Under its “Light Sculpture Project’’, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has finished lighting of Anantavasudeva Temple, the only Vishnu temple in the Old Town area as most of the temples are Shiva temples around the Ekamra Kshetra, the ancient name of the Temple City.
Anantavasudeva is the only major Vishnu Temple in Bhubaneswar. A matured Kalingan Temple, Anantavasudeva stands on a uniform platform in Panchyatana style. According to an inscription, the temple was built in honour of Lord Krishna and Balaram on the bank of Bindusagar by Chandrika Devi, daughter of Anangavimdeva III, after the death of her husband.
“According to `Ekamra Chandrika’, Vishnu had established himself as the doorkeeper in Ekamra Kshetra on the order of Shiva. Thus tradition calls for worship of Ananta Vasudeva before bathing in the holy Bindusagar. This is supposed to cleanse the soul. The temple kitchen prepares many delicacies and caters to many religious and secular functions in the city,’’ said archaeologist Jitu Mishra.
Besides the Anantavasudeva Temple the in Old Town area (both under the Central and State protection list) 15 others have been taken up by the development authority to have a new look so that people would tend to have a walk around them, enjoy the ambience and take photographs. The other 16 temples include: Markandeswar Temple, Sari Temple, Vaital Temple, Bhabanisankar Temple, Chitrakrini Temple, Dakarabibhisaneswar Temple, Devi Padahara Temple, Bakreswar Temple, Nabakeswar Temple, Swarnajaleswar Temple, Papanasini and Maitreswar Temple, Aisaneswara Temple, Makareswar Temple, Dwaravashini Temple and Mohini Temple.
Under the same project BDA has illuminated four major flyovers i.e. Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar, Jaydev Vihar and Rajmahal Square and six parks to create an impressive LED lighting arrangement to give public spaces an illuminated makeover. The six parks in the list for illumination include Biju Patnaik Park, Indira Gandhi Park, Buddha Jayanti Park, Mahatma Gandhi Park, Madhusudan Das Park and Kharavela Park.