Sirpur Group of Monuments

Rajiv Lochan Temple

Pilgrims on the route towards Jagannatha Dham break their journey at Rajim in their thousands every year, which tells you this is not a quiet ruin but a working 8th-century temple with a crowd. The plan is straightforward: mandapa, ante-chamber, sanctum under a shikhara, standing in a courtyard with a subsidiary shrine at each of the four corners. The four-armed Vishnu inside is the deity, but give your time to the doorways, pillars and pilasters, which carry dense carving of gods, goddesses and attendant figures. Start early if you want to look at the stonework rather than queue behind it.