Mumbai- Bhubaneshwar- Hirapur- Dhauli -Ratnagiri- Udaygiri- Khandagiri & Udaigiri caves- NandanKanan zoo- Puri- Raghurajpur- Chilka Lake- Konark- Bhubaneshwar- Mumbai
Again one of those study tours in my B.Arch. days… 30th
October…
Day1:
A total of approx. 120 excited students from our college were
to depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai by Konark express to
Bhubaneshwar. We being such a large group, obviously faced a lot of problem at
the station itself for settling down. Students dispersed throughout the train
because of randomly allotted seat numbers, the neighbouring crowd of general
class, multiple people allotted a same berth- the usual IRCTC mess just added
to all the chaos. The whole frustration was obviously taken out on our poor
tour manager.
At 3:15 in the afternoon, the train finally left from CST
and soon by 5, our tour guy even succeeded in shifting us all in the same
compartment. This mattered more than anything due to the dreadful 36 hours the
train was going to take to cut across Maharashtra and Andhra to finally reach
Odisha.
Needless to say we slept really really late that night…
Day2:
Very late in the morning we got up to find our train running
so fast as if it was competing with the wind! Our cell phone messages showed us
that we had already entered Andhra few hours ago. Around 12 noon, the train
halted at Secundarabad- where one of our favourite faculty members joined us in
the train.
Whole day passed in playing cards, market, gossiping and
night ended up with the clichéd ghost stories.
Midnight we arrived at Vishakhapattanam. Being a long halt,
some got off to charge their emptied batteries and some to buy chips.
Day3:
Early morning 3:45, we all were asked to get up saying
Bhubaneshwar was expected any moment.
Bhubaneshwar was a nice- clean but a very small station. A
bus was already waiting for us outside the exit to take us to the hotel- where
we passed out again.
After completing our sleep, we left at 7 AM for Dhauli- 8km
from Bhubaneshwar. Dhauli is where the great Kalingan battle was fought and the
Daya river flowing by turned red with the blood of the deceased- which made
king Ashoka realise the magnitude of horror associated with the war. Later
Ashoka built a lot of stupas, chaityas and made sure Dhauli turns into an
important centre for Buddhist activities.
What remains of it today are only the rock edicts and a
sculpture of elephant’s foreparts. This elephant sculpture is also the oldest
existing sculpture in the state.
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| Dhauli |
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| Dhauli |
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| Elephant rock- Dhauli |
Further ahead is the dazzling white peace pagoda built on a
hillock by Japan Buddhist sangh in 1970’s. The pagoda has four large Buddha
statues facing four cardinal directions. Also at the gate are the typical lion
sculptures seen everywhere in Odisha. Just
at the backside of this pagoda is the ancient Shiva temple with large open
space for gatherings during festivals.
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| Japanese peace pagoda |
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| Japanese peace pagoda |
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| view from Japanese peace pagoda |
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| Japanese peace pagoda |
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| Japanese peace pagoda |
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| Japanese peace pagoda |
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| Shiva temple at Dhauli |
Next we moved to a hamlet called Hirapur- famous for its 9th
century Tantric temple of 64 Joginis- approx. 20km from Bhubaneshwar. It is a
circular temple with no roof having 56 idols of different goddesses along the
inner circumference and 8 idols along the central altar- the main being Kali.
Almost all the idols here are either standing on animals/birds or demons. Many
idols here have animal heads whereas some are the female counterparts of the
male Gods such as Ganeshi- the female Ganesha.
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| Hirapur- chousath Jogni temple |
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| Hirapur- chousath Jogni temple- Ganeshi |
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| Hirapur- chousath Jogni temple |
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Day 4:
Plan for today was to visit the Buddhist remains at
Ratnagiri, Udaygiri and Lalitgiri in Jajpur district of Odisha- which together
formed the ancient Pushpagiri University- at a distance of 80 km from the state
capital.
These settlements date back to 5th century and
the excavations here uncovered remains of a large stupa, two quadrangular
monasteries and a massive monastery with a marvellously carved stone door jamb
(frame). Closeby it also has a group of approx. 100’s of small votive stupas
carved out of stone.
