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Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...
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Om Beach, Gokarna - A Photoblog and some thoughts

I sit by the shore, enjoying the solitude it offers me, only the mountains, the rocks and the water, for company....



Watching the waves, as they rush to the shore....


Building up momentum, as if they can't wait....


And then, frothing into nothingness, merging with the sand.


I watch the huge rocks, which stand tall.... 


As they have stood for aeons, braving the sun, the sand and the sea. 


I watch the waves lash on the rocks......


Their spray wetting everything in sight....


It almost appears as if there is a game afoot....


A game that has been played for centuries....


A game that makes no sense to me, but if only those rocks and waves could speak, what stories they could tell us!


For now, I can do little but watch....



Feeling incredibly small and insignificant.....


Under the gaze of these pillars of nature, which stand strong but calm...


Even those which aren't as majestic, on a closer look...


Reveal shells and barnacles they have provided a home to...


Tiny creatures, delicate, fragile, find a haven within......


Remnants of algae, probably from the bottom of the sea, find their way here too....


Reminding us of another land, under the sea........


As the sun begins its downward journey, it seems to put it all in perspective - the sun, the sky, the mountains, the land, and of course, the sea.... 



What a beautiful sight it is! As I get up to go back in, and join the throng of people in the cafe, I wonder -
What it is that makes this scene so beautiful?
Is it the mountains, standing tall in the water, in spite of being lashed by the waves day in and day out?
Is it the water, the waves which now seem so calm, yet lashing the rocks over and over again, with no respite at all?
Is it this clash which lies at the core of this beautiful sight?
Is it, in fact, a clash?
Or is it, the perfect balance?
That exists in nature....
Which shows us...
That we can exist together, in perfect harmony, in perfect peace...
No matter how different we all are.



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Comments

  1. FruitVodkaNovember 4, 2013 at 8:01 PM

    Amazing sight, amazing clicks and amazing description!

    ReplyDelete
  2. R Niranjan DasNovember 5, 2013 at 9:06 PM

    Beautiful images! I love this beach.

    ReplyDelete
  3. VivekNovember 7, 2013 at 1:46 PM

    nice..i have huge set of such beautiful pics I took during sunrise at Om beach..lemme try if a photoblog can be stitched together.. thanks :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. MridulaNovember 9, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    Beautiful pictures particularly the close ups!

    ReplyDelete

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