhara Das. Later, today's Bhoga Mandapa near the temple (along with the present temple office) was built by government initiative. The P.W.D road from Bhadrak to Aradi was declared State Highway and was converted into all weather Road instead of fare weather road. A Pantha Nivas was built at Aradi by Tourism Dept., Govt. of Orissa. The Govt. of Orissa sanctioned a handsome amount for the temple.

Festivals

There are many fairs and festivals observed at the temple of Baba Akhandalamani like Mahasibaratri which is locally called Jagara mela. On this day pilgrims and devotees inside and outside the state are assembled and worship Akhandalamani at Aradi. Bol bam devotees come to Aradi in large number from different areas in the month of Sravana to worship the God and pour holy water over the Linga. The Bol bam devotees carry holy water from different rivers of India like Ganges, Baitarani, Mahanadi, Salandi etc. with a bamboo lever.

 

 

Anandeshwaram Mahadeva Temple, Kerala

 

Anandeswaram Sree Mahadeva Kshethram (Malayalam: ആനന്ദേശ്വര൦ ശ്രീമഹാദേവ ക്ഷേത്ര൦) is one of the oldest temple in the Pandanad village. It is located at Pandanad in Chengannur taluk of Alappuzha district in the south Indian state of Kerala. The temple is situated about 6 km west of Chengannur, and 4 km east of Mannar.
Anandeswaram Sree Mahadeva Kshethram is a Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was earlier on the bank of the river Pampa. It was destroyed by the changed direction of the flow of the river. The deity was replaced to a nearby place where it is known as Anandeswaram Mahadeva Kshethram by Vanjipuzha Madom who where the former owner of the temple.

Important days

Maha Shivarathri (മഹാ ശിവരാത്രി): The major festival is Maha Shivarathri which takes place during the month of Kumbham (കു൦ഭ൦).
Sapthaha Yajnam (സപ്താഹ യജ്ഞം): Each year Sapthaham celebrates for 7 days with worships and food for devotees.
Navaha Yajnam (നവാഹ യജ്ഞം): Each year 'Navaha Yajnam' celebrates for 9 days with worships and food for devotees.
Parayeduppu (പറയെടുപ്പ്): The Parayeduppu is happening in the festival season, before to the Maha Shivarathri. Mahadeva is visiting to the homes of the people in Pandanad area.

Sub-deities

Like other Hindu temples, Anandeshwaram Mahadeva also has shrines of other deities. These deities include shrines of Maha Vishnu (മഹാവിഷ്ണു), Parvathy (പാർവ്വതി) as Bhuvaneshwary (ഭുവനേശ്വരി), Ganapathy(ഗണപതി), Sasthavu (ശാസ്താവ്), Yakshiamma (യക്ഷിയമ്മ), Nagarajav (നാഗരാജാവ്), Nagayakshi (നാഗയക്ഷി), Brahmarakshas (ബ്രഹ്മരക്ഷസ്).

 

 

Ankuri Mahadev, Nepal

 

Ankuri Mahadev is a Hindu temple located in Mahadeva in the Saptari District of Nepal. The place has Shiva Linga in the main temple, as well as Goddess Parvati and God Hanuman in other temples. The Shiva Linga has a dent of size of fist on the top. It is said that the place was a crematorium long ago and was an isolated place. Some cowherds from nearby villages used to go there. They brought it several times to their home, but the Shiva Ling used to return to its own place. It is also said that whoever tried to take the Shiva Linga their home, misery befell upon them and a member of their family fell sick or died. Later the master of the cowherds heard about these and built a temple for Shiva Linga on the same place.
It is a well known site of pilgrimage for Lord Shiva devotees and every year there are big fairs on festivals like Shivaratri and Anant Chaturdashi. It is a holy place to perform sacred yajna.

 

 

Atmanatha Temple, Avudaiyarkoil, Tamilnadu

 

The Atmanatha temple in the taluk seat of Avadaiyarkoil in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, India is a Hindu temple with Atmanatha, a form of Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. The absence of any idol or lingam within the sanctum sanctorum is one of the peculiarities of this shrine. This temple is believed to have been constructed by Manikkavacakar, one of the 63 Nayanmars.
This temple has not attracted many locals except some art lovers and foreigners. For instance the widely used various types of iron rods in modern construction are here built in stones. The statues are extremes of finesse in art.
How to reach
It is near Aranthangi. The nearby airport is Trichy.

 

Avudaiyarkoil, Tamilnadu

 

Tirupperunturai (Tamil: திருபெருந்துறை), known as Avudaiyarkoil., is a Shaiva temple situated near Aranthangi in the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu. One of the sacred books of Tamil Saiva Siddhanta, Manikkavacakar's Tiruvacakam, originated from this shrine. Manikkavacakar is said to have converted the king to the cult of Shiva and built the temple with money that had been intended for war-horses.

