|
To start with, Orissa is veritably a water world for one and all. One may enjoy water in all its incarnations here. At Chilika, wide lakes swallow the land, while hot springs fizzle away in Atri and Tarabalo. Crystal-clear waves crash at the shores of Gopalpur and Chandipur.
With history 2,000 years in the making in Orissa, grand, otherworldly temples are also not far behind. Once in Orissa, sojourners come face to face with some of the most magnificent temples known to humankind.
Prized singularly as the apogee of temple architecture in Orissa is the world-famous Sun Temple of Konark. Resting by the shores of the Bay of Bengal, this World Heritage site is held as one of the most awesome expressions of religion in the world. It is shaped like a chariot, in honor of the Sun God, Surya. In the days of European exploration, explorers referred to this temple as the
'Black Pagoda'.
Less large but universally revered nonetheless are the gigantic temples of the Lingaraja and the Jagannath dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Lingaraj temple is located at Bhubaneswar, rightfully the "Temple Ccity of India". On the other hand, Puri is home to the massive Jagannath Temple. |
