Masrur Temples – The Temple Complex

Masrur Temples – The Temple Complex

The temples face northeast, towards the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas. The temples were built in North Indian version of Nagara architecture style. The temple complex was carved out of the natural sandstone rock. The temple complex remains incomplete and suffered damage from earthquake. The Sanctum is accessible through antarala from mandapa and mukha mandapa.

The main sanctum is square in plan with each side of 13 feet. The main sanctum has a four faced Shiva Linga. The main sanctum houses nine deities. The center deity is Lord Shiva and others are Vishnu, Indra, Ganesa, Karthikeya and Durga. The main sanctum has four entrances, of which one on the east side is complete, two on the north and south side are partially complete and the fourth can be seen but is largely incomplete. 

The eastern entrance had a large mandapa and a portico, but this was destroyed in the 1905 earthquake, its existence known from site visit notes prior to the earthquake. There are staircases located on the either side of the mandapa leading to the roof of the temple. The main spire is flanked by subsidiary spires of smaller size, all eight symmetrically placed to form an octagon (or two rotated squares).

These spires of the temple seem to grow out of the natural rock that makes the mountain. Above the main sanctum, the rock was cut to form the flat roof and the second level of the temple naturally fused with the rising main spire (shikhara) as well as the eight subsidiary shrines. The ceiling of various mandapa and the sanctum inside the temple are fully carved, predominantly with open lotus.

However, the inside walls remained incomplete. The sanctum and spire plan for the Masrur temple follows Kailasa design. The Kailasa style of Hindu temple is one with a central Shikhara (spire) symmetrically surrounded by four smaller spires set between the four entrances into the temple from the four cardinal directions. All spires in the Masrur temple follow Nagara style.

The stairway spire is based on four turned squares and features eight rotating lata spines that alternate with eight right-angled projections. The shrines around the central shrine enshrines Shaktis, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Surya, Indra and Saraswathi. Varaha and Narasimha are can be seen in the niches. Sculptures of Ardhanarishvara, Harihara and a three faced trinity that shows Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one sculpture can also be seen in the temple complex.

Sculptures of Varuna, Agni and others Vedic deities can be seen among the ruins. The temple also has secular images from the common life of people, of couples in courtship and various levels of intimacy (Mithuna), people making music and dancing, apsaras and ornamental scrollwork. The temple complex also has two free standing sub shrines near the sacred pool.

These have spires with sixteen lata spines, a style that is uncommon in India and found associated with Shiva temples associated with Hindu monks of the Mattamayura matha between the 7^th and 12^th century CE. The temple complex has a sacred pool in front on the east side. The construction of the sacred pool is dated to the early 8^th century CE. It measures 82 ft in length and 164 ft in breadth.

The temple once had a square mandapa outside the temple complex. It measured 27 feet side and 20 feet tall. It had a solid 1.5 feet (0.46 m) thick roof supported by four carved massive pillars. The platform had a covered drainage system to allow water anywhere on the mandapa to naturally drain off. The Mandapa suffered damage during 1905 quake, now only remnants of the floor and a pillar remain.