Temples In India

Odisha Bharati Matha Burial Temple

This east facing temple is a part of group of 9 temples that are one of the oldest in Orissa. These temples are immensely rich in terms of cultural heritage and are one of the iconic architectural structures in Orissa. This temple is now not functional as it is in a dilapidated state because of rain water accumulation and excessive vegetation growth in the areas surrounding the temple.

History

This temple was built around the 11th Century AD. The Matha Mahantas, who lived their lives for the development of Hindu religion, lived around this time and these people were respected as Gods by the general public. These Mahantas had the power of knowing when and where they would die and as their end comes near, they appoint successors to take their legacy forward. Once, they are done with their commitments, on that particular day, they go and sit in a particular place and enter into deep meditation and eventually their lives go away from their bodies. The public bury them in that same place and within 15 days, construct a small Shiva temple with a Yoni Pitha around it. In a similar way, 9 small temples were constructed and came to be known as Bharati Mata Burial temples I to IX.

Architecture

As in the case of other temples in this group, this temple belongs to the Kalinga style of architecture. This is an east-facing temple has a vimana that is square-shaped, measuring 1.36sq m.  When elevated, the vimana belongs to the pidha pattern and is 2.08m tall starting from the Pabhaga to ghanta.  Like most of the temples in Orissa, the bada is triangular in pattern and is 1.12m tall, out of which the pabhaga is 0.48m, jangha is 0.44m and mastaka is 0.20m.

The Doorjambs are highly attractive and decorative and give the much needed colour to the temple that is almost in ruins today. These doorjambs have a measurement of 0.69m X 0.37m. The basic material used for building this temple was sandstone and it followed the Ashlar masonry and cement plaster technique for its style.

How To Reach

By Air

This temple is best accessed from the Bhubaneswar airport, as it only around half an hour’s drive from the airport, which is well connected to all major cities in the country.

By Rail

Bhubaneswar railway station, the busiest and largest railway station in Orissa, is the nearest station from the temple. Lingaraj Temp Rd Station is the other close station.

By Road

This temple can be driven down from some of the major cities like Bhubaneswar (20min drive), Cuttack (around 30 to 35 min drive), Konark (1 hour drive) and Puri (around one hour drive).

Important Shrines

These temples are very small and have the Shiva lingams as the main deity in all the 9 temples. In addition to these main lingams, tourists must take a look at few sculptures and pieces of the temple that are stored separately in a place behind the Talesvara Siva temple.

Significance Of The Temple

There are few temples known as burial temples in the country and across the globe. It would be apt to say to that these temples are one of the first  and last burial temples, that is a total dedication to the Matha Mahantas who lived somewhere around the 11th century.

Attraction

The famous, archaeologically brilliant Lingaraj temple is very near to the Bharati Mata Burial temple. Tourists can also visit the Astasambhu Siva temples that are 8 temples of Lord Siva. These look beautiful because their architecture is so uniform and all the 8 temples look extremely similar.

Weather And Time To Visit

The months March to May are very hot; therefore devotees should not visit this temple at this time. It rains heavily during the months June to August in Orissa and there is also the Rath Yatra that happens during July or Aug. Hence, devotees should not visit this place during that time because of inclement weather and huge crowds. The months September to November are apt for visiting this temple, because the weather is pleasant and devotees can enjoy the calmness of the temple in the best way possible.

Accommodation

There are lots of tourists visiting Orissa year after year, because it is a state of temples. The state earns a lot through tourism, therefore, there are innumerable accommodation facilities in and around Bhubaneswar for guests to stay. There are high profile 4 star hotels as well as budget accommodations, lodging facilities etc. to suit the different needs and priority of the tourists.

Tips of Devotees

The burial temple demands extremely silent behaviour from the devotees. Devotees should observe the temple very silently and they should not behave unreasonably when inside.

Photo Gallery