Temples near Gwalior

You may not have heard about the Gurjara Prathihara dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the 8th to the 11th century. In fact, not many people know about them, and they are highly underrated. But they ensured that the Arab invasion to India was halted for nearly 300 years before subsequent dynasties fell like a pack of cards.

My interest in Gwalior was triggered by the story of the restoration of the Gurjara Prathihara era temples of Bateshwar. It was intriguing, and further study indicated that there are many places of interest in Gwalior. So, Chaya and I planned a short trip to Gwalior when we got an opportunity.

Travel to Bateshwar group of Temples

We hired a cab from Gwalior for the entire day and set off for our temple trip. The first place of visit was Bateshwar. It was about an hour’s drive from Gwalior. We passed through some patches of dry forest before we reached Bateshwar. The outskirts of Bateshwar seemed to be a hotbed of mining.

The Bateshwar group of temples, about 200 of them, was built by the Gurjara Pratiharas between the 6th and the 9th century AD. It was the early stage of temple art in India. They were destroyed either by earthquakes or due to foreign invasion in the 13th century.

 

The temples were in the ruined state until 2005. The ASI, led by archaeologist KK Muhammed, understanding the importance, started the restoration of the temple complex. It was not easy as there were several challenges. One was that the place was the hideout of the Chambal valley dacoit Nirbhay Singh Gujjar (The temple may have survived from loot due to his presence!). KK Muhammed could convince the dacoit to support temple restoration.

 

Then, there was also a mining mafia that had to be controlled. KK Muhammed was able to put pressure through the right channels to the government to handle that mafia. It could be a story by itself. Today, many of the temples are restored, which makes us proud of our rich history.

Garhi Padhwali temple

A kilometer away from Bateshwar is Garhi Padhwali temple. As we entered the temple complex, we were surprised to see a fort-like structure instead of a temple. The original temple was built in the 10th century AD. The fort was later built around it by Jat Ranas of Gohad in the 19th century.

 

We climbed the stairs and reached the main mantapa of the temple. We were stunned to see one of the most rich carvings on the walls and the ceiling. I would say that it is one of a kind in India.

 

But sadly, the temple was completely gone and beyond any restoration. We could not find out the reason for its destruction.

Chausat Yogini temple, Mitaoli

We proceeded further towards Mitaoli, 5 km from Padhwali. Here was the Chausat Yogini temple, also called Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple. The temple on top of a hill makes its appearance from a far distance. Interestingly, the structure of the Parliament building is said to be inspired by this temple.

 

We had to climb about 100 steps to reach the temple. Unlike other temples in India, this temple is circular in shape with no roof. The perimeter earlier contained 64 chambers with Yogini statues; now, it is replaced with Shiva linga. The center has a Shiva shrine.

Kakanmath

22 km from Mitaoli is Kakanmath, another beautiful temple from the 11th century. Due to its lofty size, it makes its appearance from a far distance.

 

Built by Kachchhapaghata ruler Kirttiraja, this was not a single temple but a complex. But today, only the main temple remains, and that too partly in ruins. All the surrounding temples are gone. It is said that the temple was damaged due to an earthquake, but I have some doubts about the theory. My observation was that the faces of most sculptures were defaced. Would an earthquake do that?

 

Kakanmath seemed to be more popular of all the temples we visited that day as it had a deity that it worshipped. So, there was a good number of locals visiting the place.

Information and tips

• All these four temples can be easily covered in a day from Gwalior. We hired a taxi from Gwalior for the entire day, and it worked out very well.
• There is only one restaurant in the entire stretch. ‘Padawali Retreat’ near Padhavali temple is a good place to have lunch. Better to call them beforehand to check whether it is open or not.