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Of the many secondary sanctuaries in the courtyard, the
temple of Parvati is a fine architectural piece, remarkable for the
exuberance of its carvings, but overshadowed by the
'Lingaraja' temple itself.
The Four Components
Like the Lingaraja temple, it is composed of four components, all
disposed on the same axis. In the decorative elements, however, especially
on the 'Bada' of the 'Deul' and 'Jagamohana', it differs from its larger
counterpart.
Built on a platform of three carved mouldings with a narrow ledge around
the base of the deul, the deul has three divisions in its 'Bada', of which
the 'Pabhaga' consists of five mouldings. The decorative arrangement of
the 'Jangha' faintly recalls that of the
Muktesvara temple.
The facets of the corner 'Rathas' are treated with minute scroll - work,
arabesque and 'Jali', the central facets being further distinguished by
female figures or couples. The intermediary 'Ratha' is made in the
likeness of an elongated 'Khakhara' flanked by a 'Naga-Pilaster' on a
'Vidala'.
The central projections, originally containing in their niches the images
of the 'Parsva-Devatas', of whom only Parvati is existing now, are shaped
like 'Khakhara' shrines with a pilaster crowned by a 'Khakhara-Mundi' on
either side. The 'Varanda' is a projected moulding crowned by a recessed
'Kanthi' relieved with 'Jali'.
The Jagmohana
The 'Bada' of the 'Jagamohana' is equally well - finished and resembles
that of the 'deul' in ornamentation. Of the two balustraded windows, the
one on the south has been turned into a door, most probably at the time of
the addition of the 'Nata-Mandira' and 'Bhoga-Mandapa', which as in the
Lingaraja temple, are later than the main units. The pyramidal roof, made
of eleven 'Pidhas' in two tiers of six and five each, is crowned by the
usual finials.
A Resemblence With Lingaraja Temple
The temple, structurally and stylistically, is definitely later than the
Lingaraja temple, its later limit furnished by a small inscription,
engraved on the plinth near the south door of the 'Jagamohana', in
characters of the latter part of the 13th century.
The object of the record is the gift of two earthen pots ('Atika') filled
with cakes as a daily offering to the goddess 'Uma' in the 13th regional
year of King 'Bhanudeva', a custom surviving even now. If this ruler was
identical with the first 'Ganga' king of that name (A.D. 1264-79), the
temple was already in existence in A.D. 1274.
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