After a few days in Kolkata we flew to Bhuboneswar in the state of Orissa. One of the most stunning sites in all of India is the sun temple in Konark (above), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We stayed a few days in Bhuboneswar at an incredibly special hotel. We first visited sites in Bhuboneswar and then Buddhist excavation sites north. Later, we moved south to Puri and visited Kornak and Lake Chilika. We traveled a total of 400 mi in Orissa.

Our hotel in Bhuboneswar (Mayfair Lagoon) was really plush. Just outside of our room was this sitting area on its man-made lagoon. That tiger getting a drink (barely visible to right of photo) isn’t real, of course…

We watched this bird perched on an alligator catch little fish. The alligator isn’t real either, of course…

On the park-like grounds of the hotel was this little Hindu temple visible from our room where a Hindu priest performed evening rituals. This was real.

More than 400 temples remain of the 7,000 that are said to have once embellished the city of Bhuboneswar. The best preserved of the early group of Orissan temples dating from the 7^th c. CE is Parasurameswar temple. Examples of lavish sculptures on the temple walls are below: the superb potbellied Ganesha and his brother Karttikeya sitting on his vehicle, the peacock.

The inner sanctum is quite typical for a Shiva temple, a lingam protected by cobras located in a yoni. The Hindu priest is adding flowers (offerings). Hindu priests are often more hereditary custodians than trained religious specialists. They maintain the facilities and grounds and perform simple rituals. They must come from the top caste, the Brahmin caste.

The nearby 10^th c. Muktesvara temple is one of the jewels of Orissan temple architecture notable for its exquisite sculptures and elegant proportions.

This beautiful gateway is decorated with reclining female figures.

Inside the temple, a Hindu priest is making offerings with flowers to the lingam, cobra, and yoni.

In one of the temple niches, we found this colorful altar of the Jagganath cult that will be described later in the Puri section. Jagganath (the Lord of the Universe) is on the right, his little sister Subhadra next to him, and his brother Baldhadra on the left. They are believed to be of tribal origin but have been absorbed into the Hindu pantheon with Jagganath as an incarnation of Vishnu. That they are displayed in a Shiva temple doesn’t matter. One of the attractive features of Hinduism is the non-dogmatic flexibility to absorb any religion it encounters. This picture is also used for the background for this page.

The 11^th c. Rajarani temple is another exquisitely carved and decorated building.

Remarkable are the tall and slender female figures carved in high relief.

Women preparing temple offerings. These women have met here every Tuesday to do this together for many years!

Outside of the 10^th c. Brahmeswar temple we observed people worshipping this wrapped image (perhaps Kali, enlarged below).

The 11^th c. magnificent Lingeraj temple is unfortunately inaccessible for non-Hindus but can be looked into from an outside platform. Its grandeur lies in its towering 180 ft spire with dramatic vertical ribs. The temple’s large courtyard has more than 100 smaller shrines.

Courtyard of the Lingaraj temple (taken with a tele lens).

This vehicle is used for religious processions.

The late 8^th c. Vaital Deul is one of the oldest Shakti (sacred force, personification of divine feminine power) temples. A striking feature is the semi-cylindrical shape of its sanctuary tower. The outer panels show Hindu deities, mostly Shiva and Parvati. Another fascinating feature of the temple is its Tantric association marked by eerie carvings in the sanctum and..

..enshrined in a central niche an eight-armed Chamunda, a terrifying form of the goddess Durga.

Parvati in her Shakti form and…

… a 10-armed dancing Shiva.

Shiva (after having Viagra for breakfast).

This Ganesha image is painted and serves as a little altar.

The small entrance to the inner sanctum with terrifying images (below). Most broadly, Tantra is a psycho-physical discipline which seeks to release the latent powers of the mind and sensory inputs. Tantra emerged in India around the middle of the first century CE and eventually affected Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The religious mysticism found in most major religions is a manifestation of Tantra.