The site also has an ‘Archaeological survey of India Museum’
which houses the sculptures found here during the excavation.
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| Ratnagiri- Votive stupas |
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| Ratnagiri |
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| Ratnagiri |
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| Ratnagiri |
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| Ratnagiri |
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| Ratnagiri- carved stone door jamb |
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| Ratnagiri- Buddha head |
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| Ratnagiri- doorways inside the main structure |
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| Ratnagiri |
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| Ratnagiri |
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| Udaygiri |
Few kilometres from here is Udaygiri which is largest of the
three sites but also the least excavated. The main brick stupa and a step well
here are the main two attractions here other than the many votive stupas and
small sculptures scattered here and there.
Due to shortage of time we couldn’t go to Lalitgiri which is
supposed to be the most sacred of the three and also supposedly houses the
relic bone of Buddha himself- but the structures there apparently are no match
to the grandeur and beauty of the previous two sites.
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| Udaygiri |
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| Udaygiri |
Day5:
Today was the turn of the temple city itself- the city is considered to have more than thousand big or small temples; hence the name. The most important ones being- Lingaraj temple complex, Siddheshwar- Mukteshwar temple complex, RajaRani temple, Ananta Vasudeva temple, Vaital deul and parshurameshwar temple.
First we visited the 11th century Lingaraj temple dedicated to Shiva- one of the few ancient Kalingan temples still active. With 55m height of its shikhara, it is the tallest as well as the largest temple in Bhubaneshwar. This complex consists of 50 other small shrines. This temple is one of the greatest example of Kalingan architecture as it shows all four parts of a kalingan temple viz Vimana(structure containing the sanctum), Jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings). This temple complex has a strict no photography policy.
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| Mukteshwar- Siddheshwar |
Next we went to the twin temples of Mukteshwar- Siddheshwar. Mukteshwar dates back to 9th century while the later belongs to 10th century. Mukteshwar is the only temple of such a large magnitude in Bhubaneshwar that has a torana- the gateway. It also has a water tank at its backside. Faces of the sculptures on the temple's exterior can be seen chipped off as a result of Muslim invasion in the area. This temple complex also hosts a number of other temples. Especially the ones exactly in front of the torana in a row make a picturesque panorama!
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| Mukteshwar- Siddheshwar complex |
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| Interior shot of Mukteshwar |
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| Mukteshwar- Siddheshwar |
Parshurameshwar temple- dedicated to Shiva- built in 650 AD is probably the oldest amongst the Kalingan style temples. What makes it different from the other temples here is its two flat roofs on the mandapa one above the other and a series of clerestory windows between them.
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| Prshurameshwar temple- Kartikeya sculpture |
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| Parshurameshwar temple |
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| Prshurameshwar temple- Mandapa interior |
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| Parshurameshwar temple- Ganesha sculpture |
Vaital deul- the temple dedicated to goddess Chamunda- is very different from all of these due to its south indian gopuram inspired shikhara and semi cylindrical shape of the roof with three pinnacles over it.
The 11th century
Rajarani temple- arguably the most beautiful temple in Odisha, was our next stop. Rajarani temple on its external face has beautiful sculptures of Shiva-parvati marriage, Nayikas in different poses, the mythical dragons, dwarpals and others- which have unparalleled beauty anywhere in Odisha. Even though this temple is believed to be Shaivite in origin, it does not have any idol or lingam and is not an active temple.
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| Rajarani temple |
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| Rajarani temple |
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| Rajarani temple |
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| Rajarani temple |
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| Rajarani temple |
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| Rajarani temple |
After the much needed lunch break, we headed on the outskirts of the capital to visit
Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves. The caves are of Jain origin and are largely plain with few ornately carved sculptures here and there. A visit to these caves after visiting the Rajarani temple feels meaningless initially- almost like having tea after eating sweets :D But one must not forget that the earliest caves here date back to 2nd century BC- almost 1000 years before the earliest Kalingan temple of Parshurameshwara. The number of existing caves here today is 33- the most important ones being- Hathi gumpha, ganesh gumpha, Rani ka naur etc. Ofcourse the cave everyone enjoyed the most was the Wyaghra gumpha (tiger cave) with the shape of open jaw of a tiger which is also at a height compared to the other gumphas.
