India Guide
Orissa
Parasuramesvara Mandir
Address: Central group of temples, just off Lewis RoadPrice: free
Bhubaneswar's best preserved and most beautiful early temple, the lavishly decorated Parasuramesvara Mandir, stands in the shade of a large banyan tree. Dating from 650 AD, the shrine's plain assembly hall (jagamohana), simple stepped roof and squat beehive-shaped tower (deul) typify the late seventh century. Besides the sheer quality of the exterior sculpture, Parasuramesvara is significant in marking the then-recent transition from Buddhism to Hinduism. Panels depict Lakulisha, the proselytizing Shaivite saint whose sect was largely responsible for the conversion of Orissa to Hinduism. More graphic assertions of Hindu supremacy mark corners of the deul, where rampant lions crouch or stand above elephants, symbols of the beleaguered Buddhist faith.