Travel_LeisureIndiaSouthAsia-January_2017

D

ancing naiykas to

sculptures of maithunya,

the union of Shiva and

Shakti, mind and matter, male

and female; fl oating idols to

carved wheels that refl ect time;

virtues attributed to animals and

the struggle of man with material

desires—the temples and

monuments in Odisha

narrate history in a language

clearer than words.

Jagannath Temple, Puri

One of the four sites of char

dham or the holiest pilgrimage

of Hindus, is Jagannath Temple

in Puri. The colossal structure

demonstrates the elevated

architectural style of the Kalinga

Dynasty starting from the 11th- to

the 15th-century. Legend has it

that the image of the deity

centred in the temple has the

power to grant ‘moksha’ or

eternal salvation to the visitor.

Sun Temple

Declared a World Heritage Site

by UNESCO in 1984, the

Konark Sun Temple is an

architectural masterpiece that

depicts the Sun God Surya

manning a mammoth chariot

pulled by seven horses and 12

wheels. The 10-foot tall wheel,

a sun dial, bears testimony to

ancient wisdom and science—the

shadows that the spokes cast can

tell time accurately. During its

construction, a magnet was

placed right on top and iron tiles

placed between stones, so the

iron idol would fl oat mid-air.

Chausathi Jogini Temple

This tantric temple located

in a hamlet outside of

Bhubaneshwar, was built in the

9 th-century by Queen Hiradevi

of the Bramha dynasty. It is

extremely relevant in tracing the

cultural roots of ancient India—a

time when Goddesses and the

female power were worshiped

above all. The temple was built

with blocks of sandstone in a

circle with 64 Joginis (demi-

Goddesses) encircling the

granite idol of Goddess Kali,

who stands over a human head.

Interestingly, Tantra, which

originally connoted the union of

the physical and spiritual

energies and the worship of the

fi ve elements, was contorted

through the course of history

relating it to witchcraft and black

magic. Each idol represents

a female fi gurine expressing

all emotions from rage

and pleasure, to happiness

and sorrow.

Anantashayana Vishnu,

Dhenkanal District

Carved in the 9th-century, it is

an open-air rock relief of the

Hindu God Vishnu in the

Anantashayana (sleeping on the

serpent Shesha or Sheshanaga).

Measuring 14.5 metres, it is the

largest exposed horizontal

structure in India.

Architecture, history, folklore, and craftsmanship defi ne the temples of Odisha.

TEMPLE TALES

For more information, visit http://www.odishatourism.gov.in

PROMOTION

Clockwise: The Jagannath

Temple in Puri; tourists at

the Sun Temple in Konark;

an idol at the Chausathi

Jogini Temple.

CLOCKWISE: DREAMSTIME; VINCY LOPEZ/ALAMY; ROBERT PRESTON PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY