Elevation 23 m (75 ft) | State Orissa Architectural style Kalinga architecture | |
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Architectural styles kalinganKalinga Architecture | ||
Sankarananda Matha(Lat. 20 14’ 41" N., Long. 85 50’ 06" E., Elev. 75 ft) is located in Uttaradaraja Badu Sahi, on the southern embankment of Bindusagar tank in Old Town, Bhubaneswar. It is situated in the left side of the Sankarananda Street branching from the Ratha road. This is a most dilapidated monastery. It is a branch of Sankarananda Matha at Puri. Sankara Sivananda Saraswati was the founder of the matha. Some of the previous matha mahantas are Sachidananda Saraswati, Balabrahmanda Saraswati, and Ramakrishnananda Saraswati. It has got multiple ownership. The Matha is under the control of Endowment Department but it is in a bad state of preservation. Balabrahmanda Saraswati is the present mahanta of the Matha. Only a shrine is in use and under worship.
Contents
Description
The Matha is surrounded by Krishna Chandra Gurukula Sanskrit College in east at a distance of 4.00 metres across the street, Mohini temple in west, Bindusagar tank in north within a distance of 80.00 metres and Gopalatirtha matha in south at a distance of 30.00 metres. The matha is facing towards east. The Matha is rectangular on plan measuring 20.00 metres in length x 16.00 metres in width. On elevation, the Matha is a single storeyed building measuring 3.50 metres in height. The rooms of this Matha measure 8.70 metres in length x 3.35 metres in width. It wasdressed in laterite blocks. It is in the advanced state of deterioration. The deterioration is in a rapid process due to the growth of vegetations.
Out of the two building, the roof of the northern building has collapsed. No care of maintenance by any individual (mahanta) or organization (Endowment Department)
Grade (A/B/C)
i) Architecture: B
ii) Historic: C
iii) Associational: C
iv) Social/Cultural: C
Threats to the property
Rain water directly enters into the Matha due to the absence of roof. Wild grasses, pipal trees, Asoka trees have grown in the exterior wall and inner side of the Matha in the northern building. The wild vegetation is weakening the foundation as well as the superstructure of the matha. Compound wall, if any: There is a compound wall made out of laterite blocks that measure 28.30 metres in length x 19.60 metres in width x 1.80 metres in height, with a thickness of 0.55 metres. It has an entrance in the eastern side.
There are seven detached sculptures in a modern construction in the southern side of the Matha. Three circular Yoni pithas with Siva lingam, Ganesa, four armed Narasimha, Gajalaxmi images. There are three burial temples within the precinct.
Temple I
Location- Lat. 20° 14’ 41" N, Long. 85° 50’ 06" E, Elev., 75 ft.
It is one of three such burial temples in the Sankarananda Matha precinct situated in the south-west corner at a distance of 50.00 metres from the matha building. It is located in the right side of the Ratha road leading from the Lingaraja temple to Ramesvara temple. The temple enshrines a Siva-lingam within a circular yonipitha. The temple has been erected over the burial of one of the Matha (Monastery) Mahantas in recognition of his religious merits and contribution to the society.
All the three burial-temples of the Matha are surrounded by residential buildings in the west and open space of the Matha precinct in other three sides. On plan, the burial-temple has a square vimana measuring 1.72 square metres. On elevation, it is of pidha order having bada, gandi and mastaka that measures 3.07 metres in height from bottom to the top. With the threefold division of the bada, the temple has a trianga bada that measures 1.05 meters in height. Gandi with three receding tiers measure 1.32 metres in height. The mastaka with components like beki, ghanta, amalaka, khapuri and kalasa measures 0.70 metres in height. The doorjambs measure 0.67 metres in height x 0.47 meters in width are plain. The temple is not in a good state of preservation. There's a growth of wild vegetation all over the outer wall.
Sankarananda Matha Burial Temple – II
Location: Lat.20° 14’41" N., Long.85° 50’ 06"E. Elev75ft. It is one of three such burial temples in the Sankarananda Matha precinct situated in the south-west corner at a distance of 50.00 metres from the matha building. It is located in the right side of the Ratha road leading from the Lingaraja temple to Ramesvara temple. The temple enshrines a Siva-lingam within a circular yonipitha. The temple has been erected over the burial of one of the Matha (Monastery) Mahantas in recognition of his religious merits and contribution to the society. Right now the temple is not worshiped and is in an abandoned state. All the three burial-temples of the Matha are surrounded by residential buildings in the west and open space of the Matha precinct in other three sides facing towards the east. On plan, the burial temple has a square vimana measuring 1.95 square metres. On elevation, it is of pidha order having bada, gandi and mastaka that measures 3.55 metres in height from bottom to the top. With the threefold division of the bada the burial temple has a trianga bada that measures 1.20 meters in height. Gandi with three receding tiers measures 1.55 metres in height. The mastaka measures 0.80 metres. The doorjambs measure 0.95 metres in height x 0.59 meters in width. Not in good state of preservation because of the growth of vegetation .
Sankarananda Matha Burial Temple – III
Location- Lat. 20° 14’ 41"N, Long. 85° 50’ 06"E, Elev., 75 ft
It is one of three such burial temples in the Sankarananda Matha precinct situated in the south-west corner at a distance of 50.00 metres from the matha building. It is located in the right side of the Ratha road leading from the Lingaraja temple to Ramesvara temple. The temple enshrines a Siva-lingam within a circular yonipitha.
The temple has been erected over the burial of one of the Matha (Monastery) Mahantas in recognition of his religious merits and contribution to the society. It has got multiple ownership.
All the three burial-temples of the Matha are surrounded by residential buildings in the west and open space of the Matha precinct in other three sides . The burial temple no.III stands over two successive square platforms. The first platform measures 3.58 square plan metres with a height of 0.31 metres. And the second platform measures 2.87 metres square metres. With a height of 0.25 metres. On plan, the temple has a square vimana measuring 2.38 square metres with a frontal porch measuring 0.23 metres. On elevation, the temple is of pidha order that measures 4.05 metres in height from pabhaga to Kalasa. From bottom to the top the temple has a bada, gandi and mastaka. With threefold division of the bada the temple measuring 1.55 metres in height (pabhaga 0.63 metres, jangha 0.61 metres and baranda 0.31 metres in height). The gandi of the temple with three receding tiers measures 1.40 metres in height. The raha niches and parsva devata niches located on the raha paga of the jangha on the three sides of north, west and south measure 0.45 metres in x 0.25 metres in x 0.14 metres in depth, All are empty. The doorjambs measuring 1.18 metres x 0.74 metres are plain. It is not in good state due to the growth of vegetation all over the superstructure.