Siddheshwar Temple, Krosjhuri, West Bengal

Siddheshwar Temple, Krosjhuri, West Bengal

Siddheshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Krosjhuri village in Kashipur block in Purulia District in the Indian state of West Bengal. The temple has been classified as a state protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The Temple

The temple complex has two entrances. The main entrance has idol of lion on either side guarding the shrine. The temple is a new structure built over the remains of an ancient structure. The temple is rectangular on plan. and has a small shikara over the sanctum. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Siddheshwar, in the form of Shiva Linga.

The Linga might be the original Linga from the ancient temple. The remains of the ancient structure indicate the structure might have been a rekha vimana of nagara style. The temple houses a sculpture of Mahishasura Mardini, hero stones, sculptures, door frame, architectural fragments and ancient artifacts collected from the nearby area as well as from the temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 10 Kms from Talajuri, 11 Kms from Indrabil Railway Station, 13 Kms from Kashipur, 15 Kms from Kashipur Bus Stand, 50 Kms from Bankura, 51 Kms from Purulia, 174 Kms from Ranchi Airport and 225 Kms from Kolkata. The Temple is situated at about 10 Kms from Talajuri on Kashipur to Bankura route.

Location

Gopalji Matha Temple, Sambalpur, Odisha

Gopalji Matha Temple, Sambalpur, Odisha

Gopalji Matha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located in Sambalpur City in Sambalpur District in Odisha, India. The Temple is currently under the control of Endowment Department, Government of Odisha. The Temple is situated on the left bank of the river Mahanadi at Kamil Bazar.

History

Gopalji Matha Temple Complex was built by the saint prince Bansi Gopal, the third son of Madhukara Deva (1630-1650 CE), the fourth Chauhan ruler of Sambalpur. Bansi Gopal founded the Gopalji Matha and spent his whole life as its first Mahanta. He had constructed two temples in this Matha complex, one is Gopalji temple and the other is Bada Jagannath temple. It is currently under the control of Endowment Department, Government of Odisha.

The Temple

This temple is facing towards east. The temple consists of vimana and jagamohana. The vimana is square on plan and the jagamohana is oblong. The vimana and jagamohana of the temple follows the Khakhara pattern of architecture. The sanctum has two subsidiary lateral chambers on either sides opening to the oblong hall of the jagamohana of impoverished khakhara order. The Sanctum enshrines Lord Krishna with his consort Radha. The niches in the jangha portion of the wall houses several Vaishnavite images.

Bada Jagannath Temple:

The temple is situated inside the Gopalji Matha temple complex. It is a living temple and facing towards east. It is built on a raised platform and can be accessed through flight of steps on the eastern side. This temple consists of rekha vimana with a pradakshina patha and a flat roofed Jagamohana. The sanctum enshrines three images of Balabhadra, Jagannath and Subhadra. The niches on the exterior walls enshrines Krishna, Vishnu, Ganesha, Narasimha, Rudrani, Varaha, Rama, Parasurama and Vamana.

Festivals

Rathayatra, Dola Purnima, Rakhi Purnima, Kartika Purnima and Netrotsava, are the festivals celebrated here.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Sambalpur Junction Railway Station, 2 Kms from Sambalpur Bus Stand and 3 Kms from Sambalpur Road Railway Station. The Temple is situated on the left bank of the river Mahanadi at Kamil Bazar. Sambalpur is located at about 14 Kms from Hirakud, 53 Kms from Jharsuguda, 62 Kms from Jharsuguda Airport, 79 Kms from Sonepur, 124 Kms from Balangir and 275 Kms from Bhubaneshwar.

Sambalpur is connected to the rest of Odisha and India by national highway – NH 53 / Economic Corridor 1 (EC1), a part of Asian Highway – AH 46 (Mumbai – Kolkata Highway). NH 55 connects with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar,  State Highway 15 connects with Sonepur, State Highway 10 (SH10) connects with Jharsuguda and Rourkela and the Biju Expressway connects Rourkela – Sambalpur – Jagdalpur.

Location

Gopinatha Temple, Baideswar, Odisha

Gopinatha Temple, Baideswar, Odisha

Gopinatha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located in Baideswar Village in Cuttack District in Odisha State, India. The temple is situated on southern bank of the Mahanadi river. The temple is situated on Cuttack to Daspalla route.

History

The temple was constructed in the early 20^th century CE as per the inscription written on the walls of the jagamohana.

