2016: Odisha

Visit to the land of Konark Sun Temple - Bhubaneshwar (Odisha)

(January 05-09,2016)

Dr. A. K. Srivastava

E-mail: aks46@rediffmail.com

yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati tasyaaham na pranashyaami sa cha me na pranashyati - 6.30.

He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, never gets separated from Me (by time, space or anything intervening) nor do I get separated from him.

Sri Bhagavad Gita, chapter.6-30

Why Bhubaneshwar ?

In the winter holidays of January 2016, we wanted to go for a week's vacation / break. There were many commercially advertized packages available for south India, Kerala, Goa, Himachal Pradesh etc. In the family -- we all in three generations live together and every age / generation / group has their own choices and priorities. After much mooting, It was finally decided, the chosen destination should not be far away, mild warm weather, a respectable cosmopolitan place, culturally, historically and environmentally educative for children and near a religious place for older generation---all in one and within about 100 KM distance from the center-point. Bhubaneshwar fulfilled almost all our bills. The place being the cultural and political capital of Odisha (earlier Orissa ) state is very much cosmopolitan, about 2 hours away by Air, famous 400 Hector(990 Acres) Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, 1100 Square KM long/wide Chilka lake, Many other ancient historical, religious and cultural land marks nearby including famous Konark Sun Temple and Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri.

On 05-01-2016 morning , we took an Air India International flight ( Delhi- Bhubaneshwar Sector was domestic). The flight was about 1/2 hour late from the start and reached Bhubaneshwar in after-noon in about 2hrs.15 minutes. Lunch served on the flight was disappointing. We stayed in the hotel for rest in the A/Noon and spent evening exploring other local activities/ markets etc. Dinner in the hotel.

For hotel, we have chosen : 'Pal Height'- a 4 star property, situated in the heart of the down-town Bhubaneshwar at Plot No. 3/7, Jaydev Avenu, Jaydev Vihar,Bhubaneshwar-751013 , Tel. 0674-2361156, Fax. 0674-2361156, website: www.palheight.com. The hotel rooms were large, neat & clean, nicely equipped & appointed, airy, abundant natural light, accessible by all means of transport, about 8 KM from the Airport, Zaika- a good multi-cuisine restaurant on

Fig. 1-2 Front view at Hotel Pal Height, Bhubaneshwar

the ground floor, Breeze- a semi-open restaurant on third floor-- basically to cater to the morning breakfast ( consisting of a wide spread of about 35-40 varieties of Veg. / Non-veg. delicacies in different tastes as Continental, Northern Indian, South Indian, Bengali, Chinese and local tastes @ a cost of Rs.990/- plus Taxes per person or as part of package with the room-tariff) , a mall within the hotel- complex and many other facilities. Bhubaneshwar city is bestowed with wide & clean, good maintained motor-able roads, lot of greenery, many small & big parks, modern city living-style with huge malls, traditional local shopping complexes, sports stadiums, cultural centers etc. and most important soft speaking, always helpful, culturally and spiritually-rich loving peoples.

Our Driver for the entire-stay at Bhubaneshwar was one Mr. Munna (M) 91-98615 23706 with his Maroon-Metal colored Toyota-Innova car Regn.No. OR-02-AR-7777.

Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, Udaigiri & Khandgiri Caves and Lingaraj Temples : ( Wednesday : 06-1-2016)

In mythology “Nandankanan” is an imaginary beautiful celestial garden in the heavens. In Bhubaneshwar's Nandan Kanan --18 KM s away from the city, one can see and enjoy the real

Fig. 3 & 4 Front entrance view at Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneshwar

beautiful spots par excellence on earth, where one can see the nature in its best and appreciate the panoramic glamour that exists in the external morphology of plants and animals. Distressed with the high-pollution in the Delhi NCR and odd-even traffic-formula on the city roads, the natural, fresh and pollution-free air in Nandan Kanan was the real celestial boon to us.

Spread in about 990 Acres, the zoo is home to about 1660 individual animals representing 166 species, including 67 species of mammals, 81 species of birds, and 18 species of reptiles. The Zoo boasts of lowest death rate of animals here during the 2008-2009 fiscal year at 3.1% per year compared to the national average of 10%.The Zoo is famous mostly for White Tigers, since its first breeding in India in 1980 from Indian Orange father-daughter pair named Deepak-Ganga

Fig. 5 & 6 White Tiger and Black Tiger at Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneshwar

and other endangered species such as the Asiatic lion, three Indian crocodilians, Sangal lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian pangolin, mouse deer and also countless birds, reptiles and fish have been breeding successfully.

We engaged Mr. Rabindra Behra as our guide from the tourist-office, who took us to different enclosures and detailed on the various species. The park entrance-fee is Rs.20/- per adult and Rs.10/- for children.

The national park also houses around 81 species of birds including some rare birds such as White Peacock, Open-billed Stork, Blue & Yellow Macaw and Green-winged Macaw, and an aviary for the aquatic birds, among others.

Fig. 7 & 8 Lazing Asiatic Lions at Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneshwar.

Fig. 9 & 10 Black bears at play at Nandan Kanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneshwar

The separate Reptile Park of the sanctuary is an abode to a host of crocodiles, lizards, turtles and snakes, including three species of Indian Crocodiles--all lazing in the bright winter-noon

Fig. 11 & 12 Chimpanzee and spotted dears & other animals at play at Nandan Kanan Park, Bhubaneshwar

Fig. 13 & 14 Entrance to reptile Park and a Python enjoying sun at Nandan Kanan Park, Bhubaneshwar

sun. Children were excited to see and watch the movements of these reptiles in their enclosures / nests in captivity . A life sized Tyrannosaurus Rex stands as a guard on the gates of this park, which is very popular amongst kids. We took some snaps.

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves ---are two side by side hills located at a distance of about 10 Km from main Bhubaneswar railway station and 6 Km from Bhubaneswar airport are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city. The art of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, being almost contemporaneous with that of Sanchi (M.P.), has a striking resemblance to it but at the same time retains its own individuality and advanced technique The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in the Hathigumpha inscription. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jain monks during the reign of King Kharavela, the king of Kalinga during the 2nd century BCE. In Brahmi script many inscription of Kharavela were found here. There is a depiction of twenty four Tirthankaras along with their sasana-devis in some caves. This place is a example of early Indian art.

Fig. 15* & 16* Rani Gumpha (cave no-1) & Ganesha Gumpha (cave no-10) respectively , both at Udayagiri, Bhubaneshwar

Udayagiri means "Sunrise Hill" and has 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves. Hathigumpha (cave 14) and Ganeshagumpha (cave 10) are especially well known due to art treasures of their sculptures and reliefs as well as due to their historical importance. Rani ka Naur (Queen's Palace cave, cave 1) is also an extensively carved cave and elaborately embellished with sculptural friezes. The Ananta cave (cave 3) depicts carved figures of women, elephants, athletes, and geese carrying flowers

. Fig. 17* Khandagiri caves- aerial view) , Bhubaneshwar

Lingaraj temple

The Lingaraj temple is situated 3 KM away from the Bhubaneshwar Airport and about 5 KM from the Railway station. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, also known as ‘Lingaraj’. Lingaraj temple is approximately 54.8 metres high and enshrines a huge statue of Lord Shiva, made up of granite. The idol is 8 feet in diameter and is placed on a platform that is about 8 inches above ground. The deity is bathed everyday with water, milk and bhang (marijuana).

Fig. 18* Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneshwar- aerial view.

