Chausath Yogini Temple, Morena – The Temple

Chausath Yogini Temple, Morena – The Temple

The temple is located on a hill which is about 100 feet (30 m) in height and there are 100 steps to climb leading to the entrance of the temple. It is often stated that Delhi's Parliament House which was built in the 1920s has been patterned on the lines of this circular-shaped temple. There is, however, no reliable basis for this. This circular temple commands a splendid view of the cultivated fields below. The Temple is also called as Ekattatso Mahadeva Temple. This temple is so named because of the presence of multitude of Shiva Lingas inside its cells.

The temple consists of a circular peripheral wall which shows different courses of constructions in different times. The topmost course of the wall, composed of bricks and limestone, was the addition during the conservation activities taken up by the Gwalior Archaeological Department. On this outer wall are placed various small niches, at regular intervals, many of which are empty now and few are equipped with couples in different poses.

It is externally circular in shape with a radius of 170 feet (52 m) and within its interior part it has 64 small chambers, each with a mandapa which is open and a facia of pilasters and pillars. The roof of the entire structure is flat including that of another east facing circular temple within the outer circular wall. A large passage or courtyard lies between the outer enclosure and the central temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. There is an open porch entrance to this temple. The exterior surface of the outer wall has carvings of Hindu deities.

Each of the 64 chambers in the outer circle has an image of Shiva deified in it. However, recent investigations have confirmed that originally these had a Yogini image deified in them and hence the temple is known as Chausath Yogini Temple ('Chausath' here means "Sixty-four"). It is said that the roof over the 64 chambers and the central shrine had towers or shikharas which were probably removed during later modifications. Within the main central shrine there are slab coverings which have perforations in them to drain rainwater to a large underground storage. The pipe lines from the roof lead the rain water to the storage are also visible.

The design of the temple has withstood earthquake shocks, without any damage to its circular structural features, in the past several centuries. The temple is in the Seismic Zone III. This fact was cited when the issue of safety from earthquake effect of the Parliament House which is also a circular structure, similar to the Chausath Yogini Temple, was debated in the Indian Parliament. The temple needs conservation measures to preserve the ancient monument in good shape.

This circular temple is one among the very few such temples in India. This is a yogini temple dedicated to sixty-four yoginis. Other prominent yogini temples in India are located at Bhedaghat near Jabalpur and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Hirapur and Jharial in Odisha. The yogini cult was a secretive practice confined to few groups and individuals. Its secrets are very securely guarded by its proponents and practitioners that if you are an outsider then it is very hard to know its rituals and practices. One can know and understand this cult only after becoming one and joining their community. But the trick is that when one becomes a part of that community, one also takes an oath to guard its secrets as others.