Jewel Box in Stones
Sri Parasuramesvara Temple
Built 650 A.D | Sailodbhava Dynasty |
Bhubaneswar , Odisha
Describing this rare supreme architecture is beyond dimensions . The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the oldest existing temples in the state following the Shateughanesvara temple .It is believed to have been built around 650 CE in Nagara style and has all the main features of the pre-10th century Odia-style temples. The temple is one among the Parashurameshvara group of temples. One of best preserved specimen of that time. Though Sri Parasuramesvara temple is a Saiva shrine, yet it contains the images of numerous Sakta deities as Parsvadevatas on its walls. For the first time the depiction of Sapta-Matrka images is found here. The images of Chamunda, Varahi, Indrani, Vaisnavi, Kaumari, Sivani and Brahmi with their two associates Ganesa in the beginning and Virabhadra at the end are beautifully carved out from the south-west corner of the northern wall up to the middle. Except Ganesa all other eight deities are associated with their respective vahanas. A six armed Mahisamardini Durga (four-armed according to Eminent Historian Late Shri K.C. Panigrahi) and eight-armed dancing Ardhanarisvara, an image of Siva-Parvati and the images of Ganga and Yamuna are also seen on the wall of this temple. Thus the Sailodbhavas who worshipped Lord Siva as their
family deity had also respected the Sakta elements of different gods.
The Sri Parasuramesvara Temple provides us with an opportunity to study the form of Jagamohana which is in good state of preservation. The temple was only repaired by the Public Works Department in 1903, and in the process much of the original construction of the roof in the cella has been destroyed however its original shape and form have been preserved to some extent the arrangement followed in the roof or story of the seller in these two early examples that cognate members suggestive of stories formed of wooden beams and planks. The Jagamohana is a rectangular structure with clerestory , plane massive eaves perforated stone Windows and two doors. The Interior of the structure which is a pillared hall is therefore not liked it and the letter the Jagamohana with only one door and two balustraded Windows
The pagas or pilasters which are one of the main features of Orissa temple architecture and not found to have been fully developed in parasurameswara temple. In the main temple they appear more as Shallow buttresses than as the pilasters of the letter periods.
The architectural principle of projection in each face on which relative builders relied so much is to be found in its beginning. The temple has three types in which fully decorated pilasters, one Central Raha paga , and two Corner (Konika pagas) alternate with reserved interspaces but not with deep recesses with the figures of Gajasimha as in the later temples. Each pilasters’ contains a niche, the central one containing the largest and other two smaller ones of equal dimensions because of the door of the temple occupying the position of the central niche in the front facade , the total number of niches has been eleven . Corresponding with the three Central projections on three faces . In each of these 11 niches was enshrined a Deity carved out of a single block of stone and otherwise an attached to the main structure. It is due to this technique that most of the Deities have been removed except images of Ganesha and Kartikeya are still to be found in the central niches of the south and the East.
The designs in the tower are ones of Chaitya arches with medallions or shallow niches all containing Shaivite images or scenes from Shiva’s life. The designs are stereotyped and repeated in all the four facades with equal emphasis. In the corner half amalakas occurs in every three Cources of stone into them one can trace the origin of anga shikaras that constitute such a prominent feature in the later temples. Sunken panel marking the transition between the perpendicular parallel piped cube on the curvelinear Tower runs around the temple and contains mostly the amorous couples in diamond shape designs. The Crowning members of the shikhara are an amalaka, a kalasa and a lingam .
