Sunday, January 31, 2016

Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar !

Continued from the last blog - Sai Baba and 64-Yogini temple at Bhubaneswar, Orrisa !  
Sri Ram-Mandir, Bhubaneswar

We returned from the 64 - Yogini Temple after "darshan" and it was well past 12 noon. Due to the temple visit we had not taken our breakfast. Today's temple visit was complete and we felt hungry. The driver stopped the vehicle near the "Sai Baba Temple" on the Cuttack - Puri bypass road. There were some roadside "Dhabas". We ate some "Pakodas", local biscuits and took tea. After taking refreshments we came back to hotel and took some rest. We decided to visit "Ram-Mandir" next day. So took our lunch and went to nearby 'City Market'. After a few hours we returned to our room. In the evening we all wanted to have some tea but the hotel tea was not to our like. Earlier we had tasted the tea of roadside stall near the 'Janpath'. My wife is a tea lover and said that the stall tea gives refreshment. She was not ready to have hotel tea. So we all went to the stall and ordered good strong tea made afresh. The old man said to wait for ten minutes started his work. We waited, chatted and saw the evening market and people. But within five minutes the sky was full of clouds and it started raining. There was hardly any shelter available there to keep us dry. The small two ft 'chhajja' projection of the shop was whatever available. First we tried to save our cloths but soon we realized that it was better to keep our head dry than cloths. It was my wife's persistence to come here so I was not happy but she and my daughter was enjoying this rain and said that such things remain in the memory lane for ever. They were true. 

           In the rainy season plenty of mushrooms are available in Bhubaneswar. At many places black colored mushrooms can be seen being sold at Rs 100 to 120 a kg. These look local products while in our city nowhere one can get less than Rs 200 a kg whatever be the type of mushroom. Even the mushroom dish in the hotels are available at half the price from our city. So whenever we come here mushroom dishes are on our top of the list for food. Between our hotel and railway station was a restaurant named "Ankit Hotel". It is a good place for food which is always full of visitors. We took our dinner there and came to room for a night's rest.  

An idol with snake's head
at the entrance of Ram Mandir,
Bhubaneswar

               Next morning we got ready by 9:00 AM and called an auto for "Ram-Mandir". This temple is hardly 2-3 km from the hotel we stayed. It is a neat and clean temple with marble floors and outer walls having red in color. The front gate have many idols on its walls. Some of the idols attract attention because their heads are that of a snake. The main temple is a big hall at six ft above the ground level where devotees reach by ascending wide marble steps in the front. At the far end of the hall are three temples. Just in the front is idols of "Ram-darbar" while on the right is Hanuman temple. On the left hand is temple of Radha-Krishna. Each temple has its own "Pundit ji". We prayed in all these temples and got "Prasad". Then sat in the hall facing gods for some time. 

                Near the gate on both sides there are more temples in which Ganesh, Shiva, Durga and Rani Sati are the main temples. In the Shiva temple, the Pundit-Ji sits on its entrance and devotees are not allowed to enter the inside. But they have made an arrangement for the devotees to offer "Jal" (water) to "Shivalinga" from a small side window. An iron channel is fixed from the window to "Shivalinga" that helps water to fall on it. We bought some flowers and "Prasad" from shops just near the Shiva-temple. The flowers included "Lotus" too. Shiva likes "Lotus". 

              After the Shiva-Puja we said our "Pranam" in other temples. There is sufficient arrangement for water and "Drinking-water" to the left of the entrance.

The shop near the entrance of
Ram Mandir,Bhubaneswar
A good place for having "Nashta"

                 Completing our Puja we took our slippers from the shoe-stand outside where we had deposited them. The person here is paid Rs 1.00 for each pair of shoes. Now we felt hungry and went to the shop just at the side of the "Ram-Mandir". This shop is simple in looking but its breakfast items (Nashta) are tasty and satisfying. There are many items and all fresh. That is why whenever we visit Bhubaneswar and come "Ram-Mandir" for puja, we take our breakfast here.                                                        
Box Office at INOX,
Bhubaneswar

                 After breakfast we had sufficient spare time in hand because our train to home was in the night. So we decided to see some movies. About 1.5 km from "Ram-Mandir" is INOX multiplex. We went there by auto. Two super-hit movies were being shown there- "Baahubali" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan". Since my family likes light hearted movies so we chose later one. It was really worth seeing. 

                   After that we did some marketing in the BMC mall in which INOX is situated and returned back to hotel. Our Bhubaneswar journey was full of enjoyment and satisfying. That night we boarded our train to back home. 

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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Sai Baba and 64-Yogini temple at Bhubaneswar, Orissa !

Continued from the last Blog - Kedar Gouri, Siddheswara, Mukteswara and Parasurameswara Temples at Bhubaneswar, Orissa!  

