The Chausath Yogini Temple (64- Yogini Temple) of Hirapur, also said Mahamaya Temple, is 20 km outside

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

, the capital of

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It devotes to the worship of the

yogini A yogini (Sanskrit: योगिनी, IAST: ) is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibe ...

s, auspicious goddess-like figures.

Religious aspect

Hirapur's yogini temple is a tantric shrine, with

hypaethral In classical architecture, hypaethral describes a building with no roof and with columns forming a partial wall. The term originates from Latin ''hypaethrus'', from Ancient Greek ὕπαιθρος ''hupaithros'' ὑπό hupo- "under" and αἰθ ...

(roofless) architecture as tantric prayer rituals involve worshipping the ''bhumandala'' (environment consisting all the 5 elements of nature - fire, water, earth, air and ether), and the yoginis believe to be capable of flight. The yogini idols represent female figures standing on an animal, a demon or a human head depicting the victory of

Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

(Eternal power). According to Hindu mythology, aadishakti is the eternal power which came into existence on its own and then created everything by its will. Aadishakti (recognized as the goddess because of its motheristic character) is the supreme power. The idols express everything from rage, sadness, pleasure, joy, desire and happiness. The number 64 finds its reference in

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

mythology in forms such as Kālá for time,

Kalā Kalā means 'performing art' in Sanskrit. In Hindu scriptures, Shiva is regarded as the master of Kalā. In the ''Lalita Sahasranama'', the Devi is invoked as an embodiment of the 64 fine arts. In some traditions, the goddess Sarasvati is also ass ...

for performing arts etc. Such temples dedicate to yoginis, although rare, are also seen at

Ranipur-Jharial This article lists monuments and sites of historic importance in Odisha, India. Prehistoric Ancient Singhapura (In Jajpur Dist): Some historians said that it was the capital of Singha Bahu, a Kalinga King who was contemporary of Lord Buddh a ...

site of the

Balangir district Balangir District, also called Bolangir District, is a district situated in Odisha state of India. The district has an area of , and a population of 1,648,997 (2011 census). The town of Balangir is the district headquarters. The composition of t ...

in Odisha and seven other places in India.

History

The temple is believed to have been built by the Bhouma dynasty queen of Lonabhadra alias Santikaradeva II, Hiradevi during 864 CE. It is the first Chausath Yogini Temple of India. The legend behind the temple, according to local priests, is that the Goddess

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

took the form of 64 demi-goddesses to defeat a demon. After the fight the 64 goddesses, equated with yoginis, asked Durga to commemorate them in the form of a temple structure. The temple complex is now maintained by

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

Kalapahad Kala Pahaṛ or Kalapahada (in Odia language) was a Bengali Muslim General of the Bengal Sultanate under the reigning Karrani Dynasty. According to traditional narratives pieced together since late 18th century, Kalapahaṛ was a Bengali Brahmin ...

, a Muslim convert general of the 16th century CE, is said to have attacked this temple and broken the

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

s. He is also known as the destroyer of

Jaganath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, ''Purushottama ...

and

Konark Konark is a medium-sized town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from the state capital Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple, Sun Temple, also ...

temples.

Architecture

The temple is small and circular, only 25 feet in diameter. It is

, and built of blocks of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. The inside of the circular wall has niches, each housing the statue of a Goddess. 56 of the 64 idols, made of black stone, survive. They surround the main image at the centre of the temple, the Goddess

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

, who stands on a human head, representing the triumph of the heart over the mind. Some historians believe that an idol of Maha

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

was worshipped in the Chandi Mandapa. The temple seems to follow a

mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

plan in a way that concentric circles are formed while a Shiva at the center inside the inner sanctum is roundly surrounded by four Yoginis and four

s. The circle is reached via a protruding entrance passage, so that the plan of the temple has the form of a ''

yoni ''Yoni'' (Sanskrit: योनि, ), sometimes called ''pindika'', is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu goddess Shakti. It is usually shown with ''linga'' – its masculine counterpart. Together, they symbolize the merging ...

''-pedestal for a

Shiva lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

. The Yogini images depict standing goddesses and their animal vehicles (''

vahana ''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindus, Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership b ...

''). The Yoginis are naked but for their bejewelled girdles, from which hang flimsy skirts that can be made out as a light decoration on their legs; they are adorned with bracelets, armlets, necklaces, and anklets. The scholar István Keul writes that the yogini images are of dark chlorite rock, about 40 cm tall, and standing in varying poses on plinths or

s, their animal vehicles; most have "delicate features and sensual bodies with slender waists, broad hips, and high, round breasts" with varying hairstyles and body ornaments. File:Prayer offered at Yogini Temple.JPG, Yogini images in simple niches File:64Yogini.JPG, One of the Yoginis File:Hirapur yogini temple plan.svg, Plan; scholars have noted the resemblance to a ''

''-pedestal File:Hirapur ei02-47.jpg, A yogini with an offering of flowers at her feet File:Yoginis in a circular format.JPG, Part of the circle of Yoginis File:One legged Vairaba ( ଏକ ପାଦ ଭୈରବ ).jpg, One legged

Ekapada Ekapada is the one-footed aspect of the Hindu god Shiva. This form is primarily found in South India and Orissa, India, Orissa, but also occasionally in Rajasthan and Nepal. The Ekapada is primarily represented in three iconographical forms. In ...

References

Bibliography

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External links