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Teli ka Mandir

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Front view of the Teli Ka Mandir, Gwalior Fort

Teli ka Mandir is a Hindu temple located within the Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh, India. Dedicated to the god Vishnu, it has been dated to between the 8th and 11th centuries AD.[1] It is both the loftiest and oldest surviving structure within the fort.[2]

Etymology

Probably meaning the Oilman's Temple, the etymology of the temple's name has several contending theories.[3][4] One theory holds that the temple was built by members of the Teli community of oil merchants during the reign of the Pratihara king Mihirabhoja during the 8th or 9th century AD.[5] It is also thought to have derived its name from the Telang Brahmins who were charged with presiding over all religious ceremonies after the fort was captured by a Rashtrakuta king in the 8th century.[5] Another theory holds that it has been named after the Telangana region of southern India owing to its evident Dravidian influence.[6][7]

History

Teli Ka Mandir, circa 1881

Teli ka Mandir is thought to have been built circa 850 AD during the reign of the Pratihara king Mihira Bhoja.[8] Following the Revolt of 1857, the British used the temple as a soda factory.[9] Between 1881 and 1883, repairs to the temple were initiated by Major Keith, an officer of the Royal Scots Regiment stationed in Gwalior.[10][11]

Architecture

Teli ka Mandir combines the Nagara and Dravida styles of architecture and shows influences of Buddhist architecture.[12][13] The temple has a rectangular plan and is mounted by a barrel vault with the walls containing empty niches surmounted by tall pediments.[14][15] The oblong, vaulted roof derives from the influence of Buddhist chaitya architecture and bears resemblance to the Vaital Deul in Bhubaneshwar.[3]

The temple is approached through a flight of stairs leading to a banded doorway containing sculptures of river goddesses and attendants in its lower part.[16] There are Shaiva and Shakta dvarapalas along the outer and inner doorways and the latter's presence is thought to indicate the temple's dedication to the goddess Shakti.[8] The doorway leads to the sanctum sanctorum or garbha griha. The mandapa is absent in the Teli ka Mandir.[5] There is a decorative sculpture of Garuda at the entrance to the temple.[3][17] The temple, 35 metres in height, is the loftiest building in the Gwalior Fort.[18]

The temple has been dedicated to the Pratihara Vishnu.[19] James Fergusson has opined that the Teli ka Mandir while originally a Vishnu temple was later converted into a Shiva temple.[20] The temple's Valabhi shikhara mirrors the gopuram of Dravidian temples and it stands on a Nagara base.[21] The temple's outer walls have been extensively carved and contain several excellent sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses.[12]

References

  1. ^ Margaret Prosser Allen (1 January 1991). Ornament in Indian Architecture. University of Delaware Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-87413-399-8.
  2. ^ India. Ediz. Inglese. Lonely Planet. 2009. p. 674. ISBN 978-1-74220-347-8.
  3. ^ a b c Vanessa Betts; Victoria McCulloch (30 October 2013). Delhi to Kolkata Footprint Focus Guide. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-909268-40-1.
  4. ^ "Fortifying legends". The Hindu Businessline. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Goodearth Publications. Temples of Madhya Pradesh. Goodearth Publications. p. 46. ISBN 978-93-80262-49-9.
  6. ^ Probir Sen (1 June 2011). Madhya Pradesh: Unhurried, Unspoilt, Undiscovered. SCB Distributors. p. 14. ISBN 978-81-8328-220-8.
  7. ^ Susant Pal (January 2014). Imbibed In Faith. Partridge Publishing (Authorsolutions). p. 228. ISBN 978-1-4828-1258-9.
  8. ^ a b K. D. Bajpai (2006). History of Gopāchala. Bharatiya Jnanpith. p. 31. ISBN 978-81-263-1155-2.
  9. ^ The Rough Guide to India. Rough Guides. 2003. p. 406. ISBN 978-1-84353-089-3.
  10. ^ "Panoramic past". Frontline. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  11. ^ India. Curator of Ancient Monuments; Henry Hardy Cole (1882). Report of the Curator of Ancient Monuments in India for the Year ... Government Central Branch Press. p. 17.
  12. ^ a b "Gorgeous Gwalior". Free Press Journal. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  13. ^ "The Teli-ka-Mandir and Suraj Kund". Rough Guides. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  14. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. (1 March 2009). Britannica Guide to India. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-59339-847-7.
  15. ^ Kathleen Kuiper (15 August 2010). The Culture of India. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 307. ISBN 978-1-61530-149-2.
  16. ^ Dr. Shiv Sharma. India: A Travel Guide. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. p. 531. ISBN 978-81-284-0067-4.
  17. ^ Brajesh Krishna (1 January 1990). The art under the Gurjara-Pratihāras. Harman Pub. House. ISBN 978-81-85151-16-8.
  18. ^ Aline Dobbie (2004). India: The Tiger's Roar. Melrose Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-9548480-2-6.
  19. ^ "Adding a touch of royalty". The Hindu Businessline. 9 July 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  20. ^ James Fergusson (1876). A history of architecture in all countries: from the earliest times to the present day. By James Fergusson. John Murray. p. 452.
  21. ^ "Gwalior Fort". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 11 December 2014.

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