From the room in Puri, I took the same bus to Bhubaneswar. The charge is Rs 100 (AC bus). The journey is about an hour and a half. The destination was the historic Mukteshwar and Lingaraj. The destination was on the way. Both of these are historic and ancient buildings that have been recorded centuries ago in the history of Orissa.
These temples adopt Kalinga carving and construction methods, a unique architectural style of Orissa. There is a lake like a temple pool by the way and people and priests are lined up to offer sacrifices. The word Mukteshwar means liberation. It is believed that Balitarpanam helps to free one’s ancestors from all the bondages of this world. On the way, many boys were noticed chanting the name of Hare Krishna. In another section, a group of old men was noticed who also told fables.
Ancient temples and idols carved out of black stones began to appear on the roadsides. A large number of devotees arrive in rows for the sacrifice and the priests take their places by calling them in turn. Another bell tower is located in the middle of the temple pool. It is a beautiful sight. Buildings in many parts are on the verge of destruction. Even if it is a temple pool, plastic and other wastes are deposited in the pool in the name of Balitarpanam which has become a bit lazy.
After that, the entrance to the Linkaraja temple is done. Many sub-temples are carved out of granite stones and the Linkaraja temple with Shiva deity is located in the middle of it. The business inside the temple is gathering dust. No cell phones or cameras were allowed inside. Although not as tall as the Puri temple, the structures are very interesting to see. The height is 180 feet. Legend has it that this temple was built during the reign of the Somavanshi royal family. Later, many successive royal families made their own changes in the temple. They are a temple complex that has stood the test of time despite the passage of time. After walking a little distance from here, we will see various temples again. Many temples are on the verge of destruction. After that is the Mukteswara temple.
The temple, which was built in the 10th century, is believed to be a Shiva temple. The gate here is famous. This gate has a unique construction that surpasses even modern methods. The view of the gate is worth mentioning. This temple construction is known as the golden jewel of the Odisha style of construction. The walls of the temple are all carved in different ways and the upper floors are made in a special way. But the construction of the gate of this temple has adopted the Buddhist style of construction. Images and carvings of many deities can be seen on the temple roofs and sides.
Odisha Tourism Department shows a very bad attitude towards this kind of structure. Keeping this in mind, I sent a mail to the tourism department and continued my journey again.
