Chausathi Yogini Temple

Worshiping Female Power (Yogini Cult) was rampant in India between  9th and 12th century.  There are only very few  Yogini Temples remaining in India today of which Two are in the state of Orissa. One is, Vaital Temple which is well within the capital city of Bhubaneswar and the other is in the outskirts of the city in a village called Hirapur. This small village is 15 KMs from Bhubaneswar and the Chausathi Yogini Temple is on the banks of the river Daya.

Locally this temple is known as Mahamaya Mandir. This stunning temple was discovered by Kedarnath Mahapatra of the Orissa state museum in 1953. 

Chausathi Yogini Temple of Hirapur is a temple of a different kind. It is a tantric temple built with hypaethral involve worshiping environment consisting of all the 5 elements of nature - fire, water, earth, sky and air. According to the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) care taker of this temple, Goddess Durga took 64 forms of demy goddesses to defeat the demon. After Durga fought with the demon and killed him, the 64 goddesses or Joginis asked Durga to commemorate them in the form of a temple structure. Hence this temple was built by the Queen Hiradevi of Bramha dynasty during the 9th century.

The temple is in a circular shape, the circumference of which is around 27 meters and 2.5 meters tall. The inside of the circular wall has cavities, each housing the statue of a Goddess or Yogini.  These Yogini idols represent a female figurine standing on an animal, a demon or a human head depicting the victory of Shakti (Feminine power). The idols express everything from rage, sadness, pleasure, joy, desire and happiness! While the entire temple is built with locally available coarse sand stone the Yogini idols are carved out of chlorite stone brought from elsewhere.

A. Charchika standing on a demon B. Chinnamastaka standing on a severed human head C. Vikarali standing on a dog

D. Kali standing on recumbent male figure E. Vinayaki standing on donkey F. Aditi standing on Parrot

G. Maheshwari standing on a bull H. Ambika standing on a mangoose I. Kamayani standing on a cock

The mount on which these Yogini idols stand and the hair style of each Yogini are unique to each idol. All the 64 statues are very delicately carved to bring out the feminine beauty. Each is a classic by itself. The idol of ten armed presiding deity is Mahamaya (I was not allowed to photograph this) and it is the biggest of all.   

In the centre of the circular structure is a Chandi Mantap (lately restored one). 

The care taker of this temple from ASI Mr. Surendranath Routaray (Mobile number: 99381-55057) is a very nice gentleman and lives close by to this temple. He gave me the guided tour of this temple (very patiently allowing me to take notes as he explained). 

When I first heard about this tantric temple I was a little sceptical (actually scared!) of visiting it. But when I visited the temple I was awestruck with its beauty! If you happen to be in Bhubaneswar this temple is something you should not miss! 

Vaital Temple Bhubaneshwar

This interesting 8th century temple is dedicated to Chamunda (A form of Kali) and it is one of the oldest temples of Odisha. It also assumes greater significance as it is a rare temple in the country because this temple is used as a shrine devoted to Tantric cult! 

It is said that Vaital Temple is an excellent example of Kalinga architecture. It is a representative of the Khakhara order that was specially devoted to Tantric cults. The entire temple is an exhibition of the finest skill of Orriyan artisans. Some of the sculptures are so fantastic that they almost look like 

living human beings. Each sculpture is decorated with detailed ornaments. The extent to which those unknown sculptures have given importance to the finest detail is simply amazing!  This is one of the finest temples I have visited in India.

This great architectural wonder is on the brink of collapse any time soon, if proper action is not taken by the concerned authorities immediately! Monsoon is the biggest threat to this temple next to indiscriminate encroachment from the neighbourhood. 

Every monsoon this temple gets inundated with rain waters. The temple is below the road level and the main road is practically touching the temple. Hence even with a few millimetres of rain, the rain water from the road gets into the temple and fills the entire floor of the temple including the sanctum sanctorum!  Even the priests can't wade through the waist-deep water to perform the daily rituals during such water logging! Archeological Survey of India has installed a pump to drain the water as a temporary measure. But the problem with this is that the vibrations from the pump is affecting the 1300 years old structure and it may weaken the temple's foundation! 

BDA's (Bhubaneswar Development Authority) Indiscriminate approvals for buildings around this temple and thoughtless planning of the drainage system are responsible for the tragic state of this temple today. ASI is actually helpless in this cases. It seems that the local media have been highlighting this problem for years but sadly no one in the Orissa Government seems to be bothered about this.

The way houses have come up surrounding this temple speaks volumes about the concern the local government is having for these monuments. Houses have come up surrounding this temple encroaching on the drainage channel originating from the temple completely violating the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. Few years from now it will not be a surprise if this temple vanishes completely! 

Take a look at the pictures in this post. You can observe the encroachments and what a great monument that is left uncared by the government. 

Very S A D!