ORISSA TEMPLES

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES
LOCATION :-

State :- Orissa.
District :- puri.
•Culture :-Sanctum Jagannath
Major festivals :- Ratha Yatra
Chandan Yatra
Snana Yatra
Nabakalebara

•Architecture :-Kalinga Architecture

•Number of temples :- 31
 Starting from Lord Jagannath himself, history has it that he was a tribal
deity, adorned by the Sabar people, as a symbol of Narayan.
 Another legend claims him to be Nilamadhava, an image of Narayana
made of blue stone and worshipped by the aboriginals.
 He was brought to Nilagiri (blue mountain) or Nilachala and installed
there as Shri Jagannath in company with Balabhadra and Subhadra. The
images made of wood are also claimed to have their distant linkage with
the aboriginal system of worshipping wooden poles.
 To cap it all the Daitapatis, who have a fair share of responsibilities to
perform rituals of the Temple, are claimed to be descendants of the
aboriginals or hill tribes of Odisha. So we may safely claim that the
beginning of the cultural history of Shrikshetra is found in the fusion of
Hindu and Tribal Cultures.
 This has been accepted as a facet of our proud heritage.
 The three deities came to be claimed as the symbols of Samyak
Darshan, Samyak Jnana and Samyak Charita usually regarded as Triratha
(of the Jain cult), an assimilation of which leads to Moksha (salvation) or
the ultimate bliss...
 Jagannath is worshipped as Vishnu or Narayana or Krishna and
Lord Balabhadra as Shesha. Simultaneously, the deities are
regarded as the bhairava with Vimala(the devi or the consort of
Shiva) installed in the campus of the temple.
 So ultimately we find a fusion
of Saivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism of the Hindu religion
with Jainism and up to an extent Buddhism in the culture of
Jagannath and the cultural tradition so reverently held together in
Shrikshetra.
 The huge temple complex covers an area of over 400,000
square feet (37,000 m2), and is surrounded by a high
fortified wall. This 20 feet (6.1 m) high wall is known as
Meghanada Pacheri.Another wall known as kurma bedha
surrounds the main temple.It contains at least 120 temples
and shrines. With its sculptural richness and fluidity of the
Oriya style of temple architecture, it is one of the most
magnificent monuments of India.The temple has four
distinct sectional structures, namely -
 Deula,Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where
the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of
Pearls). In Rekha Deula style;
 Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
 Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the
Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
 Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall).
LINGARAJA
TEMPLE
•The Lingaraj temple is the largest temple
in Bhubaneswar. James Fergusson (1808–
86), a noted critic and historian rated the
temple as "one of the finest examples of
purely Hindu temple in India“. It is
enshrined within a spacious compound
wall of laterite measuring 520 ft (160 m)
by 465 ft (142 m).
• The wall is 7.5 ft (2.3 m) thick and
surmounted by a plain slant coping.
Alongside the inner face of the boundary
wall, there is a terrace to protect the
compound wall against outside
aggression.
•The tower is 45.11 m (148.0 ft) high and
the complex has 150 smaller shrines in its
spacious courtyard. Each inch of the 55 m
(180 ft) tall tower is sculpted.
• The door in the gate of the entrance
porch is made of sandalwood
.
 Parsurameswar, located in the East Indian city of Bhubaneswar,
the capital of Odessa, is considered the best preserved specimen
of an early Orissa Hindu temple dated to the Shailodbhava period
between the 7th and 8th centuries CE.
 The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and is one of the
oldest existing temples in the state. It is believed to have been
built around 650 CE in Nagara style and has all the main features
of the pre-10th century Orissa-style temples.
 The temple is one among the Parashurameshvara group of
temples.
 Parashurameshvara Temple was built by the Shailodbhavas, who
had Shiva as their family deity.
 The Shailodbhavas also respected the Shakta deities and depicted
Shakta images on the walls of the temple.
 The temple was repaired in 1903, with some changes in the roof of
the inner sanctum, whilst retaining most of the original structure.
 Being located in the eastern coast, Parashurameshvara, like other
Orissan temples, was not much affected by Muslim invasions of the
12–13th centuries.
 In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by
the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a ticketed monument
 The Orissa temples have two parts: the sanctum,
called vimana, and a place from where pilgrims
view the sanctum, called the jagamohana (hall of
worshippers). Parashurameshvara Temple is the
first to have this additional structure.
 The sanctum of the temple measures
9.88 × 9.75 ft (3.0 × 3.0 m) from the inside,
19.75 × 21 ft (6.0 × 6.4 m) from the outside and has
a height of 40.25 ft (12.3 m)
 The jagamohana is rectangular in shape and has a
two-element sloping roof with clerestory windows
between them.[The jagamohana measures
24.94 × 18.33 ft (7.6 × 5.6 m) from the inside and
29.33 × 28.58 ft (8.9 × 8.7 m) from the outside
 The temple is one of the earliest examples of
the Nagara style of Hindu temple architecture that
emphasizes vertical structure, as seen in
subsequent temples
like Mukteshvara, Lingaraj and Rajarani in
Bhubaneswar and the Sun Temple at Konark.
.
 Mukteshvara Temple is a 10th-century Hindu temple