Inside the dark inner sanctum, the presiding deity Chamunda sits on a corpse flanked by a jackal and an owl and decorated by a garland of skulls (only partially visible because of the drape).

Chamunda holds a snake, bow, shield, sword, trident, thunderbolt and an arrow and is piercing the neck of the demon (details under the drape). There are other images with skull cups filled with the blood of a person whose severed head lies next to it. These Tantric practices involved human sacrifices in the past.

The main Hindu priest of the temple makes his worldly living by selling Siemens appliances. When Juergen told the priest that he once worked for Siemens, the priest immediately tried to take advantage of Juergen’s long gone connections. That newly-established friendship made it possible for Juergen to take pictures in the inner sanctum. Hope Chamunda didn’t get mad. Otherwise Juergen’s skull may be used… The stone carvings on their right show Buddha images.

A few miles north of Bhubaneswar are the twin hills of Udaigiri (sunrise hill) and Khandagiri (broken hill) which were honeycombed to make retreats for Jain monks in the 1^st c. BCE.

The two-storied Rani Gumpta cave (above and on the left) has lavishly sculpted friezes.

The Bagh Gumpta cave is shaped like the open mouth of a tiger.

There were many of these guys around expecting bananas from the visitors.

We traveled north to Ratnagiri (45 mi NE of Bhubaneswar). Ratnagiri is one of the three Buddhist sites in this area and was a major university and monastic establishment between the 7^th and 11^th c. CE. The picture on the right shows a large number of votive stupas.

Part of the monastery with a beautiful door.

An impressive colonnade around the monks’ cells.

Buddha image flanked by other Buddhist deities.

The second of the three Buddhist sites in this area is Udaigiri (same name as the Jain site just 4 mi north of Bhubaneswar). It dates from the from the early centuries CE to the 13^th c.

Large Buddha image.

Remains of brick stupas at Udaigiri.

The final site is Lalitgiri is believed to be the oldest of the three sites. Interesting are the terraced stone platforms on the left. All three sites are still being excavated.

Five miles south of Bhubaneswar is the site where King Ashoka fought the bloody battle of Kalinga in 260 BCE. The carnage and misery resulting from this battle motivated the King to shop around for some good karma. He turned from military to religious conquest embracing Buddhism and making it the state religion. This reminds us a little bit of emperor Constantine embracing Christianity and making it the state religion of the Roman empires in 313 CE (even though his motive was not remorse). In both cases, world religions evolved from humble sectarian movements that otherwise might long be forgotten.

Ashoka publicized his new maxims in rock edicts installed in different parts of the empire. One of these is on the left (at the base of Dhauli Hill) in which the emperor declares: “All men are my children,” and orders his officials to ensure impartiality, non-violence, justice and compassion in administration. The top of this rock is sculpted into…

…an imposing elephant head symbolizing the Buddhist dharma (teachings). This is one of the earliest sculptures found in the subcontinent of India. A truly remarkable site, especially as we’re fascinated by early Buddhist iconography.

The huge white Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda) at the top of Dhauli Hill was built by Japanese Buddhists in the early 1970s honoring Ashoka..

Buddha image at the Shanti Stupa.

Pipli (12 mi from Bhubaneswar) is the capital of appliqué craft in Orissa. Appliqué art consists of cutting colored cloth in the shape of animals, birds, flowers or other decorative items and stitching them on another piece of cloth.

Timeless transportation.

River bank scene with the ladies doing laundry and the man fishing with a bell-shaped net.

Heading south to Puri, we visited Raghurajpur, a heritage crafts village.

Many of the houses are painted with scenes like the ones above, right and below. Only mineral and earth colors are used in the paintings together with plant gums for binders.

This is one of the many beaches in Puri. It was a hot, muggy evening with temperatures in the upper 90s F. Bathing suits are not worn and people wade in the water only dressed. These are mostly people from Kolkata getting away from the heat there. There is a striking contrast between the explicit temple iconography and the extreme modesty in the present dress code.

