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Odisha Bharati Matha Burial Temple
These came to be known as burial temples because they were built upon Samadhis of some great Mahantas of the Matha sect. These Mahantas, contributed phenomenally to the development of the Hindu religion and these burial temples were built as ode to their contribution. There are only very burial temples across the world; hence these temples kindle a great amount of curiosity among tourists. Lord Shiva is the main deity here. This temple, though quite famous during the ancient day, has succumbed to natural wear and tear and in the process, is not in use now, because of its dilapidated state.
History
The Mahantas lived their life extraordinarily and had an even more extraordinary death. They nominated certain youngsters as their successors and announced well in advance to the world, about the date, time and place that they would die. On the appointed day, these people sat at that particular place, meditated for a while with closed eyes and eventually passed away. These Mahantas were buried in the same place immediately. The devotees, as a mark of respect to these great souls, constructed small temples with a Shiva lingam and yoni pitha on top of these burial spots or Samadhis. These temples were built around 11th century AD. These temples were named as burial temples, so that it would remain far different from the normal temples.
Architecture
Most of the temples in Orissa and northern Andhra Pradesh follow the Kalinga style of architecture. This temple is no exception to that. The basic material used for building this temple was Laterite and the Ashlar masonry and cement plaster was the construction styles that were used in this temple. This temple has a small platform that is square shaped and measures 2.38sq m and is 0.46m tall. The overall measurement of the temple is 1.95m.
When elevated the vimana extends up to 4.35m and has the pidha style and contains the bada, gandi and mastaka components in it. The triangular bada is 1.46m, out of which the pabhaga is 0.34m, jangha is 0.82m and the baranda is 0.30m). The gandi has tiers facing backwards and is 1.80m tall. Like all other temples, the mastaka is made up of beki, ghanta, amlaka and kalasa and is 1.09m tall. The raha corners that are in all the four directions of the temple are vacant and are 0.37m tall, 0.26m wide and 0.10m deep. Overall, there are around 32 doorjambs in the temple. Vertical bands are used to beautify these and the doorjambs are 1.13m tall and 0.63m wide.
How To Reach
By Air
Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport and is connected to all most all the cities in the country through direct and connecting flights.
By Rail
The temple can be easily reached, if the devotees get down at the main Bhubaneswar railway station. This is the station that is the closest to the temple.
By Road
Many government and private owned transport modes are available from the main cities. Tourists can easily find air conditioned and normal cabs to take them to the main tourist places in and around that particular area.
Important Shrines
The Bharati Mata Burial temple is a group of 9 small Shiva temples. In addition to this, devotees can visit the place adjacent to the nearby Talesvara temple to see some of the sculptures and broken pieces of the temple safeguarded within its campus.
Significance Of The Temple
These temples are truly one of their kinds, because, burial temples are a unique concept and not many temples like this can be found in the world. The name “burial temple”, is, in itself a significant factor for the temple.
Attraction
There are many places one can see around this temple like the Lingaraj Temple, Astasambhu Siva temples, Raja Rani temple, Anant Vasudeva temple etc. This is one place that devotees can never bored of, purely because the number of temples here.
Weather And Time To Visit
The best time for visiting any temple in Orissa is the months between September and November because the climate is pleasant and not at all sunny. For tourists who love to visit the temple during important festivals, then Rath Yatra (July or august) is the best time, because all tourists from Puri throng to this temple as well.
Accommodation
This is a place that buzzes with tourists always, given the archaeological richness and the ancient culture of the temples here. Tourism is one of the booming industries here and tourists are really spoilt for choice, as they have a variety of state-owned and private owned accommodation facilities here starting from very affordable rates.
Tips For Devotees
This being a burial temple, devotees are expected to maintain the decorum at all times when they are inside the campus. Silence should be maintained, mandatorily.
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