Bhubaneswar: On the Mother’s Day 2018 visitors at Ekamra Walks Old Town Circuit got a glimpse of the worship of the “Matrika’’ or Mother Goddess at temples across the Ekamra Kshetra and how the ancient temple makers have focused on the social aspect of India, where Mother is always positioned at the helm of all familial traditions and occasions.
Tour guide Satyaswarup Mishra also explained how women and mothers were also getting appropriate projection in the temple building and pointed at statues of mother and child on the walls of Mukteswar Temple, from where the Ekamra Walks starts.
Later at Parsurameswar Temple, Mishra also explained about the Sapta Matrika (Sevan forms of Shakti), which are represented as the seven furious forms of the Devi Parvati or Shakti. It is a well-known fact that to safeguard her child a mother can take up any furious form so that the child remains safe and out of danger. According to Hindu mythology and the traditional temple building code or Shilpa Sashtra the temples were also designed as human bodies and there were always ample representation of statues representing various forms of women, including mothers.
“Sapta Matrika concept is nowhere reflected in any other temple inside other than Parasurameswar temple. However, in other places across the state i.e. in Jajpur town, Bajrakote in Dhenkanal and Padmapur in Rayagada district there are Sapta Matrika images, but the Parasurameswar’s size and type of representation of the seven forms of Mother Goddess is unique,’’ the guide added.
The Ekamra Walkers today visited Mukteswar, Parasurameswar, Sampurna Jaleswar, Kotitirtheswar, Baindusagar, Ananta Vasudev, old Dharmasala, Lingaraj, Sari Deula, Mohini Temple, Parikrama of Bindusagar, Baitala temple and medicinal plant garden at Ekamra Van on the Western bank of holy Bindusagar lake.
Interestingly, despite a thunderous rainy night and odd weather even in the early morning today, visitors turned up at Mukteswar Temple, where the heritage tour of the Ekamra Kshetra starts.
Ph.D. scholars from IIT Roorkee Suryendu Dasgupta and his wife Megha Tyagi joined the Ekamra Walks today just after reaching the city last evening. “We have heard about the walk from our common friends working as architects with the state government and other academic institutes and so thought of joining the same. Today we are very happy that we could fulfill our dreams as the entire region is known for its unique temple style and architecture,’’ they observed.
It can be noted here that on several occasions students from various IITs, architectural institutions across India and art and craft institutions including noted scholars in the field of creative art have visited Ekamra Walks, Old Town Circuit to study the temple designs.
Among others Dhanraj HD, probationer from Indian Forest Service, currently undergoing training at Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, Bhubaneswar, joined the heritage walk today.
“Yesterday I was at Udayagiri and Khandagiri and enjoyed my time at Monks, Caves and Kings exploring the Jain heritage site. Today the experience at Old Town heritage circuit was also unique and especially knowing about Sapta Matrikas at Parasurameswar temple was a special thing,’’ Dhanraj added.
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