The Shastra Bahu Temple in Udaipur

One of the most amazing Temples located in Udaipur, is the Sahastra Bahu Temple. 

Sahastrabahu meaning ‘the one having a thousand arms’, a synonym for Bhagwan Vishnu. 

Located 23 km away from Udaipur in Rajasthan, in Nagda village, the entrance & interior of the Temple is richly decorated with carvings, including elaborate friezes of scenes from the Ramayana. 

Unfortunately, due to the invasions of cruel conquerors of medieval times, a significant portion of the Temple is still in ruins.

The Sasbahu Temples or Sahasra Bahu temples, at Nagda, Rajasthan, are a pair of late 10th-century Hindu temples dedicated to Vishnu They share a platform, facing the temple tank, and are similar in style, but one is rather larger than the other. The larger one is surrounded by ten subsidiary shrines, the smaller by four; only the bases remain of some of these. The temples have many of the characteristics of slightly later Māru-Gurjara architecture but lack others, especially in the plan and exterior sculpture.

They are locally referred to as Sas Bahu temples (a local corruption of the original Sahasra-Bahu, meaning “One with thousand arms”, a form of Vishnu).

Nagda was once an important city of Mewar, possibly the capital of one of its rulers.

Both temples have a sanctuary, mandapa with side projections, and an open porch. Their somewhat ruined shikharas are in brick, with many subsidiary turrets. That of the smaller temple has been largely repaired, while the larger one remains truncated. Below the platform, there is a Torana-style entrance screen, with four columns and a decorative cusped arch in the centre.

History of Sas bahu temple

Going by the historical records, these are no temples dedicated to glorifying the saas (mother-in-law) and bahu (daughter-in-law). Rather, a certain king Mahipala of Kachchhwaha Dynasty got them constructed sometime in the 10th or 11th century A.D. It is a commonly held belief that the queen of Mahipala was a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

The king was kind enough to get a temple made for his beloved spouse, wherein she could worship her favored deity. Later, the prince got himself a wife, who was a worshipper of Lord Shiva. Therefore, another temple of Lord Shiva was built right next to the Vishnu shrine for the daughter-in-law.

About Sas bahu temple

The Sasbahu Temples or Sahasra Bahu temples, at Nagda, Rajasthan, are a pair of late 10th-century Hindu temples dedicated to Vishnu They share a platform, facing the temple tank, and are similar in style, but one is rather larger than the other. The larger one is surrounded by ten subsidiary shrines, the smaller by four; only the bases remain of some of these. The temples have many of the characteristics of slightly later Māru-Gurjara architecture but lack others, especially in the plan and exterior sculpture.

They are locally referred to as Sas Bahu temples (a local corruption of the original Sahasra-Bahu, meaning “One with thousand arms”, a form of Vishnu).

Sas Bahu Temple Udaipur

Nagda was once an important city of Mewar, possibly the capital of one of its rulers.

Both temples have a sanctuary, mandapa with side projections, and an open porch. Their somewhat ruined shikharas are in brick, with many subsidiary turrets. That of the smaller temple has been largely repaired, while the larger one remains truncated. Below the platform, there is a Torana-style entrance screen, with four columns and a decorative cusped arch in the centre.

History of Sas bahu temple

Going by the historical records, these are no temples dedicated to glorifying the saas (mother-in-law) and bahu (daughter-in-law). Rather, a certain king Mahipala of Kachchhwaha Dynasty got them constructed sometime in the 10th or 11th century A.D. It is a commonly held belief that the queen of Mahipala was a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

The king was kind enough to get a temple made for his beloved spouse, wherein she could worship her favored deity. Later, the prince got himself a wife, who was a worshipper of Lord Shiva. Therefore, another temple of Lord Shiva was built right next to the Vishnu shrine for the daughter-in-law.

From ‘Sahastrabahu’ to ‘Sas Bahu’

Temple Carvings at SahastraBahu temple. Udaipur

Because the temple of Lord Vishnu was constructed first, it was named Sahastrabahu Temple, meaning ‘ the one having a thousand arms’ a synonym for Lord Vishnu. However, afterward, the twin temples were collectively called Sahastrabahu Temple.

As time passed, the name got corrupted, and the temple became popular as Saas-Bahu Temple due to the reason of its origin. Apparently, the Saas temple is comparatively larger than the other shrine.

Beauty of Indian temples - Kandariya Mahadev temple, Khajurao

See the Shiva Mandir carefully, It looks like a Crown that Bhagwan Shiva would wear. 

Isn't it Unbelievable ?

One of the wonders of the World…! 

Believed to have been built around 1030 A.D, the Kandariya Mahadeva Mandir is one of the prettiest, tallest and largest of all the Khajuraho monuments in Madhya Pradesh. 

This cave-like Mandir gets its name from the word Kandara (meaning “cave”).

Khajuraho Monuments are famous for their exquisite sculptures and intricate carvings that depict various aspects of life. Out of these stunning temples, Kandariya Mahadev Temple is one of the most popular one.

