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RajaRaniMandir

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Rajarani Temple is an 11th-century Hindu temple located in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha (Orissa previously), India. The temple is originally believed to be known as Indreswara and locally known as "love temple" on account of the erotic carvings of women and couples in the temple. Rajatemple is built on pnahcratha style on a raised platform with two structures; a central shrine namely the vimana (sanctum) with the bada (the curvilinear spire) over its roof raising up to a height of 18 m (59 ft) and a viewing hall called jagamohana with a pyramidal roof . The temple was constructed of dull red and turbid yellow sandstone locally called "Rajarani".The Rajarani temple, is located towards north-east of Lingaraj temple and is one of the most beautiful temples of Orissa that represents a unique experiment in the field of architecture in Orissa. The temple, in all probability, referred to in the traditional sanskrit texts as Indresvara Siva temple is remarkable for its sculptural excellence, profusion of ornaments, exuberant architectural features and multiple scroll work. At present, the sanctum is devoid of any deity. The present name Rajarani has been derived from a very fine grained yellowish sand stone called Rajarania in common parlance with which the entire edifice has been built. Mellowed by time, the glaring amber of the stone complements its architectural splendor.Facing east, this temple consists of a sanctum (deul) with height of 17.9m and a porch (jagamohana) raised above a platform of three moldings is pancharatha in plan with a curvilinear superstructure (rekha sikhara), reminiscent of the Kandariya Mahadeva temple of Khajuraho. The temple exhibits yet another phase in the evolution of Oriya temple architecture.The Rajarani temple of Orissa has panchanga bada or five divisions’ viz., pabhaga, talajangha, bandhana, uparajangha and baranda. The lowermost division is called pabhaga having five decorative moldings namely, khura, kumbha, patta, kani and basanta. The superstructure (gandi) of the temple is distinguished by number of miniature turrets (angasikharas). The composite form of the temple with clustering of such miniature turrets, multiple recesses and angles make the edifice circular in appearance. Above the superstructure is crowned with a fluted disc shaped architectural members called amalaka. A vase (kalasa) surmounts the amalaka as the crowning finial.

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