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Old Town Bhubaneswar
A Temple City of Century Old Monuments |
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Mukteswara Temple
(9th > 10th Century A.D.)
Old Town Bhubaneswar
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Bindu Sagar Lake
Old Town Bhubaneswar |
Day 22 Friday Dec 6 2024 (Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha) Part 1 - an exciting day for me to explore & visit the various ancient temples dating as far back to the 7th > 10th century in Old Town Bhubaneswar & the 7th century old Bindu Sagar lake in the morning followed by a visit to Pathani Samanta Planetarium & the Regional Museum of Natural History in the early afternoon. After the ancient temples visit, I must confess that Bhubaneswar lives up to its name as the Temple City of Bhubaneswar ! It was in this old town that both of us had our 1st taste of a local popular Lingaraj millet lassi drink !
1) Bus ride (Rs20 = Rm1.10) from Palasuni Bus Stop (200m from The Ginger Inn) > Town Bus Stand (6.4km)
2) Town Bus Stand, Bhubaneswar, Odisha - bus ride (Rs15 = Rm0.80) from Town Bus Stand > Mukteswara temple (3.9km)
3) Heritage Assets of Temples, Old Town Bhubaneswar (A Temple City), Odisha - Bhubaneswar, the capital of the eastern state state of Odisha has a history that stretches back to over 2000 years; named after Tribhuvaneswar, Lord of Three Worlds still preserves over 500 of India's finest temples which greatly impacted the daily life of the local people & society; if you are a history junkie, this city is the right place for you to explore, over 600 ancient temples dotted this old temple city dating back to 7th century A.D. ! Old Bhubaneswar was the ancient capital of Kalinga & Dhauli near Bhubaneswar where the famous battle was fought between Emperor Ashoka & the Kalinga army, after which Ashoka followed Buddhism. For this temple city visit in Old Town Bhubaneswar, I started my visit to Lingaraj Temple on Day 2 (Dec 4) of my stay in Bhubaneswar & for today, from Mukteswara - Siddheswara Temple to nearby places all within walking distance, I was able to visit close to 15 ancient temples over a 3 hour period roaming the Old Town of Bhubaneswar in my own free will with my travel buddy - what a great outcome (for a Malaysian traveller with a strong Malaysia-boleh spirit) after admiring the fine temple architecture, distinctive & unique design, intricate carvings, beautiful sculptures etc of these ancient landmarks & temples - no doubt, India shines brilliantly in this aspect !
4) Mukteswara / Siddheswara Temple (9th > 10th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
5) Kedaragouri Temple (12th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
6) Parsurameswara Temple (7th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odissa
7) Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
8) Champakeswara Temple (12th century), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
9) Ambika Temple, Old Town Bhubaneswar
10) Swarna Jaleswara Temple (7th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar
11) Kotiteertheswara Temple (11th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
12) Subarnajaleswara Temple, Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
13) Sampoornajaleswara Temple (10th Century A.D.), Old Bhubaswarer, Odisha
14) Bindu Sagar Lake, Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha - 7th century old created by Lord Shiva, located on the north of Lingaraj Temple, a scenic lake, migratory birds found a new home here, lotus plants floating in water, clothes drying by the kerbside, stroller-friendly walking path, an ideal / central place for religious events & a number of ancient temple dominated around the lakeside !
15) Hanuman Temple, Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
16) Pataleswara Temple (10th > 11th Century A.D.), Old Bhubaneswar, Odisha
17) Ananta Basudev Temple (13th Century A.D.), Old Bhubaneswar, Odisha
18) Ancient temple (name unknown), Old Town Bhubaneswar lakeside, Odisha
19) Mohini Temple, Old Town Bhubaneswar lakeside, Odisha
20) Ancient temple (name unknown), Old Bhubaneswar lakeside
21) Ancient temple (name unknown), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
22) Bhabani Shankar Temple (14th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
23) Teertheswara Temple (14th Century A.D.), Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha
24) Devipadahara Park, Devipadahara Tank / Debipadahara Pond, Old Town Bhubaneswar, Odisha - constructed by King Jajati Keshari, the pond with 108 Lingas & temples along is believed to be at least 2,000 years old.
25) Light refreshment - savoured a cup of Lingaraj Millet Lassi (Rs35 = Rm2.10) at a roadside stall near a town bus stop - my travel buddy loved this drink so much that he ordered another cup to satisfy his taste bud !
26) Walkabout in Lingaraj Temple road prior to boarding a town bus for a journey back to Town Bus Stand passing the elegant looking District Judicial Court Complex in busy downtown Bhubaneswar.
27) Small Eat - lunch (Paneer Thali set Rs130 = Rm7) in a local restaurant in front of the Town Bus Stand, downtown Bhubaneswar, Odisha
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