As per mythology the Lingaraj temple is believed to be constructed by the SomaVanshi King Jajati Keshari in the second half of eleventh century whereas some parts of the temple have been there since the sixth century. It could not be scientifically verified. On the eastern side of the temple, lies its solitary entrance point, which is commonly known as the ‘Simhadwara’ or the ‘Lions' Gate’. Lingaraja has 150 smaller shrines inside its temple-courtyard. Lingaraj temple is basically made up of four parts, namely the main temple, the 'Yajna Shala', the 'Bhoga Mandap' and the 'Natya Shala'. Along with Lord Shiva, it also enshrines Lord Vishnu, in the form of Saligramam idol. It's tower, dominating the sky, is visible from miles around. Around the main shrine there are many smaller votive shrines. It is adorned with beautiful sculptures, which have been carved on the spire. The outer walls of the temple are lavishly decorated with beautiful sculptures which mark a climax of Hindu decorative architecture of that era. For children at lower heights birds, beasts, creepers, flowers etc, and men and women in erotic poses and postures in middle and a host of gods and goddesses on top for older generation-- all constituted the full majesty and grandeur. The inner walls of the shrine, containing the phallus symbol of Shiva, are plain and without any embellishment.

No photograph could be taken as camera, mobile every thing is not permitted in the temple-complex.

Chilka Lake ( Thursday : 07-1-2016)

We started early for Chilka lake from our hotel, as it was a long journey via road (about 130 KM one way ) and wished to capture the glimpse of the country side Odisha on the way. It was the first such country side exposure to young members of our group and they were excited. In the way we have occasions to stop the car and show them Banana-plantations spread in many acres of land and plants with load of hundreds of green-Banana in different sizes along with a red-color flower still intact, long paddy- fields with ripen and dried rice-bunches, Beatle-leaf (Pan patti ) plantations, cashew-nut trees planted abundantly on both side of the roads. The Odisha soil is mainly red-colored rich in Iron ore and good for paddy and other Kharif crops. On the way we stopped at some small Towns / places and enjoyed their famous local sweets and other delicacies, while returning we stopped at a small town : Pipli Town, 36 KM ahead of Bhubaneshwar, which is famous for designing beautiful Applique ( cut-work) handicrafts by local artisans using colored fabrics. Here we purchased Framed brass finished photographs, paintings on Palm leaves, hats and local decoration items on fabric.

Asia's largest brackish water lagoon with water spread ranging from 1165 sq KM the rainy season to 906 sq KM in the dry season--is 120 KM away from Bhubaneshwar city and

Fig. 19 & 20 Over to the chilka Lake by boat-ride.

extends from Bhusandpur in Puri district in the North to Rambha-Malud in Ganjan district in the South, separated from the Bay of Bengal by a 60 km long narrow strip of marshy islands and sand-flats.

Fig. 21* & 22 Migratory Birds and large spread of waters on the chilka Lake .

Some of the prominent islands like Nalabana, Kalijal, Somolo, Honeymoon, Break-fast, Birds and Rajahansa inhabited by small subsistence fishermen families, are popular destinations for daily boat trips. Because of its rich bio-diversity and socio-economic importance, Chilika was designated as a Ramsar site in 1981 to afford better protection.

The major attraction at Chilika is Irrawady dolphins which are often spotted off Satpada Island. Satpada, bounded by the lagoon on three sides, offers an excellent view and attracts the visitors to its entire 30 km stretch of sand bar. Boats arranged by Odisha Tourism Development Corporation are available for both the islands at a fixed price of Rs.2,500/- per) boat-trip of 3-4 hours and for 6 persons. Our boat-man was a middle-aged Mr. Narender Modi. The lake also supports the local fisherman in earning their living from Chilika's prawn, mackerel and crabs.

Dhawalgiri, Konark Sun Temple and Puri Jagannath Temple ( Friday : 08-1-2016) Dhawalgiri

Dhawalgiri is a famous tourist spot--8kms away from Bhubaneshwar- city -- The place where a fierce and mighty King fought a war about 2250 years back, won it , relinquished everything to

Fig.23, 24 & 25 Dhawalgiri Buddhist Temple at Bhubaneshwar.

finally became a monk. Emperor Ashoka fought and won the gory war of Kalinga. The blood and violence, they say altered Ashoka's outlook on life and he embraced Buddhism. The Shanti Stupa Peace edict- and the rock cut edicts dating back to his time, continue to stand tall here. The hills also have a temple dedicated to Lord Dhavaleswar, which was reconstructed by Japan Government support in 1972.We spent some time here and did some shopping for souvenir items and local cashew-nuts.

