Bhubaneshwar Travel Guide

Bhubaneshwar  (Bhuban  being  world  and Iswar   meaning  god i.e. (’The  lord  of the universe’) is the capital of  Orissa, chosen  in 1948  in place  of Cuttack  partly  because  it  was the ancient  capital of the Kalinga  empire. It is the architectural legacy of that period and it is a walk down centuries of temple architecture. With 600 temples still intact, the temples are to this ancient city as forts are to Rajasthan. It is probably the only city in the world that enables an authentic overview of the stages of development of Hindu religious architecture.

Today these temples are gentle reminder of the splendour, the heritage that was once India. Regular dances by the ‘Devadasis’  or divine  servant  girls, rituals and rites  recital of hymns  were all an  integral  part of its temple culture.

Temples in Bhubaneswar are built on a common plan as prescribed by Hindu  norms. The structure is divided into four distinct parts or the outer chamber is the ‘Jagamohana’. The ‘Garbhagriha’ is the inner sanctum of the presiding deity. There is  also a conical  beehive  shaped  tower  which forms  the third  part-the ‘Nata Mandap’, and the fourth  is the ‘Bhoga Mandap’. All visible parts of a temple are sculpted with motifs of priests, kings, courtiers, pilgrims, celestial dancers, couples in embrace, birds, animals or scenes from religious epics and legends. With a juxtaposition  of modern  buildings  and ancient  temples, Bhubaneswara  is a reasonably  pleasant  and manageable  city, with   enough  to justify  a  stopover  for a day  or two. It is also a useful base for day trips to Dhauli,  Nandankanan  zoo and  Cuttack.

Places of attraction

Temples

In Bhubaneshwar the orientalist is in for a delightful break. The temples of Laxmaneswar Satrughaneswar and Bharateswar which were built in the 6th century AD are relics of early religious shrines in Orissa. The 500 temples of the original ‘7,000’ that once surrounded Bindusagar Tank draw vast numbers of pilgrims and visitors to the city.

Parasurameswara: Just west of the Lewis Road is a cluster of about 20 smaller temples including some of the most important in Bhubaneswar. The best preserved of these early temples is Parasurameswar Mandir a small single and ornate Shiva temple built in a about AD 650.It has lively bas-reliefs of elephant and horse processions lattice windows and Shiva images. This temple built in 650 AD is one of the earliest temples of Bhubaneshwar. This temple is built in the Kalinga style of temple architecture and was dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Yama, Surya and seven Mother Goddesses. In typical fashion it is liberally sculpted with amorous couples, animals and floral motifs. The 7th century temple though small is highly decorated and is the best preserved-though not oldest-of the early Bhubaneswar temples. The rectangular (rather than square) porch and the stepped roof indicates an early date.
Even so the porch was probably built after the sanctuary itself as suggested by the rather crude junction between the two. In the northwest corner of the temple compound is a ‘Lingam of one thousand Lingas’.
Just south of Parasurameswara temple is the Swaranjaleswara temple. Built in a similar style the motifs on the walls however differ depicting scenes from the Ramayana.

Vaital Deul (800 AD): This temple has a double-storey ‘wagoon roof’ influenced Buddhist cave architecture. It dates from the 8th century and was a centre of tantric worship. Vaital Deul or temple is the shrine of Chamunda (a tantric form of the Goddess Kali) or Shakti. Seated on a corpse in a dark inner sanctum is the Goddess Chamunda. She has a garland of skulls around her neck and is flanked by a jackal and an owl. The niches on the inner wall depict equally startling images along with scenes of tantric and erotic sculptures. It is also unique in that the outer surface of the vault is plain while the inside wall is profusely embellished.
Outside on the east face of the Deul the lower of the two-chaitya windows has a beautifully carved figure of the sun God Surya.

Mukteswara (950 AD): Often referred to as the ‘Gem of Orissa Architecture’ this temple has been built on the lines of the Kalinga School of temple architecture.
Not far from the Parsurameswar is the small 10th century Mukteswar Mandir one of the most ornate temples in the capital. The finely detailed carvings show a mixture of Buddhist Jain and Hindu styles but unfortunately some of the figures have been defaced. The ceiling carvings are particularly striking and the stone arch is revered for its architectural style. In front of the temple is a beautifully arched torana clearly showing a Buddhist influence. This ‘Torana’ is a unique feature of this temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva-Mukteswara and is carved with figures of ascetics in various poses of meditation. Scenes from the storehouse of Indian fables the ‘Panchatantra’ can also be seen on the walls.

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