 

 

The Temple

The presiding deity is formless (Atmanatar); there is no Shivalingam but only a pedestal {Avudayar} located in the sanctum, hence the name Avudayar Koil. His consort is worshipped as Siva Yoga Nayaki in iconless form. There is no Nandi bull icon. There is deep spiritual significance in the queerness. Hinduism allows deity worship only for beginners in the initial stage. As the devotee and his devotion matures, he has to realise the truth of formless. To illustrate the theology, the temple has been designed. This is the only Saivite shrine in whole of India to portray the supreme truth symbolically. Since the soul(athma) has no form, the deity is called Athmanathar

Administration

As at Chidambaram and Tiruvanaikoil, here Vedic rituals are performed, unlike the Sivachariyar or Adhisaivar temples who follow Agama rituals. in this case the temple is administered by Nambiar Brahmins – a class of Vaideeka Brahmins said to be descendants of Rowshayadana, a saint who originated from Agni, and were taught the Vedas by Atmanatar himself. They are said to number three hundred and are also called Munnothioruvar.
At Tirupperunturai, as in Chidambaram temple, Aruvam (அருவம்.. அதாவது உருவமற்ற கடவுள் நிலை) is worshipped. Tirupperunturai is also known as Kokozhi, Sivapuram, Akasha Kailasham, Vadavoor, Chatur-Veda-Mangalam and Adi Kailasam in Sangam literature and Atheetha Sabha as it has six Sabhas, the Kanaka Sabha, Chit Sabha, Sat Sabha, Ananda Sabha, Ratna Sabha and Deva Sabha in comparison to five Sabhas at Chidambaram. It is believed that Manikkavacakar himself built these six sabhas, and covered the Sabhas with 21600 plates of copper.

Legend

The temple is supposed to have been built by Manickavasagar. Being the prime minister, he spent all the money given to him by the Varaguna Pandya II king to buy horses in building the temple. As he was bereft of money, Lord Shiva displayed one of his Thiruvilayadal(holy prank) by transforming foxes to horses and once they were given to the king became foxes.

Architecture

The temple is noted for the zephyr(granite) roof work. The ceiling of the Kanaga sabhai(golden hall) is a grandeur creation in stone. The ropes, rafters and nails all are made of granite. The bow wielding Muruga, Kali and Siva's rudra thandavam(wild dance) are the finest specimen in sculptural art.
Many renovations have been carried out, much of the current structure dates to the fifteenth CCE. The temple covers an area of over 10 acres (40,000 m²) and faces south, constructed so that the setting sun strikes the sanctum even though it is cloistered within three circumambulatory paths. The thousand pillared hall has several delicately crafted pillars with depictions of the Oordhwa Tandavam of Shiva, Kaaraikkaal Ammaiyaar, Dhanurdhara Subramanya etc.

Festival

The annual festivals celebrated here are Aani Tirumanjanam and Maargazhi Tiruvaadirai as in Chidambaram Nataraja Temple. Worship or Pooja is done six times a day.

 

 

Bhima Devi Temple Complex, Haryana

 

The Bhima Devi Temple Complex comprises the restored ruins of an ancient Hindu temple dating from between 8th and 11th century AD, together with the adjacent 17th century Pinjore gardens (a variant of Mughal gardens), located in Pinjore town in Panchkula district of the state of Haryana, India.
The Bhima Devi temple was sculptured during the reign of Gurjar Pratihars.Most of the comprising sculptures and architectural, which ruined during Mughal period, are of the times of the Gurjara Pratiharas.
Archeological excavations done in 1974 revealed the temple, which was subsequently dated to 8th century to 11th century AD and declared as a protected monument under the ‘Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act-1964’. The unearthed findings cover over 100 antiquarian sculptures, apart from a layout plan indicating a five temples complex, including the main central shrine representing the Panchayatana architectural style, similar to the styles seen in the contemporaneous Khajuraho and Bhubaneshwar temples. The temple complex adjoins the Pinjore Gardens, also known as Mughal gardens built by Aurangzeb’s foster brother using much of the ruins of the Hindu temples destroyed by the Muslim invaders from the 13th century onwards till the 17th century.
Muslim invasions of Pinjore town started with Nasir-u-Din Mahmood (Iltumish’s son) in 1254 AD, continued with other invaders like Timurlane and lasted till Governor of Sirhind Fidai Khan’s (foster brother of Emperor Aurangzeb) onslaught in 1666. These invasions were responsible for the wanton destruction of this ancient temple complex. The Pinjore gardens (now renamed as Yadvendra Gardens after Yadavindra Singh Maharaja of the former princely state of Patiala) developed in the 17th century, by Fidai Khan (was also the architect), was reportedly constructed partly with ruins of destroyed temple. This garden is considered as a lovely Mughal garden, one of the oldest in northern India.
An open–air museum with the Bhima Devi temple ruins (85 % of the ancient sculptures have been aesthetically installed at different places of the open air museum). Integrated with the Yadavindra Gardens, it has been developed with attractive modern illumination arrangements