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves- Wyagragumpha |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves |
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| Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves- Machapuri cave |
It was evening by now- and we were going to the most fun part of today's outing- the famous
Nandan kanan zoo. First we saw a short film about the zoo at the reception area and then headed ahead to see the bears, white tigers, crocodiles and lions. Zoo also houses a small aquarium and a reptile park.
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| Nandan Kanan zoo |
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| Nandan Kanan zoo |
Aaj kuch jyada hi ghum liye they. We all needed a break. So we headed to the only mall in Bhubaneshwar (that time) for a pizza party.
It was late according to the Bhubaneshwar standard, so there was no one on the way while heading back to hotel. All the boys promptly formed a circle around the girls and guarded them safely back to the hotel :P :D
Day6:
All excited- we packed our bags the early morning as we were heading to the beach town of Puri. On the way we made a brief halt at the famous Pipli town- celebrated for its colourful fabrics and handicrafts. Pipli is a place which you won't miss on the way to Puri even if you would want to. If you see colourful umbrellas, lanterns and sunshades hanging on both the sides of road for a continuous stretch of half a kilometre, understand that you are crossing Pipli.
A sleepy bus ride got us to this equally sleepy town. Our hotel- Mahabir Shereton was situated at a perfect location on the C.T. road. The setting was pleasantly sunny, silent and quaint- A clean beach at the hotel's backside just added to this. :)
Post settling down in our rooms, we left for Raghurajpur- the famous artisans' village- the first heritage village developed by Odisha government which is 14km from Puri. It's a rectangular village with houses of the artists on both sides along its length and an open court between them with a small temple at one end of the court.
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| Raghurajpur-artisans' village |
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| Raghurajpur-artisans' village |
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The houses of the artists here are adorned with the Pattachitra paintings- for which the village is primarily known. The artists have also mastered other arts like- mask making, pepier mache, soap stone sculptures etc- and of course all of this is on sale for a comparatively cheaper price. I picked up three small soap stone sculptures from there of two nayikas – approx. 15-17 cm in height (you’ll find these voluptuous nartikas everywhere in Odisha- on the temples, in the shops, in traffic islands, paintings- everywhere!) and a sculpture of Buddha- all for around 180 bucks. You will easily spot artists even painting and making sculptures if you visit one of the houses- and trust me the villagers gladly welcome you and even teach you a couple of their tricks. Pattachitras done on the dried palm leaves are probably the most beautiful art form produced in the village- but them being extremely delicate I controlled myself from buying them.
Post a yummy lunch at the hotel, we headed for Konark to see the Great Sun temple. The temple is so so grand and so beautiful to really write anything about it. The temple awes you with its grandeur even in this broken dilapidated form- I can just imagine how it would have been in its full glory. Kalapahad as he is known- a muslim invader of Afghan army is believed to have destroyed the main sanctum of the temple (he's also responsible for the chipped off faces of sculptures seen in most temples of Bhubaneshwar including Mukteshwar)
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| Konark- Sun temple |
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| Konark- Sun temple |
The destruction of Sun temple is also blamed on the poor maintenance, attempts by kings and british to remove the sculptures from the temple exterior, as well as the saline winds from the adjoining seashore that continue to deteriorate the building even today- all this despite this temple being built latest of all the kalingan temples i.e. in 13th century. In 1903 the remaining Jagamohana structure was completely filled with sand and sealed off to prevent further damage also trees were planted to block off the saline winds from reaching the temple. It is largely believed that this structure won't exist a few generations down the line and attempt was being made by Odisha government to replicate the gigantic structure close by.
