Kadwaya Temples – History

Kadwaya Temples – History

Kadwaya was considered as the principal seat of the Mattamayura sect of Shaivism during 8^th century CE. Kadwaya was called as Kadambaguha and Mattamayurapura during the 8^th century CE as per the inscription found at Rannod. The Rannod inscription mentions that sage Purandara established mathas (monasteries) at Rannod and Kadwaya after initiating the Chalukya King Avantivarman; the latter was ruling from Kadwaya as his capital.

The Mattamayura clan got associated with the Kalachuri kings of Tripuri during the 10 – 11^th century CE. A 10^th century CE inscription mentions the initiation of a Pratihara king, Hariraja, from a disciple of Dharmashiva at the Kadwaya matha. Inscriptions dated to the reigns of Kalachuri Kings Yuvaraja I, Lakshmanaraja II and Kokalladeva II mentions about the ascetics of Mattamayura sect and donations & respect shown to them by the royal house of the Kalchuris.

Babur in his Babur Nama mentions a place called Kachwa, en route to Chanderi. Kadwaya suffered under the empire of Alauddin Khalji. An inscription dated to 1309 CE mentions that a sage named Bhuteshvara did a severe penance when the world was harassed by the mlecchas and the latter committed sins 19 times. The inscription suggests that though the village was taken over by the forces of Alauddin Khalji, the matha continued to carry out its functions.

The matha in Kadwaya was also converted into a fortress and a mosque was built over a temple, suggesting that it became a military post during the Khalji and the later Tughluq period. The matha is believed to be built by Kachchhapaghata Dynasty but most of the temples were built by the Pratiharas. There are no foundation inscriptions to ascertain the builder of these temples.