 

Legend

Pinjore town where the temple complex is located has mythological link to the Pandavas, heroes of Mahabharata epic. An inscription in the Pinjore Baoli (‘Baoli’ means “step well”) described this place as Panchpura (now known by the shorter name Pinjore). It is said that the Pandavas remained here for about one year on their way to the Himalayas to spend the forced exile period (agyaatvaas or living incognito) of 13 years. It is also said that the Pandavas worshipped goddess Mahakali here and performed yagna.
Legend also states that Bhimadevi belongs to the Shakti tradition that was derived from the Buddhist tantric goddess. Further, in the Devi Mahatmya it is said that in the Western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh (Pinjore region adjoins Himachal Himalayas), Bhimadevi appeared in an enormous form of Bhimarupa (Bhima’s form) and gave protection to the sages (munis in Sanskrit).

History

The temple, located in Pinjore, is dated from archeological excavations as an ancient historical and religious place. Archeological excavations have revealed that this region, extending from Pinjore to Nalagarh, establishes earliest habitation by man to 1.5 million years ago. This is based on tools of Paleolithic period found in quartzite formations in the region.^[7]
Also, from the rock edicts found from the temple ruins in the area during excavations, it has been conjectured that they were constructed during the reign of Raja Ram Dev.
But Muslim invasions from 13th century onwards resulted in repeated destruction of the temple complex. The first act of depredation was carried out by Nasir-u-Din Mahmood, son of Iltutmish of the Slave Dynasty rule (1206-1290 AD) in the year 1254 A.D. Timurlane who invaded India in 1399 AD destroyed the temples further. This was followed by Chengiz Khan’s destruction in 1507 A.D. The final total destruction was effected in 1661 by Fidai Khan, the then Governor of Sirhind who razed this temple and built the Pinjore gardens.

Temple complex

The temple complex comprises the ruins of the temple, aesthetically arranged in an open air museum (patterned on the original Panchayatana layout) housing 80 pedestals fixed with the excavated sculptures, and the Pinjore gardens with which the temple complex is fully integrated (with 150 focus lights).
The excavation of the ancient temple in 1974 was a historic discovery linking the antiquarian finds to the establishment of the temple to the period between 8th and 12th centuries of Gurjar Pratihara School of Art. The excavations have revealed five ancient plinths or pedestals and over 100 beautiful sculptures. The direction of these plinths indicate that the temple was stylized to the "Panchayatan" group of temples, which is contemporaneous to the temples of Khajuraho and Bhubaneshwar. In keeping with Hindu tradition of temple architecture, the outer walls of the temple complex are adorned with statues Ashta-Dikpalas like, Indra, Agni, Vayu, Varun & Ishan in the cardinal directions. The idols of Hindu gods and goddesses such as Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, Ganesha and Kartikeya have been unearthed and most of them are now displayed in the museum (spread over an area of 8 acres (3.2 ha)) here. From these findings, the Archeological Department has conjectured that the main deity at the temple may have been of Lord Shiva.
Gray and green sandstone available locally in the region are the main source of material used to carve the stone sculptures. Archeologists have classified the sculptures under four categories, namely:

1.   Sculptures of Hindu Gods & Goddesses,

2.   Idols of Apsaras, attendants, Gandharvas and celestial musicians

3.   Motifs of Animals

4.   Erotic images of the contemporary times

The most outstanding sculpture displayed in the temple complex is that of Lord Shiva (see infobox), which has been described as in:
Sarma Bhanga (contraposto) bearing a high jata or juta, ear ornaments, ekavali, sacred thread, armlets, wristlets, long garland, dhoti secured by an elaborate girdle, etc, holding a trident with its upper portion damaged in the rear right hand and a snake in the back left. The proper right hand of the God is in Varadmudra, touching the head of a small human figure standing in tribhanga standing behind the bull at right of the God.
Splinters or pieces of Yama image in the form of “the head and Khajvanga in a pedimented rathika have also been deciphered and linked to an image of Yama found in Chandi Mandir, nearby.
A beautiful image of Varuna (as per Hinduism Varuna is the lord of water and sea, and the guardian of the western quarter) has been found here in a  
standing pose in dvibhanga bearing a high jata or jita adorned with jewels and wearing the usual ornaments with proper right hand in a varada pose probably also with a rosary.

