KALINGA STYLE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF SOME VAISHNAVITE TEMPLES OF PRACHI VALLEY OF ODISHA IN EASTERN INDIA

The art and architecture of the Vishnavite temples of Prachi valley are the important parts of the temple building activities and techniques of the whole of Odisha in Eastern India. Most of the earlier art historians and senior scholars had traced the artistic activities and techniques of notable temples of Prachi valley like Madhavananda temple, Lakshmi-Narayana temple, Lakshmi-Narasimha templr, etc , but they have not covered the minor Vaishnavite temples of the said valley. All the extant temples of Prachi valley including the present Vishnavite temples belong to the Kalinga style temple architecture of Odisha. In fact, the minor Vaishnavite temples of the Prachi valley are the sacred shrines of the coastal belt of Odisha considering their religious significance. The artistic features and religious aspect of the extant minor Vaishnavite temples of Prachi valley attract scholars, art historians and archaeologists to do undertake research works. Some of the Vaishnavite temples of the Prachi valley have to be discussed here are 1. Madhavananda Temple at Adaspur , 2. Narasimhanatha temple at Paribasudeipur, 3. Gopinatha temple at Varahipur, 4. Madhavananda temple at Pahanga, 5. Lakshmi-Kanta temple at Nuagaon, and 6. Madhavananda temple at Balara. Methodologically, both the primary and secondary sources have been used in this article to trace the artistic designs, architectural features along with the religious significance of the above Vaishnavite temples of Prachi valley of Odisha in Eastern India.