Padmeswara temple is located on the top of the hillock Baneswar, situated on the left bank of the river Mahanadi in the Padamala village in Cuttack district (near Sidhamula close to Kantilo).
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and believed to be built in the 10th-11th century by rulers of Somavamsi dynasty. Recent renovations by the archaeological department has altered the decorative motifs but the temple still retains many decorative motifs such as kirtimukha, chaitya medallion, naga-nagi pilasters, angasikharas, scroll motifs, nayika images, etc. and the parsvadevata images like- Ganesa, Kartikeya and Parvati. Wall of the templeKartikeya as a ParshwadebataLady ascetic on the wallGajaSimha motifImage from the wallShiva and Parvati with their vahanasFloral motif on the wallImage from the wallImage from the wallFloral motif on the wallSide view
The temple is pancharatha on plan and panchangabada in elevation and it is a panchyatana class of temple. Lord ShivaThis image placed on the front doorjamb of the temple depicts Lord Shiva saving young Markandeya’s life from Yama Raja.
There is a small temple inside the complex. The temple is very old and renovated. As per the local persons and priest, this temple is dedicated to Goddess Prajna Paramita. Temple of Goddess Prajna Paramita inside the complexGoddess Prajna Paramita
The sculptures of the temple are mostly damaged and the mastaka of the temple is missing for unknown reasons. But whatever remains shows the love of the artist for details and minute decoration.
Thanks…
Note: I am thankful to Mr. Deepak Nayak, who provides the details and photos for this post.
Khambeswari temple, Aska. PC: Debashish Dash https://twitter.com/TheDashDD Goddess Khambhesvari is originally an tribal Goddess worshipped by the tribes of hinterland Odisha. In course of time She was like many other tribal deities given a place in the Hindu pantheon and subsequently she was transformed from a nomadic cult to Shakti cult. Khambhesvari, the Goddess of the Post or Pillar is one of the famous formless autochthonous deities widely worshipped in the hill tracts of Bargarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Bolangir, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kalahandi and the Ganjam districts of Odisha. She is worshipped as a manifestation of Shakti in the form of wooden posts or pillars and also through stones. Legends: Khambeswari temple--Aska An interesting legend about the temple in Aska says that once Goddess Khambhesvari appeared in a dream before Khambamuni who lived in the forest and desired that she should be worshipped by the latter. As per the stipulation of Khambamun...
Chamunda is a fearsome aspect of Shakti, also known as chamundi, chamundeswari and charchika. She is one of the Saptamatruka or seven divine Goddesses. She is also one of the chief Joginis, a group of sixty-four or eighty-one Tantric goddesses. According to legend, Chamunda appeared from the frown of the benign goddess Parvati to kill demons Chanda and Munda. Here, Chamunda is viewed as a form of Parvati. Matsaya Purana tells a different story of Chamunda’s origins. She with other matrikas was created by Shiva to help him kill the demon Andhakasura, who has an ability — like Raktabija — to generate from his dripping blood. Chamunda with the other matrikas drinks the blood of the demon ultimately helping Shiva kill him. Ratnakara, in his text Haravijaya, also describes this feature of Chamunda, but solely credits Chamunda, not the other matrikas of sipping the blood of Andhaka. Having drunk the blood, Chamunda’s complexion changed to blood-red. The text further says that Chamund...
The outer wall of Lord Jagannath Temple has gates openings for the devotees in the four direction. These four gates are represented by the four animals. In the east there is lion and hence called lion’s gate or sinhadwar. In the west there is tiger hence tiger’s gate or Vyaghradwar. In the north, there is elephant and hence called as elephant’s gate or Hastidwar. In the south, there is horse and hence horse’s gate or ashvadwar. Eastern Gate/Lion’s Gate/Simha Dwara The two lions statues are there in this gate in the crouching position. The lion is a symbolic representation of MOKSHYA. Hence is is popularly said that if you enter in the temple through this gate, you will get mokshya. The deities present in simhadwar are Kasi Biswanath, Goudia Nrusimha and Bhagya Hanumaan. Southern Gate/Horse Gate/Aswa Dwara The horses symbolically represent the KAMA or lust. There are two galloping horses with Jagannath and Balabhadra on their back in the ma...
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