A STUDY ON INDIAN ARCHITECTURE OF TWO SAIVA TEMPLES OF UNDIVIDED PURI DISTRICT OF ODISHA

Abstract

The state of Odisha is historically well-known for its Hindu Monuments in Eastern India. All the extant Saiva temples of Eastern Odisha represent the Kalinga style temple architecture of India. The old Puri district of Odisha is divided into three districts such as Puri, Khurdha and Nayagarh. The temple of Bakresvara is one of the important Saiva shrines of the Prachi Valley in Odisha. It is located at the village Bhingarpur in the Baranga Block of the present Khurda district. The local people say that the present temple is completely a renovated shrine. The temple consists of four structures such as vimana, jagamohana, natamandapa and bhogamandapa. All the structures of the temple are thickly plastered with lime mortar. The vimana and jagamohana of the temple are erected on the old foundations. The temple of Ramesvara is one of the ancient Shaiva shrines of the Prachi Valley in the coastal-belt of Orissa. It is located at the village Sohagpur under the Kakatpur Police Station of the Puri district. The presiding deity of the temple is considered by the local people as one of the “Asta Shambhus” on the bank of river Prachi. The local tradition say that the Shivalinga of the temple was initially installed by Lord Rama Chandra. From the religious point of view, the shrine of Ramesvara is an important Shaiva pitha of that locality. The site of the temple was once a centre of Hari-Hara worship. The present article attempts to highlight the architectural features along with the religious importance of the Bakresvara temple at Bhingarpur and Ramesvara temple at Sohagpur of the undivided Puri district of Odisha. Both the primary and secondary sources are methodologically used in the writing of this article.