Yogini Temples : India’s Temple

Orissa has the distinction of preserving two of the outstanding temples of goddess Yogini, one at Hirapur, a village near Bhubaneswar and another at Ranipur-Jharial in Bolangir district. The temple was built in the 9th century AD and is the center of Tantricism and Shakti even till today. The Bhauma and Somavamsis rulers of Orissa built the Yogini temples. There was a gradual amalgamation of Shaivism, Shaktism and Avajrayana form of Mahayana Buddhism during this period in this region.

There are nine Chausanth Yogini temples in india out of which the best kept are at Jabalpur and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. They were built between 9th and 13th centuries AD.

The Yoginis were considered to be able to confer their devotees with the power to become small or gigantic in size, to control one’s body and mind of others, to fly, become invisible, and infinite other useful abilities. The devotees repeated the names of the Goddesses. in the subsequent centuries, when the active use of the shrines reduced, worshippers shifted their venerations to occult paper diagrams. The growth of Yogini cult can be traced to the rural and tribal form of worship.
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Khiching Temple : India’s Temple

Khiching was the ancient capital of the Bhanja rulers, located about 205 km from Balasore and 150 km from Baripada in the Mayurbhanj district of north Orissa. it was the center of art and architecture as the area has several exquisite temples and monuments. The architectural and sculptural ruins recovered from this site indicate that it must have been a major center of civilization around the 8th to 12th centuries AD. This place is the most important historical and tourist site in Mayurbhanj district.

The name Khiching is a corrupted version of Khijjinga or Khijjinga-kota, the capital of the early Bhanja rulers. The ruins of the ancient glorious town can be seen from the boundaries of the present village from the bank of the Khairabandhan River in the north to the Kantakhair River in the south. Due to its geographic location and political role, it experienced varied cultural influences and liaisons. Such influences and liaisons assisted in the development of the art of Khiching. The art of Khiching expressed the aesthetic and religious sensibilities along with an individuality of its own.

According to legends, Khiching had a group of eight temples dedicated to Lord Shiva once upon a time. The lingams of the seven temples can be seen even today. Today, Khiching have three ancient temples dedicated to Kutaitundi, Chandrasekhar and Kichakeswari. The ruins of the forts of Viratgarh and Kichakagarh, few stupas and several sculptures can also be seen at Khiching. The largest temple of the town is dedicated to Goddess Kichakeswari, the family goddess of the ruling chiefs of Mayurbhanj. The temple, made of chlorite, is architecturally brilliant and well carved from its outer surface.

This temple is the most impressive temple in Khiching. The original temple was built somewhere in the 7th or the 8th century AD and was reconstructed in the 20th century from the ruins of an earlier temple. The shrine contains a large ten-armed skeletal image of Chamunda with striking veins, ribs and sunken belly, wearing a garland of skulls and seated over a dead body. The Parasvadevatas, the Chaitya arches, the amorous couples, the scroll works and the arabesques can still be seen in the original portions of the temple. The style of the temple is contemporary of the Brahmesvara and the Lingaraj temples of Bhubaneswar.
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Sun Temple : India’s Temple

The Sun temple at Konark is situated on the northeastern corner of Puri or the Chakrakshetra. it is also known as Konaditya. The name Konark is derived from the words Kona meaning corner and Arka meaning sun. Konark is also known as Arkakshetra. The temple was built in 1278 AD by the Ganga king Narasimha Deva. it is also referred to as the Black Pagoda. The ruins of this temple were excavated in late 19th century AD.

According to local legends, Samba, the king of Krishna and Jambavati entered the bathing chamber of Krishna’s wives and was cursed by Krishna with leprosy. it was decreed that he would be relieved of the curse if he worshipped the Sun God on the seacoast north east of Puri. King Samba reached Konaditya Kshetra and discovered an image of Surya seated on the lotus. He worshipped him and was relieved of his curse. The magnetic dome of the temple caused ships to crash near the seashore. Thus the dome was removed and destroyed and the image of the Sun God was taken to Puri.

The entire temple has been conceived as a chariot of the sun god with 24 wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate carvings. The temple is shown as being driven by 7 horses. Two lions guard the entrance, crushing elephants. A flight of steps leads to the main entrance. The Nata Mandir is intricately carved. The Jagmohan is intact while the shikhar of the garbhagriha has fallen. There are sculptures of animals, flowers, warriors on the horses and several interesting motifs. There are three images of the Sun God, positioned to catch the rays of the sun at dawn, noon and sunset.
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Brahmeswar Temple : India’s Temple

Brahmeswar temple belongs to the mature Orissan School of Temple Architecture. The deul and the jagmohan of the temple are beautifully carved. The temple depicts musicians and dancers on the outer wall of the temple for the first time. The iron beams are also used for the first time. Chamunda, Shiva and other deities are depicted in the western end of the temple. The temple has a living deity, which is shown through the saffron pennant flying from the top of the temple.

There are several other temples to be visited in Orissa. They are Luxmaneswar, Satrughaneswar and Bharateswar temple, 16th century, Swarna Jaleswar temple, 7th century, Brahmeswar temple, 11th century AD, Bhaskereswar temple and Bharateswar temple etc.

Parasurameswar Temple : India’s Temple

Parasurameswar temple is one of the oldest Siva temples (late 7th century) in the State. it is made on the Kalinga School of temple architecture. it was built in 650 AD. it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. But the images of Vishnu, Yama, Surya and Mother Goddess are also found here.

The temple is exquisitely carved. The friezes of the temple depict the intricate carvings of elephant and horse processions, human figure, floral motifs and the bust of Shiva. The Shahastra lingam or the 1000 small lingams joined together at the corner of the courtyard can be seen.

Mukteswar Temple : India’s Temple

The Mukteswar temple was built around the 10th century AD it belongs to later phase of Kalinga school of temple architecture. The temple is exquisitely decorated. it depicts tales from Panchatantra.the niches of outer wall of the compound show the images of Buddhist, Jaina and Hindu pantheon.

The temple is dedicated to Shiva in the form of Mukteshwar, which means “The Lord who bestows freedom through yoga”. The tower of the temple measures 10.5 m. The high point of the temple is the torana. The decorative gateway with two female figures is worth seeing. There are figure of ascetics in various poses of meditation depicted on the walls of the temple.

Vaital Deul Temple : India’s Temple

Vaital Deul temple is situated near the Bindu Sarovar tank. it was build during 8th century AD. it is devoted to the Goddess Parvati-Chamunda or the Shakti. The goddess seated on a corpse, is placed in the main sanctum of the deity. The deity is adorned with garland of skulls around her neck, holding weapons in her arms and flanked by a jackal and an owl.

The goddess is portrayed as the slayer of Mahisasura, the buffalo demon. The niches on the inner wall depict scenes of tantric rituals. it was the first temple to depict erotic sculptures on the walls of the temple. The unique feature of the temple is that the interiors are embellished but the outer walls are plain.