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| Vaital Deul - Sisiresvara Mandir complex |
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Vaital Deul was built during the Saivaite revival of the 9th century when innumerable Saiva shrines were erected in Bhubaneswar. The presiding deity is a ferocious Chamunda locally known as Kapalini. The name Vaital may derived from the word Vetala a demon-spirit invoked by adept of Kapalika, the infamous Saiva sect, to animate a corpse in order to obtain their siddhi (magical powers). Remnants of a stone post in front of the temple, the terrific Tantric images along with Chamunda and the intensely dark cellar suggest the practice of animal and human sacrifice. Unfortunately the temple was closed and we could not visit the interiors.
Vaital Deul |
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The deul, positioned at a right angle to the jagamohana, is in kakhara style, topped with a barrel vaulted roof developed from earlier Buddhist chaitya arches and reminiscent of the gopuram of south Indian Dravidian temples. The jagamohan, like Parasurameshvara temple has a simple two layered roof with openings bringing light inside. At each corner of the jagamohana there are sculptures of temples in miniature.
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Vaital Deul
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The West wall of the deul facing the street has five panels: in the central one Ardhanarisvara, the composite image of Siva and Parvati, with Nandi on the side, Siva is holding a rosary and a bird is perched on one hand of Parvati. The panels at the sides show beautiful elegant female figures carved in various acts, like applying vermillion to her forehead or holding a mirror. Further up, in sunken transitional panels, it can be noted some of the Orissan earliest erotic images.
Vaital Deul |
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On the northern narrow side of the deul there is a panel with Durga killing the demon with buffalo head. The buffalo head is upturned and pushed back while, with one leg on the demon shoulder, Durga is pressing him to the ground and piercing his chest with her trident. The eight armed Durga holds a snake, bow, thunderbolt, sword and shield. The vertical panels at the sides show loving couples and, at the top, rampant lions with riders.
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Vaital Deul
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The central panel of the opposite south wall of the deul shows Parvati flanked by loving couples, the four armed Parvati holds a water pot, rosary and trident. At the sides there are two more panels with female figures, one of them has a twisted pose with a combination of rear and frontal views (a type of pose that can be seen also in Khajuraho temples).
Vaital Deul |
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The upper parts of the deul are decorated with chaitya medallions. On the short south face, above the panel of Parvati, the chaitya medallion shows the image of Lakulisa, a pair of Vidyadharas fly above above a panel of Uma-mahesvara: Shiva is four-handed and the two-handed Parvati places her right hand on the shoulder of the consort. On the eastern long face, above the jagamohana, the lower chaitya medallion shows the image of Sun God Surya, flanked by Usha and Pratyusha the twin sisters of dawn carrying bows and arrows to drive away the darkness, and Aruna, his charioteer driving the seven horse chariot, a motif that later will be fully developed in the Sun Temple at Konark. Above there is a ten armed nataraja. The finial of the deul is a row of pitchers.
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Vaital Deul
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In the same compound Sisiresvara was constructed at around the same time (800 AD). The Northern side of the temple is completely blocked by adjacent private buildings. The sculptures on the visible wall show the same quality of Vaital deul. Although a Saiva temple, Sisiresvara could not however escape the influence of Buddhism: a panel shows a four armed Lakulisa flanked by six disciples in the same fashion of the various Bodhisattva panels found at Udayagiri.
In front of the entrance of Vaital deul there is a 'sacrificial' post where offerings were tied.
Sisiresvara Mandir |
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