Konark Sun Temple is said to be the most cursed and unlucky temple, where not a single day Puja / Prayer was performed, from its very inception in the year 1250 CE . This 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark, about 65 KM away from capital Bhubaneshwar, in Odisha state of India is an UNESCO protected world heritage monument, maintained by the Archeological Survey of India . It is believed that the temple was built by king Gajapati Narasimhadeva- I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty started around 1232 CE and completed in twelve years on 1250 CE. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The cause of collapse is also placed on Kalapahad who invaded Odisha in 1568 CE, besides natural causes.

Fig. 26 In the back ground the Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

Fig. 27 & 28 At Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

Fig. 29 & 30 At Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

Fig. 31* and 32 Monalisa of East--Smiling Beauty and intricate carving at Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

The name 'Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner or angle) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun God Surya

According to the scriptures, Samba, the son of Lord Krishna, was cursed with leprosy. He was advised by the sage Kataka, to worship the sun god to cure his aliment. Samba underwent penance for 12 years in Mitravana near the shores of Chandrabhaga. It is said the 'Surya Namaskar' in yoga is the outcome of this penance. In the 16th century Ain-i-Akbari, Abul Fazl also mentions Konark temple being in a proper state. It also accounts that the cost of its construction being 12 years of revenue.

As per the local folklore, King Gajapati Narasimhadeva- I had hired a chief architect called Bisu Maharana to build the temple in 12 years, employing 12000 artisans each day. After a period of twelve years, a workforce of twelve thousand almost finished the construction. But, they failed to mount the crown stone. The impatient king ordered the temple to be finished in three days or the artisans be put to death. At the time, Bisu Maharana's twelve-year-old son, Dharmapada arrived at the site. Bisu Maharana had never seen his son, as he had left his village when his wife was still pregnant. Dharmapada successfully proposed a solution to mount the crown stone. But, the artisans were still apprehensive that the king will be displeased to learn that a boy succeeded where his best artisans failed. Dharmapada climbed onto the temple and leapt into the water to save his father and his co-workers. Another story says the Princess-daughter of the King fallen in love with the chief architect: Bishu Mahrana and wanted to marry him. The Maharana, being already married and having children, found it impossible and as a practical solution took his life by suicide by jumping from the top of the temple. Any way --Since the temple was incapacitated before its inauguration, it was deemed cursed, and no Puja / Prayer was performed from the beginning.

The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded , about 1 1/2 KM since then. The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance. The temple is built from Khondalite rocks, found abundantly in the nearby Khurda region.

The Konark temple complex consists of the Temple 1 (main temple complex), Temple 2 (Mayadevi Temple), Temple 3 (Vaishnava Temple) and many other subsidiary structures like the gateway, well, kitchen, enclosure wall, etc.

Fig. 33 Iron Girder lying in the open since 765 years--with no corrosion at Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

As you enter the temple-complex, you immediately notice a heap of about 60-70 large size iron girders lying on an elevated plate-form at the right side of the entrance, those are lying in the costal-region, all in open--day and night, in all seasons since last about 765 years, without any trace of corrosion. Surprisingly, on touch by hand the Iron-bars are found cold in summers and warm in the winters, though lying in open. The metallurgy of these Iron-girders are a challenge to present day science, when we have very sophisticated blast furnaces and modern day technology.

The original temple had two major structures. First structures, which have survived to the current day is dance hall (Natya mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).The second structure is the main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 229 feet (70 m) tall. Due to the weight of the super structure (70m tall) and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837. The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins.

Sun Dial and Time

The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. The wheels of the temple are sundials which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute including day and night. The chariot has twelve pairs (representing twelve months of the year) of elaborately carved stone wheels (each wheel representing one hour thus total 24 hours in a day) which are 2.73 meters wide and is pulled by a set of seven horses (4 on the right--south side and 3 on the left- North side and in between was the Aruna stambha (Aruna pillar)( made of monolithic chlorite rock and 33 feet 8 inches (10.26 m) tall) , dedicated to Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun god. It was currently removed from the entrance of Konark temple and placed at the Singha-dwara (Lion's Gate) of the Jagannath temple in Puri by a Maratha Brahmachari called Goswain (or Goswami).

Each wheel has nicely decorated 8 spokes, each spoke for 3 hours(in Hindu calendar for each 'Pahar') and 8 thin spokes. The wheels of the chariot are also symbolic and have been interpreted as the 'Wheel of Life'. They portray the cycle of creation, preservation and achievement of realization. The diameter of each of the wheels is about nine(2.73 meters) feet and each of them has a set eight equal parts. They are elaborately carved all over. The thicker ones are all carved with circular medallions at their centers on the widest part of the face. The axels of the wheels project by about one foot from the surface, having similar decorations at their ends. The rims are carved with designs of foliages with various birds and animals, whereas the medallions in the spokes are carved with the figures of women in various luxurious poses, mostly of erotic nature. These wheels may also possibly represent the twelve Zodiacs.

Fig. 34* and 35* Intricate carving at Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

Immediately below the platform and the bada is noticed an upana, which is a ledge-like projection and treated with decorations in friezes. The friezes are decorated with various themes, and the most recurring one is the elephant.

Royal Guard of Konark - Lion Upon Elephant Upon Man

The eastern gateway which is the main entrance to the temple compound, is decorated with Gajasimha (Lion upon an elephant) images, with outward faces, installed on two high stone-benches on either side of the passage. Two high stone benches are also provided at the inner sides, possibly meant for the guards to sit. People have different explanations to it. Some ascribe it to the name of the ruling King Gajapati Narasimhadeva- I. Others say Simha or Lion on the top depicts power, whereas Gajapati or elephant indicates wealth and the man at the bottom is crushed with the weight of ego of both power and wealth. At other places the elephant motif is in various attitudes – elephants in defile, uprooting trees and branches, consuming the uprooted ones, feeding the younger ones, giving birth, fondling the younger ones and mates, etc. The next motif which dominates the upana is the military marches and processions. The procession consists of elephants, cavalry and infantry. The hunting of animals is also another theme that is depicted in the upana portion. Very often the king himself is shown hunting a boar

Fig. 36* and 37* Lion upon Elephant upon Man at Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

or a deer and rarely a lion. The other themes that can be noticed are of the caravan scenes, pulling of a long rope by athletes, armed prince on a horseback, etc. The depiction of giraffe on the south side of the upana is an interesting and noteworthy one, as it is not an Indian native.

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Fig. 38 and 39 Intricate carvings on stone at Konark Sun Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

The bada or the platform of the temple is also richly sculpted and decorated in various bands. The bada portion of the temple measures nearly 4 m in height. The lower portion of the bada is further sub-divided into several bands that are depicted with various motifs like lotus petals, beaded pendants, creeper in foils and flowers, leaves and different animals. The bada portion also consists of several upright slabs and in between these slabs are niches many of them decorated with beautifully sculpted kanyas (damsels) in various moods and attitudes. They are shown as wringing water from the wet hair, standing nearby a half-opened door, standing underneath a tree, holding a branch of a tree, caressing a pet bird, making toilet, simply in a standing pose, playing musical instruments, etc. The upright slabs are also decorated with motifs like a rampant vyala (a leonine figure on an elephant), erotic & Maithun Mudras, and amorous figures, nagas or nagis, each with human bust, a multi-hooded canopy and the tail of a serpent coiling round a pillar, beautifully depicted kanyas, miscellaneous figures, etc.

The higher layer (above the basement and middle layers) of Konark Sun Temple contains a number of bigger sculptures, mostly erotic. In some carvings, the obscenity is to such an extent that Vatsayana, the famous author on sex-psychology, even did not mention about similar poses in his books. If you ignore the vulgarity presented in the erotic scenes, the sculpture reveal the thorough knowledge of human anatomy that the artists had.

