Bhubaneshvar

The Tour

Capital of the State of Orissa, Bhubaneshvar, with its some 500 000 inhabitants, is not a mégapole comparable with other large Indian cities. By forcing the feature a little, one will say that the rural character of this area is found there a little. Contrast is large between the old city, the heart of the city, where the temples are located, and new peripheral districts, in the north, whose broad avenues allow an easy circulation.

In short, it is a place pleasant to visit, to go from temple in temple, since those constitute the centres of attraction of these places incharge of history.

Inhabited as of before our era, when the Emperor Ashoka   the Kalinga kingdom, the site of the city developed from the 7 2nd century. Hundreds of temples were built, especially under the dynasty of Ganga, the 12 2nd at the 15 2nd centuries. But the one ten, most prestigious is hardly visited of it. One will find in the annex a summary description of architecture characteristic of the temples of Orissa.t

The majority are grouped, of course, in the old city, the neighbourhoods of a large crowned basin, Bindusagar.

Brahmeshvara.Temple It is located far from the principal group, towards the Eastern edge of the city. Built to the 11 2nd century, it assigns a particular aspect with its four small vaults, at the cardinal points of the paved platform, reproducing in miniature the shape of the principal temple. This provision, which one names pañchayatana, recalls that of the temple of Lakshmana to Khajuraho. The temple of Brahmeshvara is dedicated to Shiva, which is present in the form of Lingam. It is still in activity and the priests are accessible there.

The  Rajarani Temple, near to the precedent, is drawn up in the medium of a green park and maintained well. It dates from the beginning of the 11 2nd century and is not any more in activity. No divine image lies in the cella, but the visit is however recommended by it. The tower (will shikhara, local name = deul), of pyramidal form, is surrounded by miniature towers, like certain temples of Khajuraho.

The  Parashurameshvara  Temple  is one of  the most beautiful, and also one of oldest (7 2nd century) of the temples of the city. It is rather small and does not make impression when one penetrates in his enclosure. On the lower part of the walls external of the hall than the flat roof (jagamohan), one will admire a series of statues in low-relief of the goddess-mothers, associated Ganesh. In the court, draws up rare Sahasrarlingam (lingam with the thousand faces). Another Ganesh, of beautiful size, decorates the southern floor. The slim tower of the temple is surmounted by a typical element, the amalaka, corded disc of stone.
The temple of Mukteshvara, in another green enclosure, near to the preceding temple, dates from the 10 2nd century. It is the building rather small, but splendid, perhaps most delicate of the temples of the city. It is preceded, outside, by superb a torana, arch of Buddhist stone of inspiration, finely decorated sculptures (in particular, on the sides, the reason for will makara); it gives access to a girded platform of a balustrade, in the center of which the temple is held. With the back, a crowned basin supplements this harmonious framework. The porch and the interior of the temple, made up, here also, of a jagamohan (hall) giving access to the central part of the cella, are decorated many sculptures.

The  Siddheshvara Temple is only with a few tens of meters of the precedent, in the garden. While going there, to notice on the left, a whole series of small vaults. With the southern wall of the temple, one will admire large and beautiful Ganesh in a niche directed in the south. The style of this temple, later than the precedents, shows the typical architectural features; but the statues, very few, seem to indicate that the monument was perhaps not completed.
The temple of Kedareshvara, vis-a-vis Mukteshvara, is still in activity and accomodates many pilgrims. The access to the not-Hindus is not authorized by it. In the same enclosure, the temple of Gauri is.

The temple of Lingaraja, in the south of the large crowned basin of Bindusagar, is most imposing of the temples of Bhubaneshvar. Unfortunately, its access is interdict with the not-Hindus. It is a center of pilgrimage. However, of a raised platform, out of the enclosure (paying access), one can make photographs. Built to the 11 2nd century (between 1000 and 1040), the temple of Lingaraja is dedicated to Shiva, in the form of Lingam. Its high curvilinear tower (will shikhara) rises on ten levels with nearly 45 m height. Several other temples, of which much small size, surrounds Lingaraja, in the same enclosure; this "forest" of pyramidal towers confers on the unit much majesty.

The temple Vaital Deul is low-size but does not miss elegance. It completion date of the 8 2nd century. The tower (deul) is of a form unusual, semi-cylindrical, and resembles old the chaitya boudhists. The divinity venerated in the cella is the terrible Chamunda goddess.

The other temples; one will quote: the temple of Ananta Vasudeva (dedicated to the Vishnu god, which is unusual in Bhubaneshvar), the temple of Yameshvara, the temple of Chittrakarini, the temple of Markandeyeshvara, the temple of Shishireshvara (located in the same enclosure as Vaital Deul).

Udayagiri

In the suburbs close to Bhubaneshvar, the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri are, separated by a narrow small valley. On their rock sides were dug, as of the second century before our era, of the caves in order to shelter communities of Jains ascetics there. Although the weather can be hot in the middle of the day, one climbs the hill of Udayagiri easily (in first), while passing from cave in cave. The monkeys around have, appears it, the annoying practice, to steal all that trails, though we did not notice it.

 

Dhauli

With less than ten kilometers of Bhubaneshvar, Dhauli is famous for the edicts which the Ashoka emperor made engrave on a rock into 257 before our era. At the end of the conquest of the Kalinga kingdom, which was terrible, the emperor Ashoka renonça with violence and converts with Buddhism, which became the religion of State. He made engrave, in various places of the kingdom, the "Edicts of Asoka", together of administrative regulations of a kingdom which wanted to be from now on peaceful. In Dhauli, the engraved Edicts are of different contents, but follow the same principles. In the immediate vicinity of the rock engraved (on the left roadside), the part before elephant (animal symbol of Buddhism) was cut in a large round rock.

By continuing the road, one reaches the top of a hill, where was built by the Japanese, in the Seventies, a "temple of Peace", Shanti Stupa, whose high hemispherical cupola is seen by far since the plain.

Hirapur

With about fifteen kilometers of Bhubaneshvar, one will inform oneself to find the small road which ends in this village of craftsmen ferroniers specialized in the production of all kinds of crockery of brass and copper alloys, that one finds on sale in gravers with the crossing of the principal road. To the variation of the village, one will go to the temple of 64 Yogini. It is a very old temple (6 2nd century?) opened, in the open air. The terrible goddesses, assistants of the large goddess Kali, align themselves on the interior circumference of the circular wall of enclosure. Bloody sacrificial worships proceeded there during centuries and the atmosphere of the place preserves the print of it.