A Taste of Bundelkhand in Odisha

 Hello friends, hope you all are going well. After a quite break today I am here again to share a new story with you. Its very different from my previous stories. Today I am not sharing an usual travel experience. Today, I am sharing a story of a famous temple. Many of you have visited the city, in fact traveled past the temple but did not spend some time here. So, lets begin. Hope you will enjoy this story...

Rajarani Temple

             India has a rich cultural diversity. These diversity is clearly visible once we visit the historical palaces and temples. Each dynasty has their own style of temple architecture. That is why temples in different region has a different styles of architectural plan. A temple in the southern part of country is very much different from that in Rajasthan or Gujarat. Similarly, a Mughal palace is very different from a Zamindari mansion of Southern West Bengal or Jharkhand. But this is not at all same everytime. Sometimes their are exceptions too. And today, my story is about such an exceptional temple, the Rajarani Temple of Bhubaneswar, Odisha... 

            Puri is a very common tourist destination for every people of Eastern India, specially Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand. While visiting Puri many of them enjoy safari tour to Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar. Rajarani Temple is on your way to Nandankanan Zoo from Puri. Many people comes to Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, for official and business trips. On such trips many of them offers puja at the Lingaraj Temple. This temple is very near to the Lingaraj Temple. But, it is really a wonder why people do not visit this magnificient temple. Bengali people has a lot of curiosity about this very temple, as a legendary Bengali detective story (Koilashe Kelenkari) has a reference about this temple. In fact, the story started with this temple and the temple has a huge role in the story. But Bengali tourists of Puri are reluctant to spend some time in this temple.

Stone cravings at its beauty

        But according to archaeological experts this is one of the most magnificient marvel of Odishan Architecture and this temple has a lot of architectural importance too. According to experts, this temple is very different from other Odiya temples. Why this is different? The following are the differences of this temples with other temples in Odisha...

        When it comes to Odishan style of temple architecture, the most striking form is the Rekh Deul form of architecture. In which it is seen that there is a single spire (chura) with horizontal ridge lines. But when it comes to Rajarani Temple, it is observed that this temple has 32 smaller spires to form a single large spire to cover and protect the sanctum (Garbhagriha). This feature is common in Chandela Temples of Khajuraho but in Odisha there is no other temples showing such architectural style. Again this temple has a Pancharatha structure which is very much Odishan, as temples of Khajuraho or other places of Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh has a Saptaratha plan.

32 small spires making a single large spire

(view from Back)

        In Odisha, it is generally seen that the Temples are made up of Laterite rocks locally available. But this temple is made up of  Red sandstone, which is very common in Central and Northern India. According to some scholars, this type of sandstone is locally known as Rajarani Stone. And from this stone the temple is known as Rajarani Temple. Though their are a lot of confussion about the source from which the temple got its name.

        In Odisha, the temples dedicated to Lord Shiva has a name which ends with an 'Eshwar' like the Kedareshwar Temple, Mukteshwar, Parasurameshwar or Sidhheswar Temple of Bhubaneswar, Chandaneswar Temple of Balasore, etc. Temples dedicated to Vishnu, Parvati or any other god has the name of the respective God and Goddesses, like the Jagannath Temple of Puri, Sun Temple of Konark, Vaital Deul of Bhubaneswar or Samaleswari Temple of Sambalpur etc. But here, it is very different. Here, Rajarani is not the deity. In fact, why the temple has got this name is still matter of debate. 

Such works very uncommon in Odisha temples

        The female figures in the walls of this temple is very unlike to that of other Odisha temples. Their postures are very much similar to figures in Laxman Temple, Chitragupta Temple or Vishwanath Temples of Khajuraho. Both in look and appearence those figures has a Chandela resemblence, which is very much different from that of Odiya style where figures generally portrays different forms of dance and cultural rituals. Nagkanyas on the side of the main entrance of the temple is a taste of Odiya style of sculpture but presence of Nayikas shows very much Bundeli or Chandela resemblence.

Nagakanya

        In historical point of view there are lot of controversies among the scholars about the founder and the date of commissioning of this temple. It is believed that this temple was built sometimes in mid 11th century contemporary to the Jagannath Temple of Puri. The Somvansi Kingdom who migrated to Odisha from Central India were behind the construction of this temple. And the main deity of this temple was Indra, the family deity of the Somvansi Kingdom. Scholars of this group opined that the original name of this Temple was Indreswara Temple. But many modern historians do not support this theory. According to them, this temple was constructed sometime between late 11th century to early 12th century and is contemporary to the Lingraj Temple and the Ananta Basudev Temple of Bhubaneswar. They opined that this temple was originally dedicated to Lord Shiva, though later it was abandoned.

        According to local legends, this temple was an unfinished temple. So, there is no deity inside the sanctum. Though historians did not support this view.

     

Nayikas, very uncommon in Odisha Temples in such postures

        But with so many debate with the origin of the temples, historians are united in the matter that this temple is an example of a mixture of Odiya and Central Indian style of Architecture. According to a group of historians, most probably this temple is the result of a matrimonial relation between a Kalinga king with a Chandela Princess. 

           So friends, hope you have enjoyed this story. So, during your next Bhubaneswar tour just keep a some time for this temple. And for Puri tourists, it is really a treat to visit the lesser known temples of Bhubaneswar. Lingraj temple, Kedareshwar temple, Vaithal Deul, Parasurameswar Temple, Mukteswar and Siddheswar Temple, Anant Vasudev Temple, all are very near to this temple. Visiting these temples you will get the real essence of old Odisha and understand why the city of Bhubaneswar was mentioned as Ekamra Kshetra, ie, The Temple City...

            So, today it is all over. I will be right back with a new place very shortly. And yes, before leaving, here is a treat for Bengali readers of this blog. Previously, I had mentioned about a legendary Bengali Story. Yes, in that story famous private investigator Pradosh C. Mitter, alias Feluda had gone to Ellora Caves for a investigation against some international rackets. This story begins with a headline that a group of culprits had broken a female figure (Yakshi) from the walls of Rajarani Temple. Feluda at last recovered the broken face of the figure intact at Ellora. Yes, here is the picture of that type of female figure for you... Good night and stay safe...

Yakshi 

NB-- Every year from 18th to 20th January the Odisha Tourism organises International Music Festival on this temple premises in association with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Govt of India.