Samaleswari Temple,Sambalpur

Samaleswari Temple

Samaleswari Temple is a Hindu temple in Sambalpur, Western Orissa, India dedicated to the goddess known as 'Maa', also known among the natives as samalei maa, meaning Mother Samaleswari. Shree Shree Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, is a strong religious force in western part of Orissa and Chhattisgarh state of India. On the bank of the river Mahanadi the mother goddess Samaleswari is worshipped from ancient times as Jagatjanani, Adishakti, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati. The region in which the temple is situated has a rich cultural heritage. Sambalpur region is popularly known as Hirakhanda from ancient times. Ptolemy has described the place as Sambalak, according to Tavernir, the French traveller, and Edward Gibbon, the English historian, diamonds were exported to Rome from Sambalpur.

She is worshiped with a great care and devotion by the natives in her temple, famously known as the samaleswari temple. Among the varieties of festivals observed before the goddess throughout the year three festivals are observed prominently. The first two are navaratra pujaduring the months of March and April and during the months of September and October. Among these two navaratra pujas (nine days continuous worship of the goddess) the second one is observed with a great splendour and devotion. The third festival which is said to be the chief festival of the whole western Orissa (sambalpur) region is nuakhai. In this festival the farmers offer the first produce from their lands to the goddess before using it for his personal use.

Maa Tarini,Keonjhar

Maa Tarini

Maa Tarini is the presiding deity for all Shakti and Tantra peeths or shrines in Orissa. The origin of Shakti or worship of the Earth as a female embodiment of power is found across many cultures all over the world. In Orissa which has a high density of tribal population whose religious practices have been assimilated into the mainstream Hindu faith, the worship of natural formations such as rocks, tree trunks, rivers is widespread among the tribes.

Maa Tarini is always depicted as a red face with two large eyes and a mark in the middle which serves as an indication for a nose and also a tilak. This primitive conception is symbolic of the simplicity of tribal beliefs and ceremonies. The red colour has been attributed to dyes made out of iron ores or ocher which are quite plentiful in the state and would thus have been used by the tribes for anointing and decorating the sacred figures of worship. The ornate letters in the background mean "Maa" or Mother in the Oriya language. They were a much later addition although the Oriya script did change very slightly over the millennia.

Maa Tarini Temple

Near about 1475 A.D. King Purusottam Dev ruled Kalinga. Once on a trip to South India he chanced upon Princess Padmavati of Kanchi and proposed marriage. The proposal was accepted and the minister of the king of Kanchi traveled to Puri to finalise the arrangements. The Rath Yatra was in full swing and he saw the king sweeping the chariots of the deities. Marriage to a sweeper was unacceptable and hence the marriage was called off. Insulted, the King of Puri declared war on Kanchi. He was defeated in the first war. He prayed to Lord Jagannath and it is believed that he was directed to appoint one Govinda Bhanja as his Senapati or General of his army. Bhanja was in fact the son of the king of Keonjhar and was staying in Puri because of differences with his father.

Under the command of Bhanja, the army marched towards Kanchi. In the forests near Vijayanagar, the horse of Bhanja refused to move any further. Whatever may be the real reason it is here that Bhanja and thus Hindu society as a whole was introduced to Maa Tarini and she was admitted into the Pantheon.

Akhandalamani Temple, Bhadrak

Akhandalamani Temple, Bhadrak

Precisely, no concrete proof is available about the reincarnation of Lord Akhandaleswar. As per the available documents, the reincarnation of the Lord occurred in  1404 A.D. during the rule of  Niladri Samar Sing Mohapatra, the 11th generation of the local Zamindar.

Akhandalamani

The then king of the erst while Rajkanika state, Harihar Bhanja Deo was suffering severely from a fatal eye disease. All treatment had failed. The king thought "May be Lord Akhandaleswar's blessings can give him a miraculous cure". He came to Aradi for a Dharana ( spiritual concentration to obtain Lord's blessings). Lord Akhandaleswar appeared in his dream and told him the way of remedy. At last king Harihar Bhanja Deo was cured by lord's benediction. As per his "Manasika", he tried  to build a pucca temple for Lord Akhandaleswar at Aradi. But in those days, it was a stupendous task to build a pucca temple in a remote area like Aradi. Only stone blocks and lime composition constituted materials for pucca temple. Stone blocks were available on the hills of  Nilagiri located about 100 Kms from Aradi and transportation of those blocks to Aradi was done along the water way of the river Baitarani.
The king made preliminary arrangements to build a pucca temple. He dug a large pond near the proposed site of the temple, which now stands as an immortal proof and is named "Shiva Ganga". The king dug a canal from the pond to the river Baitarani  which is aso available now and is named 'Shiva Mahara' to connect the river with the pond. It facilitated country boats to carry materials for construction of the pucca temple. The King Harihar Bhanja Deo passed away in 1839 AD. His queen Satyabhama Patamahadei completed what her husband had started. 
Now the temple stands as an immortal deed of King Harihar Bhanja  Deo and Satyabhama Patta mahadei. 
As per government record, in 1839 Akhandaleswar temple at Aradi was a wooden temple and the present temple was built after 1839.

Muktesvara Temple,Khurdha

Muktesvara Temple

Muktesvara deula  is a 10th century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Siva located in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India. The temple dates back to 970 A.D., is a monument of singular importance in the study of the development of Hindu temples in Orissa. In this stylistic development the Mukteswara plays a pivotal role; it marks the culmination of all earlier developments, and initiates a period of experiment which continues for an entire century, as seen in such temples as the Rajarani Temple and Lingaraj temple, both located in Bhubaneswar.

Mukteswar Temple

The temples most striking feature is the torana, or the arched gateway, dating back to about 900 A.D. and showing the influence of Buddhist architecture. The Gateway to the Mukteswara Temple, modeled on the torana recovered from the field in Bhubaneswar, bears sculptures that range from elaborate scrolls to pleasant female forms and figures of monkeys and peacocks. The arched gateway has thick pillars that have strings of beads and other ornaments carved on statues of smiling women in languorous repose. The porch is a waller chanber with a low, massive roof, and internal pillars are wholly wanting. The combination of vertical and horizontal lines is skillfully arranged so as to give dignity of buildings of moderate height. This early astylar form of the temple is best illustrated in this temple.

Maa Sarala Temple, Jagatsinghpur

Maa Sarala Temple, Jagatsinghpur

Maa Sarala Temple

The Sarala Temple is a Hindu temple in the district of Jagatsinghpur, Orissa, India. The temple is accessible by road from Jagatsinghpur,Cuttack and Paradeep. The nearest airport is Bhubaneshwar, which is approximately 80 km, and is well connected by road. The nearest railway station is Cuttack; however, there is a small Passenger Halt at Sarala Road, near Tentulipada. The temple can be reached via Jagatsinghpur, or Tarapur by road, from Cuttack.

Maa Saarala is a Hindu goddess who patronizes the cultures of Vaishnav and Shakta. Rarely does one find the use of Vilva Patra and Tulasi patra in any temple, as they are symbols of two distinct divisions of Hindu culture.

Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar

Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar

Lingaraj Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Harihara, another name for Shiva and is one of the oldest temples of Bhubaneswar, a revered pilgrimage center and the capital of the state of Orissa, India.

The temple of Lingaraja, the biggest of all at Bhubaneswar, is located within a spacious compound wall of laterite measuring 520 feet by 465 feet. The wall is 7 feet 6 inches thick and surmounted by a plain slant coping. Alongside the inner face of the boundary wall there runs a terrace probably meant to protect the compound wall against outside aggression.

As observed by Ramesh Prasad Mohapatra, the temple of Lingaraja is by far the most notable monument of Bhubaneswar. Rising to a height of about one hundred and eighty feet and dominating the entire landscape it represents the quintessence of the Kalinga Architecture and the culminating result of the architectural tradition at Bhubaneswar

Lingaraj Temple

Lingaraaj means The king of Lingam, the symbol of Shaivism. Shiva is here worshipped as Tribhuvaneshwara (Master of three worlds, i.e. Heaven, Earth and Netherworld). His consort is called Bhuvaneshvari.

The temple is more than 1100 years old, dating back in its present form to the last decade of the eleventh century, though there is evidence that parts of the temple have been there since sixth century CE as the temple has been emphasized in some of the seventh century Sanskrit texts. This is testimony to its sanctity and importance as a Shiva shrine. By the time the Lingaraj temple was constructed, the Jagannath(form of Vishnu) cult had been growing, which historians believe is evidenced by the co-existence of Vishnu and Shiva worship at the temple.

