Ananta Vasudeva Temple
Located on the east bank of Bindu Sagar tank in old Bhubaneswar, the west-facing Ananta Vasudeva Temple is the only surviving Vaishnava shrine in the city, and the second biggest monument after the famous Lingaraja Temple.
Architecturally it is similar to Lingaraja Temple but on a reduced scale, with the bhoga mandapa, nata mandapa (later additions), jagamohana and deul, all dramatically ascending in height and aligned west-east.
The temple is profusely adorned although many of the carvings are now damaged. In general the foliate ornamentation is more elaborate than that of Lingaraja, although the mouldings are of smaller and simpler schemes.
Clearly some renovation has occurred here in recently years, most obviously with the Jagamohana which is now supported by steel girders clad around the exterior.
Many of the sculptured figures resemble those of the contemporary Sun Temple at Konark, and we know this temple is broadly contemporary thanks to a foundation inscription that was discovered here.
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It tells us that Ananta Vasudeva was built in 1278 CE by Queen Chandrika of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, daughter of Anangabhima III, during the reign of his grandson Bhanudeva. The inscription also refers to Bindu Sagar tank, thus proving it pre-dates the current temple structure, and the original deities installed were Baladeva (Ananta), Subhadra, and Krishna (Vasudeva).
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Scholars believe the temple we see today was built on an earlier structure that was dedicated to Vishnu. The Marathas extensively renovated the temple in the late 17th century when they ruled over Kalinga.
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Ananta Vasudeva is very much a living temple. The temple houses the biggest kitchen in the city, food is prepared by 150 people for the thousands of devotees every day in earthen pots cooked over hearths in subsidiary buildings. The food never contains tomatoes or potatoes as they are not indigenous to India. Onion and garlic are also omitted as they are considered forbidden food in spiritual practices.
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- Thind BaladhiKevin your explorations of temple architecture and the choice of temple are outstanding. There is so much more that this land offers to learn
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- 2 years ago
- Ghosh ShrayI always visit this place, whenever I feel chaos in my head. It's near my house. Also, even in Lingaraj Temple, the chief deity is...
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- 2 years ago