Mala Devi Temple, Gyaraspur, Madhya Pradesh

Mala Devi Temple, Gyaraspur, Madhya Pradesh

Mala Devi Temple is a Jain Temple dedicated to Jain Tirthankaras located at Gyaraspur Town in Gyaraspur Tehsil in Vidisha District in Madhya Pradesh, India. The Temple is situated on the eastern slope of the hill overlooking the valley. The temple has been classified as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

Gyaraspur was an important town in medieval India. It has several ruins of ancient Hindu, Jain and Buddhist places of worship dated between 9th to 10th century CE. The name Gyaraspur is derived from a fair held at the eleventh month of the Hindu calendar, gyaras means joy at the eleventh. Gyaraspur is also famous for a Salabhanjika sculpture, currently housed in Gwalior Gujari Mahal Archaeological Museum (Gwalior Fort Museum). The sculpture is considered an exceptional beauty by renowned historians. She is also called as Indian Venus or Gyaraspur Lady. The Temple was built in 9^th century CE by Pratihara rulers.

The Temple

The Temple is constructed on the eastern slope of the hill overlooking the valley. The temple is built on a huge platform cut out of the hill side and reinforced by a massive retaining wall. This temple is partly rock-cut and partly structural. The temple consists of an entrance porch, sabha mandapa, antrala and sanctum. The sanctum is provided with circumbulatory path around it. The sanctum enshrines four images of Jain Tirthankaras Adinatha, seated on padmasana posture.

Though, the sanctum and the sabha mandapa has Jain images currently, the dedicatory block of the entrance door of the sabha mandapa has an image of goddess. The dedicatory block and the sculptures on the walls of the temple indicates that the temple might have been originally dedicated to some Hindu goddess and later it was converted to the Jain temple by the Jains.  The shikara over the sanctum follows nagara style architecture.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Gyaraspur Bus Stand, 27 Kms from Gulab Ganj Railway Station, 37 Kms from Vidisha Railway Station, 38 Kms from Vidisha, 47 Kms from Sanchi, 76 Kms from Sagar, 96 Kms from Bhopal and 101 Kms from Bhopal Airport. Gyaraspur is situated on Vidisha to Sagar route. Buses are regularly available from Vidisha to Gyaraspur.

Location | Photos