64-Yogini Temple/Chousathi Yogini Mandir at Hirapur, Bhubaneswar

               Our taxi driver was a devotee of "Shirdi Wale Sai Baba". We had no earlier plan to visit "Sai temple" here but since he was not sure to visit "64-Yogini Temple" so he requested us to visit his "Ishtdeva" (Favorite god) temple - Sai Baba Temple. We still had time in hand and no other taxi or auto driver was ready to go to "64-Yogini Temple" so we agreed. About four kilometers from "Kedar Gouri" temple we reached near the "Cuttack - Puri" bypass road. We saw some other old temples on the way that were similar in architecture to "Lingaraja Temple" which is called "Kalinga Architecture". But did not alight from the vehicle because these temples are mostly of archaeological interest and very few are visited by devotees. 
Mahadev Temple in the
campus of  64-Yogini Temple
Bhubaneswar

               Just crossing the "Cuttack - Puri" bypass road the driver stopped the vehicle at the entrance of Sai Baba Temple and requested us to visit there. Though the campus was not large like just visited other temples but it was very well maintained. The front garden had green grass and many flowering plants. On the ground floor was a big hall for "Dhyana" and Sai Baba Temple was on the first floor. The stairs to the first floor were in the front. 

Goddess Kali in Hibiscus
at 64 Yogini Temple,
Bhubaneswar

                The temple is, in fact, a big hall. The white 'Sai' idol is placed on an elevated platform and somewhat larger than life-size. Many red roses were put on the feet of 'Sai'. The clean and peaceful ambiance of the temple was impressive. We offered our "pranam" to 'Sai' and came back and thanked the driver for bringing us to this temple. In the meantime, the driver had collected some information about the location of "64-Yogini Temple". He told me that he would take us there because we have already come to halfway distance. We got into the vehicle and headed towards "64-Yogini Temple". We saw that "64-Yogini Temple" also called "Chousathi Yogini Mandir" is located in a village named Hirapur that was outside the town of Bhubaneswar. In fact, we crossed a wide river named "Kuakhai" (which is a distributary of Mahanadi) and drove on a road that was parallel to the river. A canal was also on the other side of the road. After about four km travel from the Sai Baba Temple, we took a left turn from the riverside road. Half a km on this village road and we had a big pond in front of us. This was "64-Yogini Pond". At this point, we had roads on both turns. The driver asked a local person who told that road on the right is for Hirapur village while on the left is Chousathi Yogini Mandir. So we turned left and 100 m away we reached our destination.

                 It was a peaceful place away from the rush of a city. The temple campus is secured with fencing and a small gate is opened for visitors. Near this gate was a small shop. Very few visitors were present at that time. The temple complex is maintained by Archaeological Survey of India and a caretaker is appointed for this place. When we entered through the gate we saw a Pundit Ji. He showed us the campus and the temples. In fact, only two temples were in the small campus. Near the gate, on the left-hand side, a small Shiva temple was there. We said our "Pranam" to Shiva who is here with a name of "Kusheswara Mahadeva" or something like that. I saw a big flower on "Shivalinga" that was in size of a lotus but cream in color. It had five petals. I had never seen such a flower before. Since I am interested in flowers of worship so I asked Pundit Ji about it. He told me that it was a flower of worship and local people offer it to Shiva but he could not tell me its actual name. 

Goddess Mahamaya, the main Yogini
at Chousathi Yogini Temple
at Bhubaneswar

                On the right of this temple in the open is a Vishnu idol. Next, we visited the main temple that is "64-Yogini Temple". Apart from Pundit ji, an old man came with us whom we did not know. He was showing us the temple like a guide without asking for it. When I inquired about him, he told me that he was the caretaker. He showed us inside and outside of the temple. He had some books in a bag with him, one of which was on this "64-Yogini Temple" written by some research scholar. He tried to sell it to me too.  

                It is a unique temple. Made of sandstone blocks in a circular shape but without a roof. It is called "Hypaethral Architecture". These types of temples are made for "Tantra-sadhana". Very few temples of "yoginis" are found in India and most of them are in Orrisa and Madhya Pradesh. This "64-Yogini Temple" at Hirapur village is constructed in the ninth century. All of these 64 "yoginis" are manifestations of "Adishakti" or "Durga" into demi-goddesses. Their idols are in black granite and in each of these idols these "yoginis" are standing overheads of animals or humans. It symbolizes the superiority of the heart over the mind. 56 of the 64 idols are placed along the inner side of the circular wall in rectangular cavities. Rest eight are on the four sides of a platform made in the center of the temple. Some say that there was an idol of "Bhairava" on this platform. There may be truth in it because "Adishakti" is always worshiped with "Shiva" who is also "Bhairava". The "yogini" directly in front of the entrance is seen through the platform and she is "Mahamaya". Most of the idols are now damaged to some extent. When we went inside the temple we saw two sisters from the nearby village preparing 64 "Deep" (earthen lamp for worship) with 'ghee' and 'Baati' (cotton thread). These were for 64 "Yoginis" worship. Some idols are also placed on the outer wall. Since "Adishakti" is nature itself so the "Sadhaka" here tries to connect with nature through 'Yoga' in the 'Tantra-sadhana' and no-roof helps him in doing so. 