dedicated to Shiva located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. The
temple dates back to 950–975 CE and is a monument of
importance in the study of the development of Hindu
temples in Odisha. The stylistic development the Mukteswar
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.It is one of the prominent
tourist attractions of the city
•The Mukteshvara Temple is found to be the earliest
work from the Somavamshi period.
•Most scholars believe the temple is the successor
to Parashurameshvara Temple and built earlier to
the Brahmeswara Temple (1060 CE).
• Percy Brown puts the date of construction of the
temple to 950 CE. The presence of a torana, which is
not part of any other temple in the region, makes this
temple unique and some of the representations
indicate the builders were starters of a new culture.
•K.C. Panigrahi places the temple to be built during
966 CE and postulates that the Somavamshi king
Yayati I built the temple.
•He also associates the legend of Kirtivassa to this
temple, but the postulation is not accepted as
Kirtivasa is associated with Lingaraja, though both
were built at the same time for the same deity, Shiva.
• There is no historic evidence to conclude that Yayati
had built the temple.
 This architecture is one of the
basic reasons why Mukteshvara
Temple is also known as the "Gem
of Odisha architecture".
 The temple faces west and is
constructed in a lower basement
amidst a group of temples.
 The pyramidal roof to
the jagamohana present in the
temple was the first of its kind
over the conventional two tier
structure.
 The temple is a small one
compared to other larger temples
in Bhubaneswar.
 The temples is enclosed within an
octagonal compound wall with
elaborate carvings on it.
 It is believed that the
experiment of newer pattern in
the temple showed a mature
phase compared to its
predecessors and culminated
the beginning of replication of
similar pattern in the later
temples in the city.
 The temple has a porch,
called torana, which acts as the
gateway to the octagonal
compound.
 The temple has two structures
namely, the vimana(structure
above the sanctum) and
a mukhasala, the leading hall,
both of which are built on a
raised platform.
 The temple is the earlies to be
built in pithadeul type.
Kishakeshwari Temple is temple of Hindu Goddess
Chamunda alias Kali located in Khiching which was the
ancient capital of the Bhanja rulers, located about
205 km from Balasore and 150 km from Baripada in the
Mayurbhanj district of north Orissa
 Architecture
 The temple, made of chlorite, is architecturally brilliant and well carved
from its outer surface. This temple is one of the most impressive temple of
Kalinga architecture. The style of the temple is contemporary of the
Brahmeshwara and the Lingaraj temples of Bhubaneswar. Height of the
temple is 100 feet (30 m) and total area is 1,764 square feet (163.9 m2).
 The original temple was built somewhere in the 7th or the 8th century old
and was in bad shape as it had fallen in hands of vandals. However, the
erstwhile and last ruler of Princely State of Mayurbhanj Maharaja Pratap
Chandra Bhanj Deo was appalled of its state. He rehabilitated and
reconstructed the temple in the year 1934 spending an approximate
amount of Rs. 85,000, taking care not to disturb original sculptures of
Parasvadevatas, the Chaitya arches, the amorous couples, the scroll works
and the arabesques, which can still be seen in the original portions of the
temple.
 The temple is made up of black chlorite which faces towards the east and
consists of rekha vimana and stands over a high platform of 1.20 meters.
The interior is single roomed where the Goddess deity is present and
worshipped. The exteriors of temple is highly decorated, with
magnificent sculptors like nayakas, naga-nagin, Ganesha, Kirtimukha,
Khakharamundi and other divine god and goddess. The huge pillars
sculpted with Nagin are unique heritage of this temple.[2]
 Inside the complex there is a well preserved brick structure known as
Itamundhi
 The temple, made of chlorite, is architecturally brilliant and well
carved from its outer surface. This temple is one of the most
impressive temple of Kalinga architectureThe style of the temple is
contemporary of the Brahmeshwara and the Lingaraj temples of
Bhubaneswar Height of the temple is 100 feet (30 m) and total area
is 1,764 square feet (163.9 m2).
 The original temple was built somewhere in the 7th or the 8th
century old and was in bad shape as it had fallen in hands of
vandals. However, the erstwhile and last ruler of Princely State
ofMayurbhanj, Maharaja Pratap Chandra Bhanj Deo was appalled
of its state. He rehabilitated and reconstructed the temple in the
year 1934 spending an approximate amount of Rs. 85,000, taking
care not to disturb original sculptures of Parasvadevatas, the
Chaitya arches, the amorous couples, the scroll works and the
arabesques, which can still be seen in the original portions of the
temple.
 Thetemple is made up of black chlorite which
faces towards the east and consists of rekha
vimana and stands over a high platform of 1.20
meters. The interior is single roomed where the
Goddess deity is present and worshipped. The
exteriors of temple is highly decorated, with
magnificent sculptors like nayakas, naga-nagin,
Ganesha, Kirtimukha, Khakharamundi and other
divine god and goddess. The huge pillars
sculpted with Nagin are unique heritage of this
temple. Inside the complex there is a well
preserved brick structure known as tamundhi
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