Beejamandal Ruins, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Beejamandal Ruins, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Beejamandal Ruins is a ruined Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Jatkari village near Khajuraho town in Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh, India. Beejamandal is one of eighteen unexplored mounds in the vicinity of Khajuraho. It is situated near Chaturbhuj Temple. 

History

Beejamandal was one of the 18 unexplored mounds in the vicinity of Khajuraho. This Temple might have been built between in 8^th century CE. Later, it was reconstructed during Paramara period in the second half of 11^th century by Emperor Naravarman. He was an ardent devotee of Goddess Charchika (also known as Vijaya). Thus, the temple is popularly called as Vijaya Temple. However, due to the large number of incomplete carvings found at the site. It is believed that that the temple was abandoned whilst construction was still in progress. The presence of large number of incomplete carvings and unfinished architectural pieces found round the base of the temple plinth confirms the fact. 

The temple was demolished during the rule of Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb (1658 A.D – 1707 A.D) and a mosque was built by Aurangzeb over the demolished remains of the temple and named it as Alamgir Mosque. Cunningham   regard this temple as the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahapati Kokkala inscription. The walls of the mosque fell down in 1991 due to heavy hailstorms in this area. It exposed many Hindu idols buried in the platform. The ASI took control of the area. It was opened to visitors in 1999.

The Temple

This Temple was built on a raised platform and measures 34.6 metres in length. Thus, making this temple longer than the largest temple of Khajuraho namely Kandariya Mahadeva Temple which measures about 30.5 metres. The architectural elements and erotic sculptures found in this ruin are quite similar to the Lakshmana Temple and Kandariya Mahadeva Temple. The plinth is richly decorated with carvings like horses & elephants with riders, flying apsaras, amorous couples, geometrical motifs etc. 

However, due to the large number of incomplete carvings found at the site, it is thought that the temple was abandoned whilst construction was still in progress. There is a Linga on top of a pedestal can be seen at the top of the mound. This Linga seems to be a later addition. There is a sheltered area near the mound housing sculptures of Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Sarasvati, Apsaras, Vyalas and architectural fragments.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 4.5 Kms from Khajuraho Bus Stand, 5 Kms from Khajuraho Airport, 9 Kms from Khajuraho Railway Station, 11 Kms from Rajnagar, 12 Kms from Bamitha, 39 Kms from Panna, 45 Kms from Chhatarpur and 395 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