The Theme: Designed in a manner highly vivid yet subtle, this book takes us along on a journey to the famous Shaivite city of Ekamra which is now known as Bhubaneswar. The city had around thousands of temples which led it to be called as the ‘City of Temples’ by the historians.

It covers the history of these temples ranging right from the 6th century to the 11th century thus taking us back to the rich cultural and architectural heritage of India. Through this book, we get an insight into the stories and legends which had influenced the famous religious beliefs of our country today.

The splendid granite of the Ekamra has now been preserved to illustrate the mighty culture and religious beliefs of our past. The stories would influence any traveller or a believer in mythology to include Bhubaneswar as a must in their travel bucket list. It would take us to a world which is not only beautiful to behold but also therapeutic for the soul.

The title of the book is very unique and catchy. It would very effortlessly entice the readers towards it the minute they come across it. Also for those who aren’t very much aware of Ekamra, it would evoke a lot of questions like if this Ekamra is a place or a person.

It takes a lot of effort to choose a cover which goes well with the title and this book did full justice to it. The cover matches completely with the subject matter which is present inside it, so kudos for that!

Narration

The narration too like the language was fine without any unnecessary exaggeration. It is extremely well narrated with a very unique choice of words thus keeping the readers hooked on till the very last page and leaving them wanting for more.

The author has a very good sense and holds over his language which was neither too plain nor too exaggerated. All in all the language & the grammar part was lucid and simple thus helping the readers to comprehend the subject matter of this book.

My Final Verdict

This book has been successful in portraying our rich cultural heritage in a light which would make us feel all the more proud. The illustrations of the stories associated with the various temples and the mythological part to it have been explained skillfully with great attention to detail.

All in all, I would definitely suggest this book to anyone and everyone who wishes to delve a little bit further into our past. This would also be a great choice for travel enthusiasts, mythology freaks or anybody who just wishes to gain some more insight about his own country.

Book Title: Where is Ekamra
Author: Bhuban Patra
ISBN: 978-9388277426
Publisher: Evincepub Publishing, (2018)
Amazon Link: Buy on Amazon
Review By: Suryasri Saha, at Criticspace Journals