Kedar Gauri Temple, Bhubaneshwar

Bhubhaneshwar, my trip in a nutshell - a jist of all that I did while in Odisha

One friend said Bhubaneshwar is a "City of Temples" and I thought to myself, "Oh my, not another one!!" Years ago when I visited Kumbakonam, I walked around the small town and visited 4 temples, only to be told there were few more... Realised in our country before you can say "hello, how are you" you will have passed not one but two places of worship... 

It is therefore not surprising that Bhubaneshwar was one.. The old town part is filled with many beautiful temples which are reminiscent of a glorious past.

After exploring the Parasurameshwar temple as I walked towards Mukteshwar temple, I noticed one more on the right side. These are all within few yards from each other. The temple was white with red structures and I walked into the gates ... Said to have been built in the 9th Century by King Lalatendu Kesari to commemorate the ill fated lovers who eloped against the wishes of their communities- Kedar and Gouri. Apparently Kedar is said to have killed by a tiger when he went hunting for food, while Gouri committed suicide in the pond when she heard news of his death [the pond today is inside the temple campus].. This has evolved to a point where today lovers/couples come here to pray for marital bliss..This is also one of the eight Astasambhu temples... 

The main deity is Lord Shiva "Kedareswar" and his consort Goddess Gouri. The highlight of this temple is the 8 feet tall statue of Hanuman and Goddess Durga standing proudly on a lion. The temple has a Panch-Rath sanctum and is quite tall at 13+ feet in height.

After spending about 45mins around the temple, I walked towards the gate to head over to the next one. There were quite a few families in the temple, and a couple with a man who claimed he was a guide. They were from Kolkatta and carried a ready reckoner book of sorts that spoke about the temple, the architecture and some stories around it. It was amusing to watch them walk around the temple with the book in hand, comparing notes to the actual sculptures and architecture. Chit chatted with them a while and then we made our way towards Mukteswar temple, which is literally hop skip away.