Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitaoli
The Chausath Yogini Temple, Morena, an ancient temple, also known as Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple, "hypetheral on plan"[1] located in Morena district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, is one of the few such Yogini temples in the country which is in a very good condition. The temple is formed by a circular wall with 64 chambers and an open mandapa in the centre, separated by a courtyard, which is also circular in shape, where Lord Shiva is deified [2] It is believed that the Parliament House, also known as Sansad Bhavan, built about 90 years back in Delhi has been patterned on the lines of this circual shaped Chausath Yogini Temple, dated to 1323 AD.[3][4][5]
Archaeological Survey of India has declared the temple as an ancient and historical monument under Act No. LXXI of 1951, dt.28/11/1951.[1]
Location
The temple is located on a hill which is about 100 feet (30 m) in height[6] and there are 100 steps to climb leading to the entrance of the temple. It is in the Mitaoli village, which is also spelled Mitawali or Mitavali, near Padaoli in Morena district.[2] The temple is well connected by road, rail and air services. The nearest rail head is Morena which is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away. The nearest airport is at Gwalior, which is 40 kilometres (25 mi) away.[1][5]
History
According to an inscription the history of the temple is dated to 1323 AD (Vikram Samvat 1383) and was built by Maharaja Devapala. It is also said that the temple was the venue of providing education in astrology and mathematics based on the transit of the Sun.[1][5]
Features
The temple is externally circular in shape with a radius of 170 feet (52 m)[6] and within its interior part it has 64 small chambers, each with a mandapa which is open and a facia of pilasters and pillars. The roof of the entire structure is flat including that of another east facing circular temple within the outer circular wall. A large passage or courtyard lies between the outer enclosure and the central temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.[1] There is an open porch entrance to this temple.[2] The exterior surface of the outer wall has carvings of Hindu deities.[5] Each of the 64 chambers in the outer circle also has an image of Shiva deified in it. However, recent investigations have confirmed that originally these had a Yogini image deified in them and hence the temple is known as Chausath Yogini Temple ('Chuasth' here means "Sixty four"[4]). It is also said that the roof over the 64 chambers and the central shrine had towers or sikharas which were probably removed during later modifications.[1]
Within the main central shrine there are slab coverings which have perforations in them to drain rainwater to a large underground storage. The pipe lines from the roof lead the rain water to the storage are also visible. The temple needs conservation measures to preserve the ancient monument in good shape.[5]
The design of the temple has withstood earthquake shocks, without any damage to its circular structural features, in the past several centuries. The temple is in the Seismic Zone III. This fact was cited when the issue of safety from earthquake effect of the Parliament House which is also a circular structure, similar to the Chausath Yogini Temple, was debated in the Indian Parliament.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple". Archaeological Survey of India.
- ^ a b c Museums 2001, p. 21.
- ^ "Research Proposal On"Birth of Women Dacoits A Case Study of U.P. and M.P."". National Informatics centre.
- ^ a b "Chausath Yogini Temple: A striking similarity to the Indian Parliament". NDTV.
- ^ a b c d e "History Hunting". The Pioneer. 21 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Mitawali". National Informatics Center.
- ^ "Government should have confidence in this House". The Hindu. 9 August 2012.