The Red Temple

The Anandapur Royal Forest is teeming with wildlife, but there are symbols of man's influence here as well, including several structures from early periods in the region's history. The grey, stone temple seen above, for example, is what remains of the original Tomb of Anantah, the first ruler of Anandapur.

Nearby is the Red Temple, built as a replacement for the ancient tomb by a later rajah (king), part of the new dynasty. While the Red Temple is several hundred years old, it is actually one of the newest structures in the Royal Forest.

Stepping inside the Red Temple, most visitors are immediately drawn to the windows on the opposite side, offering views into an area of the forest frequented by tigers. What's often overlooked, though, is the large object in the middle of the room, the actual sarcophagus containing the remains of Anantah.

The stone sarcophagus was sculpted in two parts. The lower portion depicts a human figure, perhaps Anantah himself, while the upper portion depicts a turtle. In ancient cultures, turtles were often used to symbolize the earth. In this respect, the artist who crafted the sarcophagus centuries ago meant to honor Anantah, not as creator, but as the one who carried their world on his shoulders, bringing the people to their "place of all delight" which they in turn named Anandapur.