The Temple

This temple is facing towards east. The temple is pancharatha on plan and panchangabada in elevation. The temple consists of a rekha vimana, a pidha jagamohana and a garuda mandapa. The vimana and jagamohana are square on plan whereas the Garuda mandapa is rectangular on plan. The sanctum enshrines the images of Radha & Krishna over a high pedestal. Images of Varaha, Narasimha and Trivikrama are housed in the parsvadevta niches located around the sanctum walls.

The niches are designed like a miniature pidha vimana. The temple is adorned with miniature niches in the bada portion carved with the images of gods & goddesses from Hindu pantheon, Krishna Lila scenes, ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu and erotic images. The Garuda mandapa is decorated with paintings in floral design, Krishna Lila scenes, Kanchi Abhijana, Ganesa, Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra.

Festivals

Dolapurnima, Chandan Yatra and Byanjana Dwadasi are the festivals celebrated here.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Baideswar Bus Stand, 23 Kms from Begunia, 25 Kms from Begunia Railway Station, 41 Kms from Narasinghpur, 64 Kms from Daspalla, 65 Kms from Cuttack, 67 Kms from Bhubaneswar and 67 Kms from Bhubaneswar Airport. The Temple is situated on Cuttack to Daspalla route.

Location

Jagannath Temple, Jajpur, Odisha

Jagannath Temple, Jajpur, Odisha

Jagannath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, located in Jajpur Town in Jajpur District in Odisha State, India. It is a protected monument maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar Circle. The temple is located on the right bank of the river Vaitarani near the Dasasvamedhaghata.

History

The original temple was built by Ganga ruler Anangabhima Deva III (1212 – 1238 CE). The temple received extensive patronage from Gajapati Kings in 15^th century CE. Later, the temple suffered destruction at the hands of Afghans chief Suliman Karani in 1568 CE. The present temple was built by the Maratha King Raghuji Bhonsle in the second quarter of the 18^th century CE. The Temple is a protected monument maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar Circle.

The Temple

This Temple is facing towards east. The temple is saptaratha on plan and Panchangabada in elevation. The temple consists of rekha vimana, pidha antrala and pidha jagamohana. Both the vimana and jagamohana are square on plan and stands over a raised platform. The sanctum houses idols of Balabhadra, Jagannatha and Subhadra.

All these idols are placed on a high masonry pedestal. Nisha shrines can be seen over the Parsvadevatas niches. Idols of Ganesha, Vishnu, Parvati, Dhyani Buddha, Nardana Krishna, Mahisasuramardini Durga, female figurines, devotees, nayikas, dwarf figures, elephant, doorjamb fragments and architectural fragments can be seen in the temple premises.

Muktesvara Shrine:

This shrine is situated on the north west corner of the Jagannath temple complex. The shrine is believed to be built in 14^th century CE, but it houses 8^th century CE Vishnu idol dated to Bhaumakara period, 14^th century CE Parvati idol dated to Ganga period and idols of Shiva & Vishnu of later period probably dated to Maratha rule. This shrine is facing towards east. The shrine is Pancharatha on plan and Panchangabada in elevation. The shrine has a rekha vimana of Kalingan order and square on plan. It enshrines Muktesvara in the form of Shiva Linga within a circular yonipitha.

Festivals

Ratha Yatra, Netrotsava, Shivarathri, Kartika Purnima and Janmashtami are the festivals celebrated here.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 500 metres from Jajpur Bus Stand, 30 Kms from Jajpur Keonjhar Road Railway Station, 80 Kms from Cuttack, 103 Kms from Bhubaneshwar and 106 Kms from Bhubaneshwar Airport. Jajpur is well connected to Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar. Regular Buses are available from Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar to Jajpur Town.

Location

Jalesvara Temple, Kalarahanga – The Temple

Jalesvara Temple, Kalarahanga – The Temple

 This temple is facing towards east. The temple consists of a rekha vimana, an antrala, a pidha jagamohana and a detached nata mandapa. The temple is pancharatha on plan and panchanga bada in elevation. The vimana and jagamohana are square on plan. The sukanasa above the antarala is designed after a khakhara mundi, which is flanked by two miniature rekha vimana. There is a chaitya motif flanked by two conches and crowned by a kirtimukha which is surmounted by a gajakranta above the sukanasa.

