Gadarmal Devi Temple
| Gadarmal temple | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism, Jainism |
| Deity | Gadarmal devi, Krishna[1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh |
![]() Interactive map of Gadarmal temple | |
| Coordinates | 23°55′06″N 78°13′21″E / 23.9182813°N 78.2224866°E |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Pratihara, Māru-Gurjara |
| Creator | Gadaria Caste [1] |
| Established | 7th to 8th century [1] |
| Completed | 9th century |
| Temple | 1 |
Gadarmal Devi temple is a Hindu and Jain temple at Badoh village of Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh.[1] Also called Gadarmal Temple of the Mothers, it is one of India's yogini temples. It has 42 niches for yogini statues, unusually arranged in a rectangle; it must originally have been hypaethral.
Description
Gadarmal Devi temple dates back to the 7 - 8th century, it was built by the Gadaria caste[1]. The architecture of this yogini temple is a fusion of Pratihara and Parmara styles. It is built similar to Teli ka Mandir in Gwalior fort. This temple houses both Hindu and Jain idols.[2] The temple is made of sandstone with seven small shrines surrounding the main shrine.[3]
It is a 42-niche yogini temple. 18 broken images of the goddesses that once fitted into grooves in the temple platform are preserved from the waist down. It is composed of a rectangular shrine and a tall and massive Shikhara. Vidya Dehejia writes that as a yogini temple, it must once have been hypaethral, open to the sky.[4] The temple was supposedly built by shepherds (gadariya), and is therefore called Gadarmal Devi Temple among locals.[5]
The archaeologist Joseph David Beglar photographed a colossal bas-relief sculpture of a mother and child inside the temple in 1871–2. He called it a figure of Maya Devi and the infant Buddha.[5]
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Idol of Vishnu
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A ceiling with Idols of Hindu goddesses
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Doorway decorated with Hindu deities and human figures
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Ayyar, Sulochana (1987). Costumes and Ornaments as Depicted in the Sculptures of Gwalior Museum. Mittal Publications. p. 10. ISBN 978-81-7099-002-4.
The Gadarmal temple is the most important monument in the twin villages. The temple is not preserved in its original form. ... ["According to a popular legend current in the locality, the temple is said to have been built by a shepherd (gadaria) and hence its name Gadarmal."]
- ^ ASI & Gadarmal Temple.
- ^ Mitra 2012, p. 26.
- ^ Dehejia 1986, pp. 141–145.
- ^ a b Beglar, Joseph David (1878). Report of a tour in Bundelkhand and Malwa, 1871-72. Vol. VII. Calcutta: Archaeological Survey of India. p. 70.
Sources
- Dehejia, Vidya (1986). Yogini Cult and Temples: A Tantric Tradition. National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi.
- Mitra, Swati (2012). Temples of Madhya Pradesh (1 ed.). Goodearth Publications. ISBN 978-9-3802-6249-9.
- "Gadarmal Temple". Archaeological Survey of India.
