Muktesvara, the gem of an Odisha Temple

S Balakrishnan *

Amazed by the beauty of the temples of Odisha, I wanted to darshan them again after 35 years. My wife immediately jumped in saying 'wherever you go, I will follow you, even to hell'. Hell would be more hellish, I thought. So we were in Bhubaneswar, awestruck by the most beautiful of the temples, the Muktevara Temple that is praised as 'the gem of Odisha temples'.

Of course, one can't compare Muktesvara with the Sun Temple in Konark which is entirely of a different level - both massive andmagnificient. Though small in dimension it is a striking shrine among the hundreds of temples that dot Bhubaneswar which is, therefore, called the Cathedral City of India. For this reason, the city of temples is in Unesco's tentative list of World Heritage Centres.

Facing West, Muktesvara Temple is built on pancha-ratha pattern with folds. This small temple comprises just two structures - the tower (deul) upon the sanctum sanctorum and jagmohana (hall where worshippers gather). The deul rises to 10.5m. and its exterior is richly carved. The ceiling of jagmohana is embellished with ashta balaks seated on lotus petals, and other floral motifs.

The elegant proportions of the temple and the vibrant texture of its exquisite surface treatment make it a most refined and beautiful temple. Every inch of it is carved delicately with floral and arabesque motifs, miniature shrines, empty niches, ornate latticed windows, dwarfish figures, kirti-mukha, etc; and all these merge to form a most refined edifice. The temple stands on a low platform and this is surrounded by a low enclosure which is also widely carved.

The star attraction of Muktesvara temple, however, is its arched entrance with workmanship. It reminded me of Sanchi Stupa Torana which, unfortunately, I have not been able to visit until now, even with my wife tagging me. This arch is unique only to Muktesvara shrine.

Muktesvara Temple is noticeable for some important changes in iconography as well, like the introduction of Ketu as the ninth-planet (this can be seen on the doorway of sanctum sanctorum which has a very small Linga), association of Kartikeya with the cock, and appearance of mouse as the mount of Ganesa, point o archeologists. Iron beams have been used to support stone slabs.

I noticed a distinct sculpture that showed a female warrior upon a griffin and fighting a dwarf. (I found to my surprise that the word 'amazon' indicates members of a legendary race of female warriors.) There are a few subsidiary temples around this main shrine.

Naughty monkeys in various poses, including riding on the back of a crocodile, are lively etched on the border of an ornate window. The different hues of the stone used adds its own touch to the whole structure.

As I was appreciating the beauty of Muktesvara Temple, I went back to 1982 when I first visited this shrine. On the first day (26th Dec 1982), it was in the evening that I reached this temple from Dhauli, where Emperor Ashoka fought the Kalinga war and embraced Buddhism. The film speed was low (ASA 100) so I could not click in the evening as it was peak winter with very low light.

So I pedaled back to Cuttack where I worked & lived, deciding to come back the next day. The next morning I pedaled again to Bhubaneswar but was tempted to watch the movie 36 Chowringhee Lane at Keshari Talkies (Balcony ticket Rs 4.75) which I enjoyed very much, forgetting the purpose of my trip. In fact, I wanted to watch this movie the second time but they had screened another movie.

After the movie, it was a tough search for the office of Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) where I bought their guide book 'Bhubaneswar' for Rs 2.75, explaining about the city's temples. Incidentally, the book's cover photo is that of Muktesvara tower. I enjoyed my packed lunch of bread, jam & apple in the shade of the temple and then went around the temple appreciating its art & architecture.

Today, again, I could not click for the same reason. Disappointed, I returned to Cuttack with a vow to come back the third time. But when I reached Muktesvara temple after visiting four other temples, it was again late evening. These four temples -Rajarani, Bhaskareswara, Megheshwara and Brahmeswara -were attractive and unique in their own way that I had unknowingly spent almost the whole day.

At last, the fourth day was successful as I reached Muktesvara by noon after visiting Sisupalgarh, once a capital city. Today I was wise by changing a new roll with a 200 ASA speed film and happily clicked a few pictures of the beautiful temple.

During my revisit in 2018, I was armed with a smartphone as well as a digital camera; so I could click countless photos to my heart's content as if to avenge my stinginess with a still camera and B&W roll, back in 1982.

A comparison of the 1982 and 2018 photos prove that much conservation effort had been taken to preserve this beauty. The complex is neat & clean and has a soothing green lawn, contrasting the stone structure.

I could not help wondering if the adage 'small is beautiful' was coined with Muktesvara shrine in mind!