Baitala Deula

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baitala deuḷa ବଇତାଳ ଦେଉଳ

Baitala deuḷa ବଇତାଳ ଦେଉଳ Location in Orissa
Coordinates:	20°16′N 85°15′E / 20.267°N 85.250°E / 20.267; 85.250Coordinates: 20°16′N 85°15′E / 20.267°N 85.250°E / 20.267; 85.250
Location
Country:	India
State:	Orissa
District:	Khurda
Location:	Bhubaneswar
Temple Details
Primary Deity:	Kapalini (Shakti)
Architecture and culture
Architectural styles:	Kalinga architecture

Vaitaḷa deuḷa or Baitala deuḷa(Oriya: ବଇତାଳ ଦେଉଳ, Devnagari:वैताळ देउळ) is a 9th-century Hindu temple typical Khakara temple dedicated to Goddess Chamunda located in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa, India. This is also locally known as "Tini Mundia Mandira". This info may be helpful in locating the temple.

Architecture

Baitaḷa Deuḷa Temple’s striking feature is the shape of its sanctuary tower. The semi-cylindrical shape of its roof is a leading example of Khakhara order of temples— which bears an affinity to the Dravidian Gopuram of the South Indian temples. Its gabbled towers with a row of Sikharas reveals unmistakable signs of southern intrusion.^[1] The plan of the deuḷa is oblong and the Jaga mohan is a rectangular structure, but embedded in each angle is a small subsidiary shrine. Baitala deuḷa boasts of some figures, although executed in relief, are however characterized by delicacy of features and perfect equipoise.^[2]

The outer walls are encrusted with panels of Hindu deities, mostly Shiva and his consort Parvati in her Shakti form, hunting processions, capturing of wild elephants and the occasional erotic couples.

The facade of the deuḷa above the left of the Jagamohana is dominated by two Chaitya windows— the lower one having a beautifully carved figure of Sun God (Surya) noted for its facial expression, with Usha (Dawn) and Pratyusha shooting arrows on either side and with Aruna in front, driving a chariot of seven horses.

The medallion in the upper Chaitya window houses a 10-armed Nataraja or dancing Shiva. In front of the flat roofed Jagamohana is a stone post relieved with two Buddha like figures seated in Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana mudra.

Another striking feature is temple's Tantric associations, marked by eerie carvings in the sanctum and the image enshrined in the central niche, eight armed Chamunda, locally known as Kapaḷini, is the terrifying form of goddess Durga. Thus, Baitaḷa Deuḷa is a Shakti shrine.

The Deity

The presiding deity, Chamunda or Charchika sits on a corpse flanked by a jackal and an owl and decorated with a garland of skulls. She holds a snake, bow, shield, sword, trident, thunderbolt and an arrow, and is piercing the neck of the demon. The niche is capped by a chaitya window containing seated figures of Shiva and Parvati.

The Chamunda is surrounded by a host of other smaller size allied deities carved in the lower parts of the walls, each within a niche separate by a pilaster. The figure on the east wall, to the fight of the door, is a skeleton form of Bhairava forming the counterpart of Chamunda.

The other, carved on the north wall, rises from ground, having filled his skull-cup with the blood of a person whose severed head lies on the right. On the pedestal is an offering of two more heads on a tray resting on a tripod, flanked by a jackal feasting on the decapitated body on the right and a woman holding a head on the left.

The tantric character of the temple is also marked by the stone post, to which sacrificial offerings were tethered, just in front of the jagamohana. You need an artificial light to see in the darkness of the interior, though early morning sun lights up the interior.

Gallery

Sculptures on the outer wall
Sculpture of a couple
Sculpture of Alasa Kanya
Stone sculpture

Footnotes

↑ D.P.Ghosh, Nirmal Kumar Bose and Y.D.Sharma. Designs from Orissan Temples. P.24
↑ Brockman, Norbert C. (2011). Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vaital Deula.

v t e Temples in Bhubaneswar

Shiva Temples	Aisanyesvara Akhadachandi Astasambhu Bharati Matha Bhringesvara Bhrukutesvar Brahmeswara Temple Byamokesvara Temple Chakreshvari Champakesvara Siva Temple Chandrasekhara Chintamanisvara Siva Temple Dishisvara Siva Temple Gangesvara Siva Temple Jaleswar Siva Temple Precinct Kapilesvara Siva Temple Labesvara Siva Temple Ladu Baba Temple Lakhesvara Lingaraja Temple Madneswar Mangalesvara Mukteswar Nagesvara Pabaneswara Temple Parsurameswar Temple Purvesvara Siva Temple Rajarani Temple Rameshwar Deula Sarvatresvara Sivatirtha Matha Subarnesvara Sukutesvara Temple Svapnesvara Siva Temple Talesvara Siva Temple Uttaresvara Yameshwar Temple

Other Temples	Ananta Vasudeva Temple Baitala Deula Brahma Temple, Bindusagar Devasabha Temple Gandhi Garabadu Precinct Vishnu Temple Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar Suka Temple Vishnu Temple, Bhubaneswar

Hindu temples in Odisha Shakti temples in Odisha Shiva temples in Odisha

v t e Shakti temples in Odisha

Shakti Temples	Baitala Deula Bhadrakali Temple, Aharapada Bhagabati Temple, Banapur Bhattarika Temple Biraja Temple Charchika Temple Chausathi Jogini Temple Cuttack Chandi Temple Durga Temple, Baideshwar Durga Temple, Motia Ghanteswari Temple Kakatpur Mangala Temple Kalijai Kanaka Durga, Raulapalli Kichakeshwari Temple Lankeswari Temple Maa Tarini Maa Ugra Tara Maheshwari Temple Mahishamardini Temple Majhighariani Temple Manikeshwari Temple Marichi temple Mausimaa Temple Metakani Temple Narayani Temple Ramachandi Temple Ranipur-Jharial Samaleswari Temple Saptamatruka Temple Sarala Temple Siddha Bhairavi Sureswari temple Taratarini Temple Upper Bagh Devi Temple Varahi Deula, Chaurasi Vimala Temple

Hindu temples in Odisha Shiva temples in Odisha Temples in Bhubaneswar

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.