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| Konark- Sun temple |
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| Konark- Sun temple |
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| Konark- Sun temple |
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| Konark- Sun temple |
The main attractions here are obviously the idols of Sun God on four sides of the temple and the chariot wheels on both sides of the temple. The horse sculptures (originally built to make it look like them pulling the chariot) also can be seen lying around. The mithuna sculptures adorn the external walls of the broken natamandira. The massive Gaja-simha sculptures are located at the main entrance of the Natamandira. These gajasimha sculptures which are also one of the most common sculptures found all over Odisha are believed to depict an old dyeing man (conservative Hinduism) being crushed by an elephant(the emerging Buddhism) which is again attacked by a roaring lion(resurrection of Hinduism and collapse of Buddhism in India)
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| Konark- Sun temple- Hiranyakashap killing |
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| Konark- Sun temple- erotic sculptures |
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| Konark- Sun temple- idol of Sun God |
Soon it was late evening and the beautiful temple was lit up with white flood lights- a must watch sight for every architecture lover.
Coming out from the complex, we again did some shopping for small soap stone sculptures (9 navagraha idols/10 dashawatar idols for 10rs :O) and then headed back to the hotel.
Some Junior-Senior ‘interaction session' continued in the hotel throughout the night..
Day7:
India's largest lagoon- which also happens to be India's largest saltwater lake- the Chilika lake was our today's destination. The lake is so massive that it occupies 1100sqkm area and spreads across three districts of Odisha- Puri, Khurda and Ganjam. Chilika is primarily famous for the endangered Irawaddy dolphins. The chilka ecosystem also hosts different species of animals and birds like- terrestrial birds, birds of prey, pythons and other reptiles, varied fishes, crabs etc.
A one hour boat ride of spotting dolphins finally lead us to an island at the mouth of the lake where it meets the waters of bay of Bengal. A beautiful sight indeed!
After a quick lunch there and collecting colourful shells on the sandy island, we headed back to the shore and then back to the hotel.
Day8:
Today was our last day in Odisha- time to go back. We all had mixed feelings about heading back- we were going to miss all the fun time spent together for last 8 days and will have to get back to studies as soon as we reach back, but we also desperately wanted to reach Mumbai and eat home cooked food.
A quick stop before heading back to Bhubaneshwar to catch train was the Jagannath Puri temple- one of the Char Dhams- four most sacred temples in Hinduism- located at four different directions in India. [no, Kedarnath-Badrinath- Gangotri and Yamunotri are not the four dhams; they were just called so due to their close proximity from each other- probably for the comfort of tourism industry. The four dhams include Badrinath in Uttarakhand (North), Jagannath temple at Puri (East), Rameshwaram in Tamilnadu (South) and Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka, Gujarat (west)]
The temple was built in 12th century by King Anantavarnam Chodaganga deva of Ganga dynasty and is very similar in appearance to the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneshwar- almost the similar height, shape and temple parts. The complex also houses 120 small temples- the whole covering an area of over 4,00,000 sqft.
While we were in Bhubaneshwar, just two days back, Jagannath temple was all over the news channels and papers due to the stampede that took place here which killed 4 and injured around 30 people. In two minds whether to visit the temple or no, we finally decided to go and at least see the external architectural part of the temple.
We entered the temple from its Singhdwara from the grand avenue, and soon we realised the reason of the mess that happened here couple of days back. The temple premises were extremely stinky with ghee and oil all over the floor making it difficult for people to walk. A small push is all that's required for people to slip n fall down and others stamping on them in a crowded scenario. (don't know if the scene is still the same there) The self-proclaimed stinking holy men keep pulling you to perform the rituals with them and in turn exploit you for money- something that you must stay far off from! There is a strict no entry to Non-Hindus and also to the Hindus of Non-Indian origin.
Sighting the maddening crowd inside the actual temple, we decided to do a pradakshina (and record its beauty in our eyes- as cameras are totally prohibited) to the whole temple instead and head back to our buses. For onwards journey to Bhubaneshwar railway station.
3:15 pm, the train arrived. Contrary to the mess at CST in Mumbai, we got our seats properly and soon the train left.
That night, some played cards- while many slept off!
Day 9:
Entire day in train.
Day10:
Post midnight Pune station arrived and some of us belonging to Pune got off. Due to the long halt there, we also got an opportunity to have a group photo on the platform of the station- our last memory of the amazing Odisha trip.
Around 3:45 AM, Dadar arrived.. and then some of us continued to CST...
