Ananta Vasudeva Temple ("Temple of the
Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
*Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
* Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
Vāsudeva
Vāsudeva ( sa, वासुदेव, ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, "Krishna, son of Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in Krishna-Vāsudeva or simply Krishna, was the son of V ...
",
Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
:ଅନନ୍ତ ବାସୁଦେବ ମନ୍ଦିର) is a
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...
dedicated to
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
, an ''
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'' of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
located in
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...
, the state capital of
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The temple was constructed in the thirteenth century, and the complete
murtis
In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. Thu ...
of Krishna,
Balarama
Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Balad ...
and
Subhadra
Subhadra ( sa, सुभद्रा, Subhadrā) is a Hindu goddess mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of de ...
are worshipped there. The temple dates back to the period of Chandrika Devi, the daughter of
Anangabhima III
Anangabhima Deva III was an Eastern Ganga monarch who ruled an early medieval Odisha centered empire in eastern India from the year 1211 CE to 1238 CE. He was successful in maintaining a large extent of territory that stretched from the river Gan ...
, during the reign of the king Bhanudeva. A commemorative inscription that marked the foundation of the temple can be found in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
's collection.
Legend
It appears that the original image of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
was worshipped on the spot where the great temple of Ananta Vasudeva was built in the 13th century A.D. Thus in the 13th century, Queen Chandrika of
Eastern Ganga dynasty
The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas were a large medieval era Indian royal dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of ...
was prompted to construct a new temple - the temple of Ananta Vasudeva in this place. There must have been an old temple where this Vishnu image was installed. The
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
s, who extended their empire up to river
Mahanadi
The Mahanadi is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and finally merged with Bay o ...
, were responsible for renovating the Vishnu temple at
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...
in the late 17th Century.
Architecture
In form, the temple resembles the
Lingaraj temple
Lingaraja Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha, India. The temple is the most prominent landmark of Bhubaneswar city and one of the major tourist ...
, but includes ''
vaishnavite
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
'' (
Lord Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
related) sculptures. The temple has longitudinal bands of miniature ''
shikhara
''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...
s'' (shrines), exactly like those in Lingaraj temple, with the minor difference that the number of the ''
shikhara
''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...
s'' forming one longitudinal band in its case is only three. The sculpture in the exterior walls varies in character in each temple in Bhubaneswar. Most of the female sculptures in the temple walls are overly ornamented and lack originality
[''World heritage monuments and related edifices in India ''P.186.ʻAlī Jāvīd, Tabassum Javeed.]
The sanctum has the icons of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. Balarama stands under a seven hooded serpent, Subhadra holds Jewels pot and lotus in her two hands keeping her left foot over another jewel pot, while Krishna holds a
mace, ''
chakra
Chakras (, ; sa , text=चक्र , translit=cakra , translit-std=IAST , lit=wheel, circle; pi, cakka) are various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, or the esoteric or ...
'',
lotus and a
conch
Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends).
In North Am ...
.
Difference from Jagannath Temple, Puri
The idols found in the ''
garbhagrha ''(sanctum sanctorum) of the temple have complete structure unlike the images of the
Jagannath Temple, Puri
The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the Trimurti, trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was ...
. Here the ''shrimurtis'' (idols) are made of black granite stone, rather than wood, as seen in the Puri temple. For this temple only the city gains its name as ''Chakra kshetra'' (circular place), whereas
Puri
Puri () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is als ...
is named ''Shankha kshetra'' (conch-shaped place).
Gallery
File:View of Ananta Vasudeva Temple from Bindusagar - July 2007.jpg, View of Ananta Vasudeva Temple from Bindusagar
File:Ananta vasudeva temple 2.jpg, View of Ananta Vasudeva Temple in 1869
File:Mahaprasad in ananta vasudeva.jpg, Mahaprasad in Ananta Vasudeva temple
File:Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 18.jpg, Lion statue in the ''singhadwara''
File:Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 17.jpg, A small broken shrine in the premises
File:Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 19.jpg, First stone inscription installed in the outer wall
File:Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 20.jpg, ''Bimana'' or ''Deula''
File:Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 21.jpg, ''Jagamohana''
File:Abadha and Prasada in earthen pots in Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar.jpg, Abadha and Prasada offered to the deities
File:Temple Kitchen of Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 02.jpg, The temple kitchen of the Ananta Basudeba temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
File:Temple Kitchen of Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar 01.jpg, The temple kitchen of the Ananta Basudeba temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
File:Ananta Basudeba Temple, Bhubaneswar - Varaha niche 08 (cropped).jpg, Varaha
Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
Varaha is most commonly associated with the lege ...
as a parshvadevata in a niche
References
{{Hindu temples in Odisha
Hindu temples in Bhubaneswar
Temples dedicated to Jagannath
Archaeological monuments in Odisha
13th-century Hindu temples
13th-century establishments in India