Brahmani temple

Brahmani temple ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିର
Geography
Coordinates
Country	India
State/province	Orissa
District	Baleswar
Locale	Avana
Culture
Primary deity	Avaloketesvara, Chamunda
Important festivals	Durga Puja
Architecture
Architectural styles	Orissan Pidha vimana temple architecture
History and governance
Date built	10th–11th centuries
Creator	Somavamsi rule
Temple board	Laxmi Narayan Puja Committee

Brahmani temple (Odia: ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣୀ ମନ୍ଦିର) is a Hindu and Buddhist temple located in Avana, Baleswar, Orissa, India built in the 10th–11th centuries A.D. It is a living temple and the presiding deity is an eight-armed three-faced Chamunda image. It is a protected monument of Orissa State Archaeology.

Location

It is on the left bank of the river Son and is about 6 km north of Ajodhya. It is 21 km from the Baleshwar town, Orissa.

Construction

It is a pidha temple followed by a flat roofed open mandapa. The presiding deity of the temple is an eight-armed Chamunda image and iconographically it can be dated to the 10th–11th centuries A.D. The temple is a modern one but it houses a few important specimen of Buddhist and Saviate sculptures, datable to the same centuries.

Quantification

• Area dimension (L x B x H): 4.20 m x 4.00 m x 6.50 m
• Number of blocks: Two, vimana followed by a mandapa

Spatial organization

• Orientation: Facing towards west
• Plan: The vimana is square; mandapa is rectangular
• Allocation of spaces: 10 m x 4.50 m in length and width respectively

Architectural style

Ornamentation

• Exteriors: Plain
• Interiors: Plain
• Movable collections: Four-armed Avaloketesvara, eight-armed and three-faced Chamunda.
• It is a recently built shrine with pancharatha on plan and panchanga bada in elevation.

Construction technology

• Structural System: It has a pidha vimana fronted by a flat Jaga mohan. The vimana is pancharatha on plan and panchaga bada in elevation.
• Building techniques: Ashlar masonry
• Material of construction: Laterite used for the temple; the images are made of chlorite stone.

Vermilion and oil is regularly applied over the images by the priest, which may be harmful for the stone carvings in long run.

References

• Sahoo. Ashis Ranjan, Pradhan. Dr. S. Report on Bramhani Temple. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
• R. P. Mohapatra, 1986, Archaeology in Orissa, Vol. II, New Delhi

External links

• Images of Brahmani temple