Originally attracted by its celebrated temple architecture, Orissa surprisingly fascinated us with the beauty of its exuberant green countryside and the still largely rural character of the population of the many villages encountered during the trip, not mentioning the tribals, one of the major point to visit this country.
The population is characterized by its Hindu cultural harmony, its greatest manifestation being the Vaishnavite worship of Sri Jagannath at Puri; anyhow the majority of the population follows Saivism, most of the temples of Bhubaneswar are Saiva shrines. The cultural landscape is completed by the worship of the supreme Goddes Durga and the animistic character of tribal populations.
Orissa is a great place also for natural landscapes, we visited the Chilika lake to spot the Irrawady Dolphins.
Monuments Heritages of Orissa |
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The Hindu architecture is extremely rich: the golden triangle of Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark (a World Heritage Site), testimony the Orissan sculptural and architectural inheritance with its Tantric iconography features introduced in the early medieval period..
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Ratnagiri Buddhist monastery
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Archaeological Heritages of Orissa
The Jain caves of Udaigiri and Khandagiri. The Buddhist monasteries of Ratnagiri Udayagiri Lalitgiri. The Asokan inscriptions of Dhauli.
Chausathi yoginis temple at Hirapur, Parsurameswar and Vaital deul at Bhubaneswar testify the presence of early Saiva sects like Pasupatas and Kapalikas.
Chausath Yoginis Temple |
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Tribal Orissa
Of all the States of India, Orissa has the largest number of tribes like the Bonda and the Kondha tribes, comprising 23 percent of the total population retaining their old culture and tradition.
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Tribal communities
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The traditional art of Orissa is well manifested in the paintings of walls and floor of the village homes, beautifully decorated with religious themes.
Traditional Orissan craftsmanship include the Patachitra paintings and carved palm leafs. The entire village of Raghurajpur, a world heritage site, is full of artisans and painters. It is also worth to take a look of the small market village called Pipli for its colourful craft.
Raghurajpur |
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