Pinjore gardens

 

Pinjore Garden was created in the 17th century by Fidai Khan, the Governor of Sirhind who completely destroyed the adjacent ancient temple of Bhima Deva. In recent times, it has been renamed as 'Yadavindra Garden' in the memory of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of the former princely state of Patiala. After it was initially built by Fidai Khan, the garden was refurbished by Yadevendra Singh and restored to its former spledour, since it had grown into a wild jungle after initially built due to long years of neglect.
The garden has been laid in seven terraces with the main gate of the garden opening into the highest first terrace which has a palace built in Rajasthani–Mughal style. It is called the “Shish Mahal” (palace of glass), which is adjoined by a romantic "Hawa Mahal" (airy Palace). The second terrace with arched doorways has the "Rang Mahal" (painted palace). The third terrace has cypress trees and flowerbeds leading to dense groves of fruit trees. The next terrace has the "Jal Mahal" (palace of water) with a square fountain bed and a platform to relax. Fountains and tree groves are provided in the next terrace. The lowermost terrace has an open-air theatre,which is designed as a disc-like structure. A zoo adjoins the gardens. The garden and the temple complex laid in an open air museum are integrated through well laid out and well drained (to remove any water logging) pathways and the whole complex has been beautifully illuminated. A heritage train has been introduced to visit all the monuments and the gardens in the complex. Special festivals such as the Baisakhi (spring) festival in April and the Mango festival in June and July are major attractions at the gardens.

Access

Pinjore, where the Bhimadevi temple complex is located, is approachable by road, rail and air from all parts of the country. It is well connected with Chandigargh, which is the capital region of both Haryana and Punjab states, at a road distance of 20 kilometres (12 mi). Chandigarh is a Union Territory administered by the Government of India. It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Kalka, on the road to Shimla

 

 

Bhuvaneshwar Temple, Boudh, Odisha

 

Bhuvaneshwar Temple is located in Malipara in the Boudh township on the left side of road leading from Boudh to Sonepur, it is situated on the right bank of Mahanadi. It can be assigned to 10th Century, duering Somavamsi Kshatriya Kings. Decorated with architectural motifs like – khakharamundis, divine figures like Ganesha and Jaina Tirthankaras, semi-divine figures, nayikas, image of Linga puja, human figures both male and female, bharabahaka, decorative motifs like scroll work, beaded border, lattice pattern, padmaprosta motifs, mohanty design, vajramundi, animals, mithuna and maithuna etc.Nataraja and Brahma idols are also found. It can be categorized as Rekha deula of South Kosalan style. Shivaratri, Shitalasasthi and all Purnimas are important days here.

 

 

Chakreshvari Siva Temple, Odisha

 

Chakresvara Shiva temple is a living Hindu temple built in 10-11 AD dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Hatiasuni lane, Rajarani Colony, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. The deity, lingam is within a circular yonipitha in side the sanctum. The temple is surrounded by private residential buildings in eastern and northern side and chakresvara tank in the west. It is The temple is of great significance as various rituals like Sivaratri, Diwali, and Sankranti are observed here. Also this temple serves as a purpose of a sacred place for Thread ceremony, Rudrabhiseka, Chandrabhiseka.

 

Architectural features

The temple stands on a low platform. On plan, the temple has a vimana and a renovated frontal porch. The vimana(shrine) is pancharatha and the frontal porch. On elevation, the vimana is of rekha order extends from pabhaga to kalasa. From bottom to the top, the temple has a bada, gandi and mastaka. With three-fold divisions of the bad the temple has a trianga bada. At the bottom, the pabhaga has four base mouldings of khura, kumbha, pata and basanta.

Special Feature

In the lalatabimba, four-armed Lord Ganesha which is found in place of the usual Gaja-laxmi. It is an exception of the temples of Bhubaneswar. Another departure is noticed at Kalarahanga where the lalatabimba is occupied by images of both Ganesha and Saraswati. In front of the temple, there are images of Parvati and Kartikeya and an amlaka stone in the southern side of the temple.

Decorative features

The doorjambs are decorated with three vertical bands of scroll works like puspa sakha, nara, sakha and patra sakha from exterior to interior. At the lalatabimba there is a four armed Ganesha within a niche seated over his mount mouse. At the base of the doorjamb, there are dvarapala niches on either sides. The niches enshrine two armed Saivite dwrapala holding trident in their right hands and varada in left hands. The architrave above the doorjamb is beautifully carced with Navagrahas within the niches. Surya holds lotus in his hands, Rahu holds half moon and Ketu with a serpent tail.

 

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

(Continued...)                                                                                                                              

(My humble  salutations to the great devotees ,  wikisources  and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the collection )