Chausath Yogini Temple, Hirapur – The Temple

Chausath Yogini Temple, Hirapur – The Temple

The temple is built in a circular fashion without any roof. The temple seems to follow a Madala plan in a way that concentric circles are formed while a Shiva at the center inside the inner sanctum is roundly surrounded by four Yoginis and four Bhairava. The temple measures about 25 feet in diameter, 90 feet in circumference and 7 feet tall. The entrance to the temple is from the east. The entrance is about four feet tall.

It is designed in such a way that anyone entering the temple has to bow down. The outer wall of the temple is devoid of any decorations except the nine niches housing Katyayini images at regular intervals. They are shown standing over a severed head flanked by animals. Each of them were holding a sword and rests under umbrella. The entrance is flanked by two dvarapalas (a form of Bhairava).

The southern carving depicts a male figure with ear ornaments and lotus creeper on the pedestal. The northern carving depicts a wrathful male figure with disheveled hair, protruding stomach, and holding a skull cup in his left hand. Both the Bhairavas are shown holding a curved sword. The inner wall of the temple contains 60 niches housing various yoginis within its inner circumference.

Each niche is considered as mini shrine. All the yoginis are shown in standing posture with their mounts carved below. All images are about 2 feet tall, except the yogini in the central niche which is the largest among all. She is called as Mahamaya and considered as the presiding deity of the shrine. All Yoginis are depicted with two or four arms while Mahamaya is depicted with ten arms.

Several of these sculptures are defaced or damaged with parts of their limbs missing. There is a rectangular structure, called as Chandi Mandapa, is built in the center. It is believed to be a recent structure built on top of an older platform. It has entrances on all four side with two niches provided on either side of each entrance, resulting eight niches in total.

One niche is empty, rest all have images in the niches. The niches houses four Bhairava and three Yoginis. This empty niche would have housed a yogini image as combining with 60 images around the enclosure and three on the mandapa, the result is 64 images in total corresponding to 64 yoginis. There must have been an image of Maha Bhairava at the center of the mandapa but has been lost.