Ananta Vasudeva Temple

It appears that the original image of Vishnu was worshipped on the spot where the great temple of Ananta Vasudeva was built in the 13th century A.D. Thus in the 13th century, Queen Chandrika of Eastern Ganga dynasty was prompted to construct a new temple - the temple of Ananta Vasudeva in this place. There must have been an old temple where this Vishnu image was installed. The Marathas, who extended their empire up to river Mahanadi, were responsible for renovating the Vishnu temple at Bhubaneswar in the late 17th Century.[3]

In form, the temple resembles the Lingaraj temple, but includes Vaishnavite (Vishnu related) sculptures.[4] The temple has longitudinal bands of miniature shikharas (shrines), exactly like those in Lingaraj temple, with the minor difference that the number of the shikharas forming one longitudinal band in its case is only three.[5] The sculpture in the exterior walls varies in character in each temple in Bhubaneswar. Most of the female sculptures in the temple walls are overly ornamented and lack originality[6]

The sanctum has the icons of Krishna, Balarama, and Subhadra. Balarama stands under a seven-hooded serpent, Subhadra holds pot of jewels and a lotus in her two hands, keeping her left foot over another jewel pot, while Krishna holds a mace, chakra, lotus, and a conch.

The idols found in the garbhagrha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple have complete structure unlike the images of the Jagannath Temple, Puri. Here the shrimurtis (idols) are made of black granite stone, rather than wood, as seen in the Puri temple. For this temple only the city gains its name as Chakra kshetra (circular place), whereas Puri is named Shankha kshetra (conch-shaped place).

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  View of Ananta Vasudeva Temple from Bindusagar
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  View of Ananta Vasudeva Temple in 1869
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  Mahaprasad in Ananta Vasudeva temple
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  Lion statue in the singhadwara
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  A small broken shrine in the premises
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  First stone inscription installed in the outer wall
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  Bimana or Deula
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  Jagamohana
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  Abadha and Prasada offered to the deities
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  The temple kitchen of the Ananta Basudeba temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
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  The temple kitchen of the Ananta Basudeba temple in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
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  Varaha as a parshvadevata in a niche