Kandariya Mahadev Temple is the largest, tallest and the most ornate temple of the surviving temples at Khajuraho. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This stunning temple is around 31m tall, and is one of the western group of temples, apart from Matangeswara and Vishwanatha temples.Constructed on a plinth of 4m height, this tall structure is built in the shape of a mountain, which is symbolic of Mount Meru which is believed to be the mythical source of creation of the world.

The temple faces the East and is built on a raised platform that can be reached by steps. The temple has many interconnected chambers which can be visited in sequence. Ardhamandapa, the rectangular entrance hall leads to a central pillared hall called mandapa. The mandapa leads to a dark area called garbhagraha.

Carvings at the temple

Photo Courtesy: Ramón

The main tower and spire are above garbhagraha. Inside garbhagraha you can find the marble linga denoting Lord Shiva. Around 900 sculptures are carved into this sandstone temple built on granite foundation.

The stunning architecture of the temple

Photo Courtesy: Ramón

The temple is known for its exquisite carvings on the walls, ceilings and pillars. The carvings depict all the four necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksha. The sculptures include that of animals and human beings that denote various aspects of life like musicians composing music, farmers at work, etc.

Beauty of Indian temples - Dilwara temple at Mount Abu

 Dilwara Jain Temples..

Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of svetambara Jain temples located about 2 1⁄2 kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement, Rajasthan's only hill station. 

The earliest were built by Vimal Shah and supposedly designed or at least financed by Vastupala, Jain minister of Dholka. They date between the 11th and 14th centuries, forming some of the most famous monuments in the style of Māru-Gurjara architecture, famous for their use of a very pure white marble and intricate marble carvings. 

They are a pilgrimage place for Jains, and a significant general tourist attraction. Although Jains built many temples at other places in Rajasthan, the Dilwara temples are believed to be the most impressive.

The Dilwara Temple includes five equally beguiling temples namely- Vimal Vasahi, Luna Vasahi, Pittalhar, Parshavanatha and Mahavir Swami Temple dedicated to Lord Adinath, Lord Rishabhdeo, Lord Neminath, Lord Mahavir Swami and Lord Parshvanath respectively. 

Out of these five, Vimal Vasahi and Luna Vasahi are the most famous. Each of these shrines has Rang Mandap, a central hall, Garbhagraha, the innermost sanctum where Lord resides and Navchowki, a group of nine heavily decorated ceilings. Some other spell bounding structures include Kirthi Stumbh and Hathishala. 

With its simplicity and austerity, Dilwara Temple tells you about Jain values and principles.

Deities of India - Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur

The Shri Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple is located in the Kolhapur city of Maharashtra on the banks of the Panchganga River, about 156 miles south of Pune. 

The deity Goddess Mahalakshmi here is also referred to as “Ambabai” by several communities and hence the temple is also known as Shri Kollur Ambabai Temple. 

The temple is referred to appear in multiple Puranas of Hinduism. The temple is of extreme religious significance and is considered to be the most sacred abode of goddess Lakshmi in the world, making it the one and only, number one pilgrimage centers dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. Let’s explore the temple for its most precious history, traditions and much more.

History

History of the temple rolls down to a fight between Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi in the Vaikuntha. When a sage named Bhrigumuni kicks Lord Vishnu on his chest, and Lord Vishnu, of course, being the supreme and the eternal controller of all does not retaliate or curse the sage on his wicked gesture but in turn greets him with great hospitality and ensures that his foot is not aching as he had kicked him real hard. Vishnu then tells Bhrigu that his chest is strong but his foot might not be very strong and hence starts pressing his foot to provide comfort to the sage.

Goddess Lakshmi witnessing all of this, unable to bear the insult to her husband, grows extremely furious as Vishnu’s chest is where she resides. In spite of the muni disrespecting her, Lord Vishnu puts up a kind, gentle decorum which was disliked by Lakshmi who then decides to leave Vaikhunta and come down to earth. The place where she came down to earth from Vaikhunta is the very Kolhapur, where she lived and decided to stay forever to bless all her countless devotees who visit her then, now and forever.

Having a glimpse of the deity of the temple, Goddess Mahalakshmi ‘s beautiful idol will leave you not taking your eyes off it!  

The idol is considered to be at least 5000 to 6000 years old. Mounted on a stone platform, the idol of the crowned goddess is made of gemstone and weighs about 40 kilograms. The image of Mahalakshmi carved in black stone is 3 feet in height. The ‘Shri Yantra’ is carved on one of the walls in the temple. A stone lion (the vahana of the goddess), stands behind the statue. The crown contains an image of the Sheshnag the serpent of Vishnu.

In her four hands, the deity of Mahalakshmi holds objects of symbolic value. The lower right-hand holds a Mhatulinga (a citrus fruit), in the upper right is a large Mace or Gadha called the Kaumodaki – with its head facing the ground, in the upper left hand is a Shield or Khetaka and in the lower left, a bowl called the Panpatra. Unlike most Hindu sacred idols, which face north or east, the deity faces West. There is a small open window on the western wall, through which the light of the setting sun falls on the face of the image for three days every year.