Masrur Temples – History

Masrur Temples – History

Masrur temples show similarities to the Elephanta Caves near Mumbai (1,900 kms away), Angkor Wat in Cambodia (4,000 kms away) and the rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu (2,700 kms away). The temples were built during 8^th Century CE. There is no inscriptional evidence of the patronage or period of the construction in the temple. The first known visits of the British officials to study the Masrur temples occurred in 1887 CE. Henry Shuttleworth, a British official from colonial era, visited and photographed the temples in 1913.

He claimed in his report that he was the first European to visit them. He wrote a paper on the temples, which was published by the journal The Indian Antiquary. He shared his findings with Harold Hargreaves, then an officer of the Northern Circle of the Archaeology Survey of India. Hargreaves knew more about Hindu theology, noticed the Shiva Linga in the sanctum and he corrected Shuttleworth's report. Hargreaves wrote up his tour and published his photographs and observations in 1915 as a part of the ASI Annual Report Volume 20.

Hargreaves acknowledged the discovery that a draftsman in his office had already toured, measured and created temples plans and sections in 1887, and that some other ASI workers and Europeans had visited the temple in 1875 and after 1887. The Masrur temples suffered damage during the earthquake happened in Kanga in 1905 CE. The central temple has been locally called as Thakurwada, a term for Vaishnavite temples at least from the time Harold Hargreaves visited the temple in 1913.

However, the temple was originally a Shiva temple as evident from the figure of Shiva on the lintel of the main door and other parts of the structure. It seems that the temple was converted into a Vaishnava temple by placing three small black stone idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita in the shrine in 20^th century. The Masrur temples are a surviving example of a temple mountain-style Hindu architecture which embodies the earth and mountains around it.