The doorjambs has four vertical bands of decoration. Dvarapalas and river goddesses Ganga & Yamuna can be seen at the base of the doorjambs on either side. The lalatabimba houses images of Saraswathi and Ganesha within a pidha mundi niche. The architrave of the doorjamb is carved with the Navagrahas. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Jalesvara, in the form of Shiva Linga within a circular yonipitha. The raha niches enshrines the images of Ganesha in the south, Kartikeya in the east and Mahisasuramardini in the north.

The jangha portion is profusely carved with pidha mundi, khakhara mundi, rekha mundi and vajra mundi. The base of the gandi is decorated with a series of miniature rekha deul as angasikharas. Sculptures of gaja vidala, female figure with simha head, female figure on lotus pedestal, male dancing figure, female drummer, makara torana flanked by flying vidyadharas, five bulls, gajakranta, amorous couple, nayikas and Salabhanjika can be seen in the temple premises.

Jalesvara Temple, Kalarahanga – Connectivity

Jalesvara Temple, Kalarahanga – Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Patia Railway Station, 3 Kms from Patia, 6 Kms from Bhubaneswar New Railway Station, 11 Kms from Baramunda Bus Stand, 12 Kms from Bhubaneswar Railway Station and 15 Kms from Bhubaneswar Airport. The Temple is situated at about 3 Kms from Patia on the southern outskirt of the Kalarahanga Village on Bhubaneswar to Nandankanan Zoological Park route. Bhubaneswar is well connected to rest of India by Train, Air and Land.

By Road:

Bhubaneswar is connected to the rest of Odisha and India by National Highway-NH 16, NH 203, State Highway 13 (Odisha) and State Highway 27 (Odisha). Asian Highway – AH 45 passes through the city. Baramunda Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is the major bus terminus in the city from where buses ply to all the districts in Odisha as well as to neighbouring state's cities like Hyderabad, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Ranchi. City bus service (Mo Bus) runs across Bhubaneswar by Capital Region Urban Transport Authority run by Bhubaneswar Development Authority.

Nowadays popular online cab or auto transport system provided by Jugnoo, Ola, uber are widely used. Auto rickshaws are available for hire and on a share basis throughout the city. In parts of the city, cycle rickshaws offer short trips. Also, CRUT recently has launched Mo Cycle, a public bicycle Sharing platform to curb traffic, reducing pollution in city and providing last mile connectivity in city.

By Train:

Bhubaneswar railway station is one of the main stations of the Indian railway network. It is connected to major cities by daily express and passenger trains and daily service to all metro cities is available from here.

By Air:

Biju Patnaik International Airport, also known as Bhubaneswar Airport, located to the south of the city Centre, is the major and sole international airport in Odisha. There are daily domestic flights from Bhubaneswar to Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Bangalore. There are international flights from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok, Dubai and Kualalumpur thrice a week.

Jalesvara Temple, Kalarahanga, Odisha

Jalesvara Temple, Kalarahanga, Odisha

Jalesvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Kalarahanga Village in the northern outskirt of Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha, India. The Temple is situated at about 3 Kms from Patia on the southern outskirt of the Kalarahanga Village on Bhubaneswar to Nandankanan Zoological Park route. 

Legends

As per legend, the king of Chudanga Gada was an ardent devotee of Lord Lingaraja. He used to visit Lingaraja Temple and worship Lord Lingaraja every day without fail. Due to the heavy floods during the rainy season, he was not able to visit the Lingaraja Temple. The worried king prayed to Lord Lingaraja for solution. Lord Lingaraja appeared in his dream and advised him to construct a temple in the centre of a nearby lotus pond where the Lord resides. As advised, the king built the temple on the western embankment of the Jalesvara pond. He also gave land grants for conducting the rituals and for maintenance of the temple to the Brahmins of Rahanga Sasan and other Sevayatas. Hence, the place came to be called as Kalarahanga.

History

The temple was constructed in 12^th century CE by the Somavamsis. As per local folklore, the temple is believed to be built by Somavamsi King Padma Keshari. The temple is a protected monument maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, Bhubaneswar Circle.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2021/12/jalesvara-temple-kalarahanga-temple.html

Festivals

Shiva Vivaha, Shivarathri, Janmashtami, Dola Purnima, Sitalasasti, Chandana Yatra, Pindadana and Dhanu Makara are the festivals celebrated here.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2021/12/jalesvara-temple-kalarahanga-connectivity.html

Location