Kaleshwari Group of Monuments,
Lavana – History
Lavana was an ancient settlement
called as Lavaneshwari in ancient times. The
temples and ruins in the Kaleshwari group of monuments are traditional
associated with the characters of Mahabharata. The
original Shiva temple with its sanctum & sabha mandapa was built in the
10th century CE. The temple fell into ruins later. The Kund (reservoir)
was constructed in the 11th or 12th century CE.
The
twin stepwells were built in the 14th to 15th
century CE. This was followed by the construction of Bhim
Chauri in the 14th to 15th century CE, Arjun
Chauri and Hidimba
temple was built in the 15th to 16th century CE on
the nearby hillock. All these temples are in ruins now. It is said that Mala
Rana, the prince of Lunavada State, restored the Kaleshwari
temple in 1549 but the inscription is worn out.
The original Shiva temple was rebuilt in reduced size and is now known as Ghummatwalu Mandir. The Shikar Madhi was built by Vakhat Singh from ruins of ancient structures in the first half of the 18th century. The ruins were restored in the 2000s by the State Archeology Department of Gujarat and are promoted as a tourism spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment