Astasambhu Temples

Astasambhu Siva Temples is a collection of 8 Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Siva located in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, India.''Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa: Text ''.P.42.Thomas E. Donaldson

The Temple

In the Uttaresvara Siva Temple precinct there are eight temples of identical size and dimension locally known as Astasambhu. ''Ashta'' means eight and Sambhu refers to another name of Lord Shiva. Five of them are arranged in one alignment are also known as Panchu Pandava. According to architectural features like bada division and ''pabhaga'' mouldings, this temple was built around 10th Century A.D. This is a building made up of stones and its typology is ''Rekha Deul''. The temple is surrounded by Godavari tank in the east, Uttaresvara Siva Temple compound wall in west, and Bindusagar tank in south beyond the compound wall. The temple has an east facing shrine.

Architecture

The temple has a square '' vimanam'' (shrine) measuring 2.45 metres with a frontal porch of 0.53 metres. Its ''pancharatha''(five chariots) as distinguished by a central ''raha'' and a pair of ''anuratha'' and ''kanika pagas'' on either sides of the ''raha''. On elevation, he vimana is of rekha order that measures 5.72 metres in height from pabhaga to kalasa. From bottom to the top the temple has a ''bada'', ''gandi'' and ''mastaka''. With three fold divisions of the bada the temple has a trianga bada measuring 1.72 metres. At the bottom the ''pabhaga'' has four base mouldings of ''khura'', ''kumha'', ''pata'', ''basanta'' that measures 0.47 metres. ''Jangha'' measures 0.90 metres and ''baranda'' measuring 0.35 metres thick has three mouldings. The ''gandi'' measuring 3.00 metres in height is devoid of any decoration and mastaka measures 1.00 metres with components like ''beki'', ''amlaka'', ''khapuri'' and ''kalasa''.

The ''parsvadevata'' niches are located on the ''raha'' paga of the ''jangha'' on the three sides of north, west and south measuring 0.50 metres x 0.32 metres and with a depth of 0.20 metres. Except the southern niche the rest two are empty. The niches are decorated with ''talagarbhika'' and ''urdhagarbhika'' of ''khakhara'' order. The southern niche houses a four armed Ganesha holding a parasu in his lower left, a rosary with ''varadamudra'' pose in lower right hand. His upper hands are broken. The deity is flanked on the top by two flying ''vidyadharas'' holding garlands in their hands. This temple is made up of coarse grey sandstone, construction technique is dry masonry type and construction type is Kalingan.

Decorative features

The doorjamb is decorated with three vertical bands and measures 1.20 metres in height x 0.84 metres in width. At the base of the doorjamb there are dvarapala niches on either side measuring 0.28 metres in height x 0.12 metres in width and houses the ''Saivite'' dvarapala’s holding trident. At the lalatabimba there is a Gajalaxmi holding a lotus in her left hand and right hand is in Varada mudra. The architrave above the doorjamb carved with the traditional Navagrahas flanked by two atlantid ganas on either side.

See also

* List of temples in Bhubaneswar

References

#K. C. Panigrahi, Archaeological Remains at Bhubaneswar, Calcutta, 1961. P. 19.
#T. E. Donaldson, Hindu Temple Art of Orissa, Vol. I, Leiden, 1985, P. 64.

Notes

{{Shiva temples in Orissa

Shiva temples in Odisha
Hindu temples in Bhubaneswar