26 Shiva Temples, Khardah, West Bengal

26 Shiva Temples, Khardah, West Bengal

26 Shiva Temples are group of Hindu Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Khardah near Kolkata in North 24 Parganas District in West Bengal, India. These Temples are situated on the banks of Hooghly River. These temples are protected monuments under Archaeological Survey of India, Kolkata circle.

History

These temples were constructed in the early 19^th Century CE by Ramhari Biswas and Prankrishna Biswas, the erstwhile landlords of Khardah.

The Temple Complex

The Temple complex consists of 26 Shiva temples in two groups. The first group is the bigger complex consists of 20 temples. The temples are arranged in rectangular fashion. Six temples are arranged on opposite side and four temples on other sides facing each other. The temple can be accessed through the gate flanked by two temples each on both sides of the gate.

The next group consists of six temples, situated towards the right side of the ghat. All the six temples are placed in single row, facing the Hooghly river. The temples are built on a raised platform made of bricks. All the temples follows Aatchaalaa (eight roofed) style of architecture. Each temple houses a Shiva Linga. The walls of the temples are decorated with ornate design of creeper, flower, niches and plaster.

Festivals

Nil puja on Bengali month of Chaitra is celebrated here with much fanfare.

Connectivity

The Temple Complex is located at about 1.5 Kms from Khardah Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Khardah Railway Station, 8 Kms from Barrackpore, 16 Kms from Shyambazar, 19 Kms from Kolkata Airport, 20 Kms from Kolkata, 20 Kms from Sealdah Railway Station, 20 Kms from Dharmatala Bus Stand and 21 Kms from Howrah Railway Station. Khardah is easily accessible by road. Buses E32, 56 & GL31 from Howrah, Buses L20, S11 & 78 from Esplanade, Minibuses from Dalhousie Square, Buses C28 & S32 from Barrackpore and private buses from Santragachi connects with Khardah. Any local train from Sealdah station to Krishnagar, Santipur, Ranaghat, Kalyani, Naihati or Barrackpore stops at Khardah. It can also be reached by launch from Rishra.

Location

Chitragupta Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Chitragupta Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Chitragupta Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Surya located at Khajuraho town in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, India. This temple is considered as part of the western group at Khajuraho. This temple is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other temples in Khajuraho Group of Monuments.

History

The temple is believed to have been built between 1020 CE and 1025 CE by Chandela Kings. The temple has been classified as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The Temple

This Temple is facing towards east and similar to Jagadambika temple in plan. The temple measures 23 m in length and 16 m in width. This temple is a nirandhara temple, no ambulatory around its sanctum. The temple consists of Sanctum, Antrala, Maha Mandapa with lateral transepts and Mukha Mandapa. The Maha Mandapa has an octagonal ceiling, which is more ornate than the corresponding ceiling in the Jagadambi temple.

The building has two balconies, and the ascending scale of the roof is not as impressive as that of the larger temples in Khajuraho. The sanctum houses a partially broken 2.1 m (6.9 ft) tall idol of Surya riding a chariot of seven horses. He is shown standing, dressed in an armored coat and boots, and holding lotus flowers. The door lintel of the sanctum also features three similar, but smaller, images of Surya.

The exterior portion above the base has two bands featuring sculptures of various deities, dwarfs, royal processions, dance performances, erotic couples, Ashta Dikpalakas, hunting scenes, surasundaris (female figures) such as apsaras, and mythical creatures. The uppermost small row contains erotic couples and teacher disciple groups.

There  is an eleven headed Lord Vishnu in the central southern niche of the exterior walls. He is depicted in his Viswaroopa with his ten incarnations. This rare representation is not seen anywhere else and does not find a mention in any historical text. There is also a sculpture of Nandi, mount of Lord Shiva, who is shown with a human body and a bull's head.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Khajuraho Bus Stand, 7 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 7 Kms from Rajnagar, 9 Kms from Khajuraho Railway Station, 12 Kms from Bamitha, 41 Kms from Chhatarpur, 47 Kms from Panna and 379 Kms from Bhopal. Khajuraho is situated on Bamitha to Rajnagar route. Khajuraho railway station connects the town by a daily train to Delhi via Mahoba, Jhansi and Gwalior. It provides a daily train connecting to Agra, Jaipur, Bhopal and Udaipur. A local daily train also connects to Kanpur, whilst Varanasi is connected three times a week. Khajuraho Airport has flights to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai.

Location | Photos

Pratapeshwar Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Pratapeshwar Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Pratapeshwar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Khajuraho town in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, India. This temple is situated in the western group at Khajuraho. It is considered as the newest temple among the Khajuraho Temples.

History

This Temple was built by Raja Pratap Singh in 19^th century CE. The temple was closed in 1956 due to the States Reorganization Act, and the state archaeology department was unable to take care of the building thereafter. So, the doors remained locked until late 2016.

The Temple

This Temple is situated in the same complex which houses Vishwanatha Temple, Lakshmana Temple, Kandariya Mahadeva Temple and Devi Jagadambi Temple. This Temple consists of Ardha Mandapa, Maha Mandapa and Sanctum. This Temple has a mix of three different architectural styles. It has a Rajputana dome over Ardha Mandapa, a pagoda style of ceiling over Maha Mandapa middle, and a typical Shikhara over the sanctum. The Sanctum houses black polished Linga.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Khajuraho Bus Stand, 7 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 7 Kms from Rajnagar, 9 Kms from Khajuraho Railway Station, 12 Kms from Bamitha, 41 Kms from Chhatarpur, 47 Kms from Panna and 379 Kms from Bhopal. Khajuraho is situated on Bamitha to Rajnagar route. Khajuraho railway station connects the town by a daily train to Delhi via Mahoba, Jhansi and Gwalior. It provides a daily train connecting to Agra, Jaipur, Bhopal and Udaipur. A local daily train also connects to Kanpur, whilst Varanasi is connected three times a week. Khajuraho Airport has flights to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai.

