Chausath Yogini Temple (Mitaoli)
The Chausath Yogini Temple ( Hindi : चौंशठ योगिणीं मंदिर) near Mitaoli (also Mitawali or Mitauli ) in the Morena district in the north of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is one of the rare surviving evidence of a rural matriarchal and originally rather non-Brahmanic cult of gods in northern India .
location
The temple is located on a rocky hill near the village of Mitaoli at a height of approx. 190 m above sea level. d. M. approx. 31 km (driving distance) southeast of Morena or approx. 35 km north of Gwalior . Within a radius of approx. 20 km there are other places with rarely visited temples: Naresar , Aiti , Sihoniya and Padhawali with the nearby temple complex of Bateshwar .
history
According to an inscription from 1323, the temple is said to have been donated by a king of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty named Devapala in the 8th century . The figurative decoration of the building, which had partially sagged due to the earthquake, was probably destroyed in Islamic times .
Architecture and building decor
The building, which is closed except for an entrance on the east side, is round and structured by numerous pilasters with decorative niches and has an outside diameter of approx. 52 m. On the outer wall of the inner courtyard there are 64 towerless shrines; In front of it there is a flat-roofed portico ( mandapa ) , which is raised to protect against flooding during the monsoons . Each cry temple now houses a small Shiva - lingam ; however, the number 64 and archaeological findings suggest that it must originally have been a yogini temple . In the center of the stone-paved inner courtyard is a raised, towerless round temple, which was probably consecrated to Shiva from the beginning. All columns or pillars of the temple show the leaf jug motif ( kalasha ) so popular in early Indian art ; figurative details are missing.
Secondary temple
- In the immediate vicinity of the main temple there is a small secondary temple with a figurative portal on a high platform that can be reached via an eight-step staircase.
- At the foot of the hill there is another towerless, but partially ruined temple.
Others
It is sometimes claimed that the architect of the rotunda of the Indian Parliament building ( Lok Sabha ) in New Delhi was inspired by the Chausath Yogini Temple of Mitaoli.
literature
- Vidiya Dehejia: Yogini Cult and Temples - A Tantric Tradition. National Museum, New Delhi 1986.
Web links
- Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitaoli - Photos + Brief Information (English)
- Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitaoli - aerial photos + brief information (English)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 26 ° 26 '5 " N , 78 ° 10' 50" E