Rajarani temple

The many temples enhance the beauty of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Odisha, with their humble presence. One of the places to visit in bhubaneshwar that has religious importance is the famous Rajarani Temple. The 'Rajarani temple' or the 'Raja Rani Temple' of Bhubaneshwar is a very popular Hindu temple that was constructed around the 11th and 12th centuries. Tourists include this temple in almost all Bhubaneswar Tour Packages. 

Rajarani Temple Architecture

Originally believed to be the Indreswara temple, the structure has a very rich architectural backdrop inspiring many of the later Central Indian temple designs, some of them being the famous Khajuraho temples and The Totesvara Mahadeo temple in SKadawa. The temple is in the Kalinga 'Pancharatha' style of architecture. The temple walls have beautiful and erotic carvings of figurines and couples. The name Rajarani temple might come from the fact that it was constructed using a specifically dull yellow-red colored sandstone, locally known as the Rajarani sandstone.

The sanctum or the 'vimana' of the temple contains no specific idols, but historians like M. M Ganguly described the temple as possibly dedicated to Lord Vishnu after some examinations. But as per people's words, the temple is of Shaivite origin owing to certain features of the temple, like the presence of the Saiva door-keepers called 'Prachanda' and 'Chanda.' Thus, the temple belongs to the worship of Lord Shiva.

Rajarani Temple shape

A cluster of pillars and towers which appear round altogether surrounds the temple's 'Vimana' or the Sanctorum. These towers are almost similar to that of the Khajuraho temple. The superstructure of the temple is crowned with a disc-shaped structure which is called an 'Amalaka' ( a segmented or notched stone disk that sits on the 'shikhara' or the main tower of the temple), which is further surmounted by the 'Kalasa' or vase as the crowning.

How to reach the Rajarani temple:

Tourists can reach the Rajarani temple with the help of any means of transport like cabs, autos, and public vehicles that are available in the region of the Khurda district. The temple is located on the northeastern side of the Lingaraj Temple.

The Department of Tourism of the Government of Odisha organizes a 'Rajarani music festival' from the 18th to the 20th of January, which focuses on classical music (Hindusthani, Classical, and Odissi). The Bhubaneshwar Music Circle (BMC) helped to start it back in the year 2003. Tourists can visit the temple at this time of the year to get a glimpse of this beautiful festival live.