Yoginis in damaged state at 64-Yogini Temple
at Hirapur, Bhubaneswar

                   The caretaker as a guide was showing us the idols in his own typical style. When seeing the temple was over we gave some money to both persons - Pundit Ji and Caretaker. Just in front of the temple is a big platform which is called "Surya-chabootara" (Platform of the Sun). Apart from these structures, there is one more thing that may attract the attention of visitors and it is a thick-walled small diameter water well. Its diameter is hardly one meter. There are green grasses and a few flower-trees in the campus. One of them "Swarn-Champa" tree is planted mainly in temples. In Bhubaneswar, I saw these trees near the gate of many houses.
Surya Chabootara at 64-Yogini
Temple Campus, Bhubaneswar

                    We stayed there for some more time and snapped some pictures. It was a peaceful and nice place. Now our driver was eager to return back. We were satisfied and got back into our taxi for the return journey.   

(Next visit to "Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar" - journey details in coming blog) 

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Kedar Gouri, Siddheswara, Mukteswara and Parasurameswara Temples at Bhubaneswar, Orissa !

Continued from the post - Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneshwar- लिंगराज मंदिर,भुवनेश्वर  !  

The beautiful Mukteshwara Temple at Bhubaneswar

         The three temples of Siddheswara, Mukteswara and Parasurameswara are near to each other. These are about 2 km from the Lingaraja Temple. The driver parked the vehicle on the side of the main road. From there we had to walk about 150 ft. On the right side was the beautiful campus of  Siddheswara and Mukteswara temple while on the left we saw a temple of Kedaar Gauri. While we could see a few tourists in the campus of Siddheswara and Mukteswara temple, the Kedar Gouri temple was buzzing with devotees. We decided to visit Kedar Gouri temple first. Like every other "Bhagawati" temple there were many flower and "prasad" shops near the gate of the temple. Buying some "prasad" we entered the main gate of the temple where on the both sides big lion statues welcome the devotees and went to Ganesha temple first. Then worshiped in Gouri temple, Kedar temple and Hanuman temple. There is a pond behind the temples. The Shivalinga in the Kedar temple is at lower level than the entrance level. In front of this temple there is a big "Bakul" tree in the courtyard. Beneath is worshiped "Mangala Bhagawati" which was established many years ago by a "Sadhu"  who lived here. Numerous small "Bakul" flowers had fallen from the tree and looked beautiful. 

 Siddheshwara Temple at Bhubaneswar

               After coming out of the temple complex we asked a local person about Siddheswara and Mukteswara temples. He told me that there is another old temple of "Parashurameshwar" 200 ft ahead. From there you come to Siddheswara and Mukteswara temples. These are interconnected. All four of us walked to "Parashurameshwar" temple. Its campus is small and big trees do not allow grass to grow in the campus. The outside of the temple has also weathered to some extent. When we entered the temple only a priest came to perform his own worship. No other tourist or devotee was coming. In the poorly lit hall, we said our "Pranam" to "Parashurameshwar" Shivalinga and came out. Without coming to the road we entered the campus of Siddheswara and Mukteswara temple through the interconnected gate. This campus was well-maintained. The lawn looks good with green grass. The flowerbeds were planted with "Vaijayanti" flower plants. Yellow flowers with red dots were attractive. Two temples were about 100 ft apart. We first visited Siddheswara Temple. All these temples are based on Kalinga architecture. No one was inside this temple. I offered a "Shivalinga" flower to God that I had bought inside the Lingaraja temple to have a picture of it because inside it they do not allow cameras. 
Canna Lily (Vaijayanti) flower in
the lawn of  Siddheswara Temple

                  Next, we visited the Mukteshwara temple. Its stone arch gate is marvelous. There was a priest there who was giving us information about the architecture of the temple. He showed us an eight petaled carved lotus at the top of the ceiling in the chamber just before the "Garva-griha". Then we saw the campus and took some pictures. We saw a pond behind the Mukteshwara temple in which some devotees were taking a dip.  

An ornamental tree in
the campus of Siddheswara
Temple,Bhubaneswar

                 When we came back to our vehicle we asked our driver whether he had gone to "64-Yogini temple" before and would he take us there. He had not visited there. Some people told him that it was on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and about 14 km away. So he declined but requested us to visit the "Sai Baba" temple here. He was his follower. We still had time, so we agreed and took our seats in the taxi and set on for the "Sai Baba" temple. 

 Next part of our journey at Bhubaneswar, in the coming blog ... !! 

Sai Baba and 64-Yogini temple at Bhubaneswar, Orissa!                 

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