It is cliche to write, but to say that India is a vast and diverse place would be an understatement. For our four-day weekend commemorating Gandhi's birthday, we flew to the east coast state of Odisha. There, we got a short glimpse into a new cuisine, language, and encountered many locals fascinated by a foreign face.
We began in the capital city of Bhubaneswar, a quixotic city with a modern set of wide, green boulevards across the train tracks from a centuries old, temple-filled, ancient city. We enjoyed seeing temples dating back from the 7th c. right in the middle of the chaos around. We've seen a lot of carved rock here in India, but these temples were unique for the shape of their carved domes.
Outside the city these is a cave complex that was carved out by the Jains in 1st c. B.C., several centuries before the Jains carved their caves in Ellora. The monastic dwellings were significantly shorter and less ornate that Ellora, but still beautiful with their simplicity
After two-hour taxi ride to the South East, we found ourselves in Konark at the lovely Lotus Eco Resort. The resort is perched on the bank of the river (pictured below) right where the river empties out into the Bay of Bengal. It was a luxuriously quiet retreat with friendly staff (again, so taken aback by having foreigners) and even an organic vegetable garden.
The village of Konark is also home to the massive 13th c. Sun Temple (pictured below). In our many tours of temples here in India, this one is unique for it's abundance of symbolism and stories in the carvings.
The complex is set up as a chariot with 24 wheels, each ornately carved with eight spokes representing the different sections of the day. Also pictured are scenes from daily life including a woman with Japanese sandals and a king receiving a giraffe from an African emissary which demonstrate the vast trade network these people had.
Some detail on the temple was never finished and other areas were partially destroyed by cyclones, the Portuguese, and a few Muslim raiders.
One of the dominant themes through were the erotic carvings. Many nudes, kama sutra poses, three-ways decorated the upper panels of the walls, supposedly out of sight from the young children.
We enjoyed relaxing on the beach for the rest of our time in Konark. It was an 8km stretch and it was just us a few unsuccessful fisherman, who entertained us with their interesting fishing methods.
A highly recommended short travel trip for anyone interested in seeing a different side to Hinduism, of India, and a quiet beach to sit and process two and half years traveling around this amazing country.
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