We traveled to Lake Chilika and took a long boat ride on the lake. We saw the rare Irrawaddy dolphins (though not close enough for good pictures).

At the lake Chilika we watched those robot-like looking crabs fighting over a dead fish. We saw the two different kinds of Kingfishers below.

It was hot and humid in Orissa. Temperatures were often above 100 F. The water buffalo on the right knew how to handle the heat.

We spent a few days in and around Puri. This is one of India’s most important pilgrimage sites dominated by the towering 12^th c. Jagannath temple, left. A fascinating cult has grown around Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, an incarnation of Vishnu. At the temple, 6,000 resident priests perform elaborate daily rituals of bathing, dressing and worshipping the image of Jagannath together with those of his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.

Sumptuous meals are offered to the three deities five times a day prepared daily by 400 temple cooks. During the spectacular Rath Yatra (chariot festival) in June/July, the deities are taken in a procession in 45’ tall mammoth wooden chariots, pulled by thousands of devotees. These chariots are built new every year. The word juggernaut is derived from the size and unstoppable force of the Lord Jagannath chariot.

We walked along the Grand Avenue called Bada Danda between the Jagannath temple and the Gundicha temple or the garden house of Jagannath (distance between the two temples is about 2 mi). The people, the animals, the food, the colors and the sights were so fascinating that we assembled pictures below to show the atmosphere.

According to our guide, the “tongue” sticking out from the back of the cow is a frequently seen abnormality.

	The (blue) Reliance store on the left reactivated our expired USB data modem (Reliance is one of India’s cell phone and wireless data providers) that we used in our laptops to stay connected to the internet. Coverage is so good, that even in the remote areas of Sikkim we always had internet access.
	Yvonne and our guide in Orissa. Below left, we took a tuk-tuk for part of the Bada Danda.

This is the Gundicha temple at the end of the Rath Yatra procession. It remains vacant most of the year and is occupied by Jagannath and his siblings for nine days during the festival. It is said that to honor the devotion of the Queen Gundicha (wife of the Jagannath temple builder) that Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra leave their regular abode in the main temple and spend a few days in this temple built in their honor. Our local guide told us that this is the place Jagannath was born and he wants to return there once a year. Take your pick.

One of the guardians of the temple.

The Lokanath temple is about 2 miles from the Jagannath temple. The access to the temple is lined with beggars (not a rare occurrence).

The presiding deity Lokanath, a lingam, always remains under water in a small square vat. One night of the year all the water is bailed out which makes the top of the lingam visible to the worshippers.

One of the temple towers (with the Shiva trident) was guarded by this fellow. As it’s the case with many Hindu temples, non-Hindus are not allowed inside. We managed to enter and photograph enough Hindu temples that we have a pretty good impression of the inside appearance and atmosphere.

The Sun Temple in Konark is one of India’s great architectural sites. It is a temple to the Sun God Surya built as a gigantic chariot with 12 pairs of wheels to carry the sun god o his daily journey across the sky. This building is just a small part. Built in the 13^th c. by King Narasimhadeva of the eastern Ganga dynasty the temple is also remarkable for its superb sculptures. Gods and demons, kings and peasants, elephants and horses jostle for space on its walls with many quite explicit erotic scenes. Konark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Two of the horses symbolically pulling the chariot.

One of the twelve pairs of wheels with deities depicted in the medallions.

Same wheel as above.

This exquisitely carved wheel shows erotic scenes. The 8^th spoke (counting clockwise from the top vertical one) and the 6^th are enlarged below. The erotic sculptures of Konark are a celebration of the joys of life.

Following a collection of the famous sculptures of Konark. They are as uninhibited as the ones we saw at Kajuraho (which date from 950-1150 CE).

A woman squatting over a flame to sterilize herself after giving birth.