Sun Temple, Konark

Sun Temple, Konark

Konark is one of the well known tourist attractions of Orissa. Konark, Konark houses a colossal temple dedicated to the Sun God. Even in its ruinedstate it is a magnificient temple reflecting the genius of the architects that envisioned and built it. Bhubaneshwar, Konark and Puri constitute the Golden triangle of Orissa, visited in large numbers by pilgrims and tourists.

Konark is also known as Konaditya. The name Konark is derived form the words Kona - Corner and Arka - Sun; it is situated on the north eastern corner of Puri or the Chakrakshetra. Konark is also known as Arkakshetra.

Konark Temple

This temple built in 1278 CE by the Ganga King Narasimha Deva is one of the grandest temples of India and was referred to as the BlackPagoda. The ruins of this temple were excavated in late 19th century. The tower over the Garbagriha is missing, however the Jagmohana is intact, and even in this state, it is awe inspiring.

Legend has it that Samba, the king of Krishna and Jambavati entered the bathing chamber of Krishna's wifes, and was cursed by Krishna with leprosy. It was decreed that he would be relieved of the curse by worshipping the sun God on the sea coast north east of Puri. Accordingly Samba reached Konaditya Kshetra and discovered an image of Surya seated on the lotus, worshipped him and was relieved of his curse.

It is said that the temple was not completed as conceived because the foundation was not strong enough to bear the weight of the heavy dome. Local beleif has it that it was constructed in entirety, however its magnetic dome caused ships to crash near the seashore, and that the dome was removed and destroyed and that the image of the Sun God was taken to Puri.

The Temple: The Konark temple is widely known not only for its architectural grandeur but also for the intricacy and profusion of sculptural work. 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. Seven horses drag the temple. Two lions guard the entrance, crushing elephants. A flight of steps lead to the main entrance.

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple, Puri

The celebrated Temple of Lord Jagannath now existent at Puri was constructed by Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev in 12th century A.D. The wooden images of Jagannath Balabhadra and Subhadra were installed in that temple. The management of the temple continued under the Hindu rulers till 1558, when the State of Orissa was conquered by the Afghan Nawab of Bengal and the temple was attacked by the Afgan General KALAPAHADA. Then, an independent Khurda kingdom was established by Ramachandra Deb, who assumed the management of the temple.

He consecrated the temple and reinstalled the deities. Raja Mansingh, a General of the Mughal King Akbar, defeated the Afghans and annexed Orissa in to the Mughal dominion. It remained under the Mughals till 1751 A.D. Till 1760, the temple continued under the Khurda Raja, who was paying tribute to Mughals and Marhattas. Marhattas took up direct management of the temple till 1803. The Britishers annexed Orissa into British empire in 1803 and allowed Puri Raja to manage the temple. The position continued till 1947.

Jagannath Temple

According to recently discovered copper plates from the Ganga dynasty, the construction of the current Jagannath temple was initiated by the ruler of Kalinga, Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev. The Jaga mohan and the Vimana portions of the temple were built during his reign (1078 - 1148 CE). However, it was only in the year 1174 CE that the Oriya ruler Ananga Bhima Deva rebuilt the temple to give a shape in which it stands today.

Jagannath worship in the temple continued until 1558, when Orissa was attacked by the Afghan general Kalapahad. Subsequently, when Ramachandra Deb established an independent kingdom at Khurda in Orissa, the temple was consecrated and the deities reinstalled.

Historical Point of View

The history of Odisha spans over 3,500 years and it is atypical from the history of the northern plains in many ways.Many of the common generalizations that are made about Indian history doesn't apply to the Oriya region. The word Oriya is an anglicised version of oṛia, which itself is a modern name for the Odra or Udra tribes that inhabited the central belt of modern Odisha.Odisha has been the home of the Kalinga, Utkal,Kantara/Mahakantara and Kosal (South) that played a particularly prominent role in the region's history and one of the earliest references to the ancient Kalingas appears in the writings of Vedic chroniclers.In the 6th century, Vedic Sutrakara Baudhayana mentions Kalinga as being beyond the Vedic fold, indicating that Brahminical influences had not yet touched the land.Unlike some other parts of India, tribal customs and traditions played a significant role in shaping political structures and cultural practices right up to the 15th century when brahminical influences triumphed over competing traditions and caste differentiation began to inhibit social mobility and erode what had survived of the ancient republican tradition.

                                                         (rare picture of konark sun temple)