Kiradu temple

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Main temple
Main temple

The Kiradu temples are a group of five ruined Hindu temples in the Thar semi-desert in the west of the Indian state of Rajasthan . The temples no longer serve cultic purposes, but are under the administration of the Archaeological Survey of India .

location

The temples at a height of approx. 200  m are located near the village of Sihani about 40 km (driving distance) west of the desert city of Barmer . In addition to the temples of Jaisalmer , they are the westernmost Hindu temples in India.

History and legend

The pilgrimage and trade town of Kiratkoop or Kiratakupa was once a supra-regional center; it was on an old caravan route from Delhi to Sindh . Allegedly, the place, consisting of simple, windowless mud-brick houses (perhaps also made of woven branches with mud plaster ), was cursed by a wise man ( rishi ) so that its inhabitants abandoned it, but it is more likely that it was destroyed by Islamic army units in the 11th or 12th century. Nothing is left of the houses in the village; the sandstone temples, which are still visible today, were built in the 10th and 11th centuries.

temple

In their architecture and their figurative decorations, the Kiradu temples can be classified in a context with the structurally differentiated temple structures, as they arose everywhere in northern India at the time (e.g. the Dilwara temples at Mount Abu , the temples of Osian , Gyaraspur or in Khajuraho ); The Ambika Mata Temple in the village of Jagat should also be mentioned in this context. Influences of the Solanki architecture (e.g. Surya temple of Modhera ) are particularly recognizable. Although all images of gods or lingams are missing, two temples can be assigned to a deity on the basis of their figural decorations or tradition.

Only the vestibule remains of the so-called Someshvara temple.
  • All that remains of the so-called main temple is the pillar-supported, roofless octagonal vestibule (mandapa) , which impresses with its rich ornamentation and figure decorations. The numerous kalasha pots as well as the capitals with makara heads, on which ( torana ) -like arches rested, should be emphasized.
  • The cella ( garbhagriha ) of the remote Someshvara temple is dedicated to the god Shiva . It is encased in a multi-articulated outer shell, the niches of which were filled with figures of gods and beautiful girls ( surasundaris ) . Small companion towers ( urushringas ) staggered in height and depth form the lower part of a Shikhara tower. Below the niches you can still see music and dance scenes, as well as parades with elephants and elements of war. The vestibule ( mandapa ) consists of numerous pillars, each decorated with jugs and ribbed rings ( amalakas ) ; the pillars end in a monstrous makara head with its mouth wide open.
  • The other temples are smaller and their figure decorations are less pronounced; However, two of them still have their Shikhara towers together with the amalaka ring stones at the end.

Web links

Coordinates: 25 ° 45 ′ 10 ″  N , 71 ° 6 ′ 44 ″  E