Location

Jagadambika Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Jagadambika Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Jagadambika Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Parvathi, consort of Lord Shiva, located at Khajuraho town in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, India. This temple is considered as part of the western group at Khajuraho. This temple is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other temples in Khajuraho Group of Monuments. This temple is situated to the north of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple.

History

The temple is believed to have been built between 1000 CE and 1025 CE by Chandela Kings. The temple has been classified as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The Temple

This Temple is facing towards east and is considered as one of the most finely decorated temples at Khajuraho. This temple is similar to Chitragupta temple in plan. This temple is situated to the north of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple and shares the same raised platform. The temple measures 22 m in length and 13 m in width. This temple is a nirandhara temple, no ambulatory around its sanctum.

The temple consists of Sanctum, Antrala, Maha Mandapa with lateral transepts and Mukha Mandapa. The Sanctum now houses an image of Parvati called Jagadambi / Jagadambika. This temple was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu as reflected by the central image of the sanctum door and from images in cardinal niches as well.

The square ceiling of its maha mandapa is much simpler than the octagonal ceiling of the Chitragupta temple, which thus appears to be relatively more ornate and evolved and therefore slightly later in date than this temple. The exterior portion above the base has three bands featuring sculptures of various deities, dwarfs, Ashta Dikpalakas, surasundaris (female figures) such as apsaras, and mythical creatures.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Khajuraho Bus Stand, 7 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 7 Kms from Rajnagar, 9 Kms from Khajuraho Railway Station, 12 Kms from Bamitha, 41 Kms from Chhatarpur, 47 Kms from Panna and 379 Kms from Bhopal. Khajuraho is situated on Bamitha to Rajnagar route. Khajuraho railway station connects the town by a daily train to Delhi via Mahoba, Jhansi and Gwalior. It provides a daily train connecting to Agra, Jaipur, Bhopal and Udaipur. A local daily train also connects to Kanpur, whilst Varanasi is connected three times a week. Khajuraho Airport has flights to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai.

Location | Photos

Vishwanatha Temple, Khajuraho – The Temple

Vishwanatha Temple, Khajuraho – The Temple

This Temple is facing towards east and measures 27.5 metres (90 ft) in length & 13.7 metres (45 ft) in width. This temple comes midway between the Lakshmana temple and Kandariya Mahadeva temple in architectural style. This temple follow nagara style of architecture. This temple is in the Panchayatana style of architecture. Panchayatana is an architectural style where the main shrine is built on a raised platform with four smaller subsidiary shrines at the four corners and making it a total of five shrines. 

Out of four subsidiary shrines, only two shrines have survived in the north-east and south-west corners. This is the only temple at Khajuraho which had a Nandi pavilion in front of the temple. The temple is constructed on high raised jagati (platform) which is approached by a fleet of steps. The stairs leading from the base to the porch are flanked by lions on one side, and elephants on the other side. 

This temple consists of Mukha Mandapa (porch), Mandapa (assembly hall), Maha Mandapa (dance hall), Antarala (vestibule) and Garbhagriha (sanctum) enclosed by an ambulatory with transepts on the sides, on the rear and on elevation. This is a sandhara temple, having common ambulatory passage around its sanctum. The sanctum has balconies on three sides for light and ventilation. 

The sanctum has a stone Linga; the emerald Linga mentioned in the inscription is missing. The interior features faceted pillars in all the rooms. The ceiling and the brackets supporting it are intricately carved. However, the bracket figures in the large hall are now badly worn. The niches of the sanctum wall has Shiva’s manifestations namely Andhakantaka (subduing Andhaka demon), Nataraja (cosmic dancer) and Ardhanareeshwara (half-male and half-female representation of Lord Shiva and Parvathy).

The exterior portion above the base has three bands featuring sculptures of various deities, surasundaris (female figures) such as apsaras, and mythical creatures. The surasundaris are shown performing various day-to-day activities, such as applying sindoor (vermilion powder) to their foreheads and kohl to their eyes, wringing their hair after bathing, playing flute, plucking thorn from their feet, dancing, admiring themselves in a mirror, dressing or simply posing provocatively. 

Their hairstyles, patterned garments, ornaments and expressive faces are noticeable in these sculptures. The north and south walls of the temple feature erotic reliefs. The junction of the vestibule and the sanctum features a variation of the famous acrobatic sex sculpture at the Kandariya Mahadeva temple. Like the Kandariya sculpture, this one also features a couple supported by two women, but in this sculpture, the man is on the top. 

The woman at the bottom fingers the woman on the left with one hand, while her other hand rests on the ground for support. Some sculptures feature men indulging in bestiality, as women cover their eyes. The base of the temple has several niches with sculptures of the Saptamatrikas (seven goddesses), Shiva's consort Parvati and a dancing Ganesha. This is the first temple at Khajuraho having the peculiar arrangement of Saptamatrikas around the exterior walls of the temple. 

These are placed in counter circumambulatory manner. The similar arrangement was later adopted in Kandariya Mahadeva temple. The theme of an apsara removing the scorpion from her body is one of the common and earliest motif carved in the Khajuraho temples. This representation might depict fertility. Khajuraho might have derived its name from this representation as Khajura means scorpion in Sanskrit.