A majestic image of the sun god Surya.

Back end of the chariot.

Pilgrims (?) on the temple grounds.

Just a few miles east of Konark we spent some time on the Chandrabhaga beach. The village located there primarily supports itself by fishing. The men go out in simple boats that are launched from the beach. They also land at the sandy beach that’s pounded by heavy surf. Watching their landings is quite a thrill. The women carry the fish to market.

Above, left and below are landing shots. It requires considerable skill and accurate timing to beach the boats at correct angles.

The catch is inspected and auctioned off as soon as it’s unloaded. While all the fishing is done by men, the bidding, purchasing and carrying the fish away is done by women. These people were very trim and muscular from their hard work. They were also very playful with each other. We saw one woman playfully use her foot to push a man (almost) over when he was bent over doing something causing everyone to laugh.

We were told that the fully loaded buckets that the women carry away may weigh as much as 110 lbs.

It’s amazing how graceful the women carry these heavy loads through the sand over considerable distances.

The fishing village itself consists mostly of these huts.

To put the bucket of fish on the head requires two women to lift the bucket while the carrier squats a bit. All three then position it on the head. When we watched them do this it was obvious that the bucket was very heavy.

After returning from the trip, the men carry the boat, outboard motor and the nets to safe ground near the village. Everyone works together.

A boat’s entire catch.

These fishermen wanted to pose and have their picture taken. We thought their caps were interesting. The one on the left says “Deutsche Vermögensberatung” (German Wealth Management). We doubt that the guy has his “wealth” managed by that outfit.

This is the size of the fish they’re catching.

Three miles outside of Konark on the banks of the Kusabhadra river is the Ramachandi Temple.

There is a lengthy story behind this temple which involves the goddess Ramachandi outwitting a 17^th c. Hindu Brahmin youth who converted to Islam and then attempted to destroy Hindu temples- including the sun temple in Konark.

Images outside the Ramachandi temple.

On the way back to Puri, we stopped at a place which produced these images on the right. They’re all hand-made. They were dirt cheap by our standards and we would have liked to have a whole bunch of them. Especially the stone and the bronze Ganeshas.

In classical Sanskrit literature, Yogini is the name of a class of 64 female demons or sorceresses in the train of Shakti or Durga. There are four major extant yogini temples in India; two of them in Orissa. On the left is the Chausath Yogini temple located 9 mi south of Bhubaneswar. The temple dates from the 9^th c. CE and is hypaethral (roofless). It is dedicated to Shakti who symbolizes female creative energy.

All 64 images, each about 2 ft tall and carved out of back chlorite stone are placed in niches in the inner enclosure and symbolize the goddess Shakti. Even though the temple is today surrounded by park-like grounds, a thousand years ago it was in a very remote area. It was easy to imagine this temple being used at midnight with a big fire on an altar in the center, and someone being brought as a sacrifice whose blood would be dripped on these images!

At one place in the round, this altar displays a Shakti image concealed with various decorations. The full image is above, enlargements to the right and below.

The 64 yoginis have different faces and hair styles. They all stand over human heads, corpses or animals and some wear human skulls as ornaments.

The worshippers of the Yogini cult followed tantric practices to obtain supernatural powers and destructive energies like becoming invisible and destroying others.

On the way back to Puri we visited the Megheswardey temple dedicated to Shiva.

It’s one of the many, exquisitely carved temples in the area that are not even mentioned in the guide book.

We got a tour from the Hindu priest. He gave us his email address and asked if we’d write to him.

He showed us the sacred cow images at the temple entrance.

Inside the temple were colorfully draped images of some deity.

Difficult to understand for an outsider, these are the images worshipped inside the temple.

Back in Bhubaneswar we visited the zoo and found this tiger coping with the heat by soaking in a pool.

Finally, this is a cashew. The upper part is the nut in its hard shell. The lower part is an edible fruit with puckering sweet/sour taste.