In the Vedas, Surya is conceived as an unified manifestation of the Brahmanical Trinity, the Morning Sun being identified with Brahma, the creator; the Mid Day Sun with Maheshwara, the destroyer and the Evening Sun with Vishnu, the preserver. It is probably this conception that the artist had wanted to express in the three images of Surya, on the three sides of Konark Sun Temple. These three images of the Sun God at three different sides of the temple, positioned in proper direction to catch the rays of the sun at morning, noon and evening. They belongs to the three stages of the sun in the day--morning, Noon and the evening.

Jagannath Temple , Puri

Jagannath Temple is known as one of the most famous and sacred pilgrimages of Hindus in India. It is famous as eastern Dhama (out of four Dhamas at Badrinath in North in Himalayas, Dwarka in West in Gujarat ,Rameshwaram in South in Tamilnadu ).

The Puranas present elaborate accounts pertaining to the origin of Jagannath. Prominent among the Puranas are the Skanda Purana, the Brahma Purana and the Narada Purana. Even in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, there are references to the Shreene of Jagannatha. The Pandavas of the Mahabharata are believed to have come here and offered worship to Jagannatha. Jagannatha, but historically the evidence is available from the 9th century A.D. when Adi Sankaracarya visited Puri and founded the Govardhana.

In Jagannatha Temple along with Jagannatha, two others namely, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are also worshipped here. These three, constitute the basic and fundamental Trinity and are considered to be the forms and manifestations of the omni-present, omni-scient and omni-potent supreme power. Sudarsan who is supposed to be the fourth important divine manifestation which constitute as the Caturdha murti or the four-fold divine images. Besides, Madhava, a replica of Jagannatha, Sridevi and Bhudevi are also installed in the sanctum sanctorum and worshipped. Historically speaking, the antiquity of Jagannatha can be taken to the second century B.C. when Kharavela was the emperor of Kalinga (the ancient name of Odisha). There is the mention of one Jinasana in the historic Hathigumpha inscription of the emperor on the top of Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar and though it clearly speaks of a Jain deity, it is often identified with Jagannatha.

Fig. 43 and 44 In the background is the Jagannath Temple, Bhubaneshwar.

The credit for laying the foundation of the Jagannath temple of Puri goes to Raja Ananta Varman Chodaganga Dev. There is an interesting legend associated with the Jagannatha temple of Puri. It is said that King Indradyumna, the ruler of the territory, saw Lord Jagannath in his dreams and following the Lord's wishes, he got the Jagannath Puri Temple constructed in the 12th century.

The Puri temple is built on a gigantic raised platform in the heart of the city. The temple complex is enclosed by a wall about seven meters high -including a platform of area more than 4,20,000 Sq. Ft. It has four gates ,facing the four directions. On the east-facing gate, there are stone images of two lions and it is called the Lions Gate. The north, south and west facing gates are similarly known as the Elephant Gate, the Horse Gate and the Tiger Gate respectively. The north gate is mainly meant for the God himself in as much as, the logs of wood out of which, the images are fabricated, make their entry into the temple premises through this gate, when the Navakelevara ceremony takes place. The east-facing Lions Gate is the main gate. There are pyramidal structures over the four gates, which are not very old.

In front of the Lions Gate (eastern gate), there is a monolithic pillar about 10 meters high. This pillar is known locally as the Aruna Stambha- in the name of Aruna-- the charioteer of the Sun-god. The pillar is removed from Konarka Sun Temple to Puri and was fixed in front of Jagannatha temple where we see it now.

As we cross the main entrance on the east and ascend the flight of steps leading to the main temple, we find on the left-hand side, a vast kitchen area of the temple. It can feed even one lakh persons with only two to three hours' notice. The method of preparation is most hygienic and the traditional process of preparation of food, with about 1600 workers and 376 cooks. A ticket of Rs.3/- per person is levied to visit this area. Our Pujari for this temple-trip was one Mr.Bapi :(M) 09439694043.He helped us in getting the good darshan, donation at the temple-Annandan Bhog committee -counter and also visit the kitchen area.

Note: Figures marked by (*) and some information are gratefully taken from the web including ASI website.