Brahmeswara Temple, Bhubaneshwar, India

The Brahmeswara Temple in Bhubaneshwar was built in 1058 AD, by Kolavati Devi, the mother of the Somavanshi king Udyota Kesari. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Its grand architecture is reminiscent of the Mukteswara Temple, which is believed to be the earliest work of the Somavanshi period. Along with the Mukteswara and the Rajarani temples, the Brahmeswara Temple is very pleasing to the eyes, and has some excellent sculptures and relief carvings.

Although Bhubaneshwar has many more temples, because of which it has received the title "City of Temples", these are the three temples that I am covering in my Photo-Journey as of now. If you are fond on ancient Indian temple architecture, then these are the three temples you must cover if you travel to Bhubaneshwar.

The Brahmeswara temple has an imposing and regal look. It has four subsidiary shrines in the four corners around the temple. This architectural style is called the panchayatana style.

The Brahmeswara temple, like the other temples of Orissa, has two main parts: the entrance hall or jagmohana and the towering spire called shikahara, vimana, or deul. The spire is 62 feet high.

The temple is richly decorated with ornate carvings, and is reminiscent of the Mukteswara and Rajarani temples

A balustrade window

Another elegantly carved balustrade window on the wall of the jagmohana (assembly hall). The figures shown are those of nayikas (maidens) and possibly deities.

Exquisite carvings on the temple walls depicting the dikpalas (protectors of the cardinal directions), nayikas, animals, musicians, dancers, and other motifs.

The intricacy of the stone work is truly remarkable. According to historians, the wood carving style and techniques have been applied on stone here.

An empty niche which probably had a sculpture that has been removed. There are so many empty niches in all the temples of the region, and in some cases even the shrine room sculptures have been stolen.

A guardian lion (Yali or Vyala) depicted above a Kalamukha - The Face of Time. Both of these architectural elements can also be found in the Mesoamerican temples. I have discussed these correlations in my article: Olmec Yogis with Hindu Beliefs: Did they migrate from Ancient China?

The temple entrance. The lintel stone depicts the navagrahas i.e. nine planetary deities.

One of the four subsidiary shrines at the four corners of the temple complex. This design style of marking the cardinal directions with four temples or monuments or pillars is also found across cultures.