DUJ 2017 – Preparatory Talk -Visits of Sri Sankara and Sri Ramanuja to Orissa and their lasting influence

Adi Shankaracharya, in the 9th century, made Puri a centre of his spiritual ideology & message, and established the Govardhan Pitha there. Another great saint, Ramanujacharya, the propounder of Visishtadvaita philosophy established the Embar Matha in Puri.  Ramanujacharya is also said to have influenced the Ganga King Anantavaraman Chodaganga into turning to Vaishnavism. He tried … Continue reading →

DUJ 2017 Preparatory Talk – Lingaraja Temple – by Siva Thiagarajan

The Lingaraja Temple is the product of accumulated and crystallised experience of several centuries and represents the quintessence of Orissan architecture. It is one of the most finished and refined manifestations of temple architecture in India.  Every element of the temple displays the consummate skill of its designers and craftsmen. The graceful contour of its … Continue reading →

DUJ 2017 Preparatory Talk – Puri Jagannath: The Festive Aspects – by Siddharth Chandrasekar

Lord Jagannatha at Puri is the Supreme Ruler of Purushottama Ksetra.  He is lavishly worshiped with royal rituals and sumptuous food offerings and is attended by a great family of servants. His rituals are elaborate and involve over a thousand functionaries – from the morning Homa celebrated in His name to worship Surya, to the … Continue reading →

DUJ 2017 Preparatory Talk – Mukteswara Temple – by Shyam C Raman

Mukteshvara Temple is a 10th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Bhubaneswar. The temple is an important landmark to the architectural development in Odisha and often described as one of jewels of Odisha for its exquisite sculptures and elegant looks. The stylistic development the Mukteswar marks the culmination of all earlier developments, and initiates … Continue reading →

DUJ 2017 Preparatory Talk – The rediscovery of India’s History, the Brahmi Script and Samrat Asoka – by Gopu R

In DUJ-2017, we will visit Dhauli in Bhubaneswar to see one of Asoka’s famous Rock Edicts. While the emperor Asoka is taken for granted by every school student today, as recently as two hundred years ago, he was not a widely known figure despite his rock and pillar edicts being scattered across the country.  It … Continue reading →

DUJ 2017 Preparatory Talk – Jain Caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri – by Badri Seshadri

In this presentation, we will have the opportunity to study monuments of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu traditions. The Jain rock-cut shelters at Udayagiri and Khandagiri, just outside Bhubaneswar, command a unique position in eastern India in terms of history, rock-cut architecture and religion. The inscriptions on the walls of these shelters furnish evidence of the existence of … Continue reading →

DUJ 2017 Preparatory Talk – The Temples of Bhubaneswar Part 1 – by T K Krishnakumar

In his talk, T K Krishnakumar (alias KK) introduced Bhubaneswar, explained key elements of temple architecture in Odisha before taking us on a guided tour of several of the important temples of that city with some great hi-res visuals. KK is a traveler and has written over 750 travel articles in his travel blog : http://indiancolumbus.blogspot.com/ He … Continue reading →