365bet

Essay name: Temples of Purushottama Kshetra Puri

Author: Ratnakar Mohapatra
Affiliation: Sambalpur University / Department of History

This essay studies the Temples of Purushottama Kshetra (Puri) which is renowned for its historic and religious significance, situated in Orissa (Odisha) by the Bay of Bengal. Purusottama-ksetra is famous for the Lord Jagannatha temple and numerous smaller temples, it showcases the distinctive Kalinga architectural style.

Chapter 5 - Shaiva Temples of Purushottama Kshetra

Page:

41 (of 66)


External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)


Download the PDF file of the original publication


Copyright (license):

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)


Warning! Page nr. 41 has not been proofread.

of the cock and it is carved on the left side of the Kārtikeya image. Śiva-Pārvatī is the pārsvadevata of the northern side of the bāḍa. There is a nisa shrine of piḍhā order built in front of the Siva-Pārvatī images. The image of Śiva is in seated posture installed on the plain pedestal. Devi Pārvati is carved seated on the left lap of Lord Siva. They display usual attributes in their hands with respective gestures. Lion, the conventional mount of devī Pārvati has been installed on the square sized pedestal of one foot high. It is noticed in the floor of the niśä shrine. The baḍa of the vimāna is surmounted by the pyramidal superstructure and it consists of five piḍhās. Tānkus are designed in the sides of each piḍhā. Dopichhā lions and Deuḷa Cāriṇi figures are completely absent in their respective places. The mastaka of the vimāna consists of beki, amalaka śiḷ�, khapurī, kaḷasa, ayudha (trident) and dhvaja. Sivalinga within Saktipitha is worshipped in the sanctum as the presiding deity of the temple. Here Sivalinga is not visible to outwards and it is installed about one foot below the Saktipitha of the sanctum. There is an image of Nārāyaṇa kept on the back wall of the sanctum. The four handed Nārāyaṇa image is carved on a single slab. He holds cakra in right upper hand, varada mudrä in right lower hand, conch in left upper hand and gadā in left lower hand. Two female attendant figures are flanked on either side of the deity.Two flying apsara figures are carved on the both side top corners of the slab. The backside of the head of Nārāyaṇa image is finely decorated with the trefoil makara-headed arch crowned by the kirtimukha motif. Garuda, the mount of the deity is installed on the pedestal. The inner walls of the sanctum are completely undecorated. The floor of the sanctum is about five feet below from the surface of the temple complex. Jagamohana or Mukhaśāḷ�:- The jaghamohana of the Niḷakantheśvara temple is a piḍhā deuḷa and its height is about 15 feet from the surface of the temple complex. 102 It is erected on the platform of one foot high. The bāḍa is pancānga type i.e. having five fold divisions viz pābhāga, taḷajāngha, bandhanā, upper jāngha and baranda. All the component parts of the bāḍa are bereft of decorative elements. The bāḍa of the jagamohana is surmounted by the pyramidal superstructure. It consists of four piḍhās. Tānkus are fixed in all side pidhās of the gandi. 213

Let's grow together!

I humbly request your help to keep doing what I do best: provide the world with unbiased sources, definitions and images. Your donation direclty influences the quality and quantity of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual insight the world is exposed to.

Let's make the world a better place together!

Like what you read? Help to become even better: