Historic Sites of India and Southeast Asia

In Karnataka’s Sandur, atop Krauncha Giri hill, the Parvati temple is a historic Hindu shrine to Parvati. Nestled amid lush vegetation, its sandstone form and barrel vault style architecture stands out for its time and scale. The Parvati temple is co-located with other historic temples in a complex, including the Shiva temple, Kumaraswamy temple (Kartikeya) and a Vishnu temple. These provide a contrast and evidence that ancient Indian architects and artisans explored different forms of Indian temple design at the same spot. The Parvati temple has a square sanctum in front of which is its notable longish barrel-vaulted antarala. The temple walls are relatively simple. A tpushkarini (water tank) in front of the complex adds to the aesthetic appeal of the site. The 8th and 9th-century site is particularly popular amongst the Hindus when the periodic Neelakurinji flower carpet-flowering highlights the exquisite natural setting around the temple.The  The Parvati temple's barrel vault ar...

In Aihole, Karnataka’s cradle of temple architecture, the 6th-century Ravanaphadi Cave Temple, dedicated to Shiva. It is carved out of a sandstone cliff about 560 CE,  and was likely the earliest Chalukya excavation. The Ravanaphadi cave temple shows Maurya-Kalacuri influences from North India, and artwork that likely inspired South Indian art for next 700 years. This Shiva shrine is a rock-cut shrine with a rectangular sanctum and triple-entranced vestibule. Its walls feature a towering Nataraja, flanked by saptamatrikas, and an Ardhanarishvara relief. In addition, there is a Sanskrit inscription with Indian dating that equals  634 CE in common era calendar. All of these are significant as they help establish the reverence for Nataraja, Saptamatrika and Ardhanarishwara before 634 CE, as only established widespread practices can be expected to inspire such art and a cave temple. It is thus highly likely that Saptamatrika, or seven mother goddesses, were revered in an...

Nestled near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the Naresar Temples Group stands as a captivating testament to India’s rich architectural heritage. A complex of roughly 20 temples, they were mostly built between 810 and 980 CE during the reign of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. The group includes the Krakotakesvara, Pitupretesvara, Valabhi, Sitalesvara, Devi, Mata-ka-mandir, and Ramesvara Mahadeva temples. These shrines, organized into four clusters, were dedicated to Hindu deities like Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, and other divine figures, as evidenced by their sanctum lalitabimba. The site includes water tanks and some early flat roof temples that may be 7th or 8th century. The complex was active through the 13th century as is evidenced by the inscriptions of 1145 and 1272 CE. The Krakotakesvara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is a standout with its early Nagara-style shikhara and intricate doorframe carvings, featuring Ganga and Yamuna river-goddesses and a flying Garuda holding naga tails—artwork ...

In Alampur Telangana, midst nine historic temples is the late 7th-century Svarga Brahma Temple. It is dedicated to Shiva. A Sanskrit inscription attributes it to Queen  Lokamahadevi ( Vinayavati). It is one of over 400 ancient temples built by Hindu queens all over India.  Its sandstone form, weathered yet elegant, illustrates the north Indian Nagara style with a flair of some south Indian artwork during the Chalukyan era.  Exuberantly ornamented, it compresses a wealth of elements from Hindu architectural texts into harmonious symmetry, weaving iconography from Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. Niches, pillars, emblems, sukhanasis, gavakshas, amalakas, arches, mithunas, dvarapalas, and gandharvas adorn it, alongside scenes of kama, artha, and dharma. Outer walls bear Vedic and Puranic deities—Shiva as Nataraja or Tripurantaka, Vishnu in avatars like Trivikrama, Devi as Mahishasuramardini—plus Kubera, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Ganga, and Yamuna. Inside, pillars and walls unf...

In Aihole, Karnataka’s ancient laboratory of temple design, the 7th-century Durga Temple is a Chalukyan marvel. To most, this Hindu temple  stands out for its apsidal form.  The temple is named after Durga, but this is not because it was a goddess temple. Its second storey and roof served as a mini fort  (or Durg)  after the 13th-century – a turbulent period of Indian history, and since then it has come to be known as Durga temple. The original temple was  likely dedicated to Vishnu or Surya.  The temple is one of over fifty historic Hindu temples known in India that follow the apsidal or circular form mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts on Hindu temple architecture. The temple’s vimāna with its curved design charms with its exquisite structural harmony. The mukhamandapa’s vedi displays finely crafted panels. The colonnaded hall feature richly detailed carvings. The narrative reliefs outside and inside the temple present dynamically carv...

Crowning Aihole’s Meguti Hill is the Meguti Temple. Built about 635 CE, it is a Jaina temple dedicated to Arista Nemi (Mahavira). On its wall is a Sanskrit inscription that attributes it to Ravikirtti, during the reign of Pulakesi II. The temple is made of sandstone. It features a pillared mukhamandapa that may have been added few decades later, given its simpler style and how it seems inserted into the older original temple. It has a shikhara, but like most of Aihole temples, it was damaged and removed at some point in its history. The sanctum doorway of the Meguti Jaina temple features a simple pañcaśākhā frame. Part of the temple was modified into chambers for Jaina monks.  A Kushmandi image was discovered at the temple during its restoration. This is now at the Badami museum. The Meguti temple is plain and unadorned, except along its base with gavakshas and decorative reliefs. Its significance lies in the commanding position it occupies on the hill, suggesting Jainism was ...