Teli-ka-mandir
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The Teli-ka-Mandir ( Sanskrit : मन्दिर, IAST: mɐnd̪ir = "temple") is an architecturally unusually designed Hindu temple in the fort of Gwalior , Madhya Pradesh . He is assigned to the Pratihara temples.
location
The temple is located in the area of the fort of Gwalior, which is unusually rich in cultural sights and is situated on a rocky hill about 200 m high and covering an area of about 2 km², overlooking the city.
history
No written evidence (building inscriptions, documents, etc.) is available for the history of the Teli-ka-Mandir. Due to the sheer size of the Teli-ka-Mandir, only limited stylistic comparisons with its immediate predecessors - Temple No. 20 in Naresar and the Ramesvara Mahadeva Temple in Amrol - suggest a slightly later date (approx. 770).
Consecration
The assignment of the temple is unclear - due to the many portraits of gods from the Shivaite environment (see below) it could have been a Shiva temple: In a prominent place, in the upper center of the original portal border, however, a Garuda figure can be seen can be clearly assigned to Vishnu , but sometimes only has an apotropaic (disaster-warding) function. The rectangular floor plan of the cella ( garbhagriha ) would, however, stand in contrast to a round Shiva lingam and the yoni enclosing it - usually square-shaped . RD Trivedi assumes an attribution to the seven female mother goddesses ( matrikas ), which would also fit the seven - now empty - interior wall niches of the cella.
architecture
Exterior construction
The temple, built on a transverse rectangular floor plan, is oriented to the east - i.e. in the direction of sunrise - and stands on an approximately 2 m high and multi-stepped base zone, which is not designed as a walk-around platform ( jagati ). It consists of a 15 m wide cella ( garbhagriha ) and a closed porch ( antarala ); As in many buildings of the early Pratihara period, there is no open vestibule ( mandapa ). The temple and porch are together around 16 m deep and have false portals on the sides, which lead to extremely small-scale secondary shrines that are not accessible due to the lack of stairways.
The outer walls of the Teli-ka-Mandir are - much stronger than that of its much smaller predecessors - structured in many ways; these structures loosen up the exterior of the otherwise rather blocky and massive looking temple and at the same time contribute to the stabilization of the building.
The substructure and the slightly curved tower structure of the approx. 28 m high temple merge harmoniously - more than in previous buildings. The richly adorned tower structure is sometimes referred to as a Shikhara , although its broad form - covered by a transverse, barrel-like structure ( valabhi ) - is more comparable to southern Indian temples. In the frontal view, this essay is designed like an independent two-story building with a multitude of false windows ( chandrasalas ); large round and completely decor-free false windows - so-called 'sun windows' - form the side fronts.
inner space
The rectangular (approx. 9 m × 6 m) and approx. 4 m high cella ( garbhagriha ) of the temple can be reached via an almost square and decor-free vestibule with an additional window above the portal . Its dimensions and seven wall niches alone distinguish it from the small, normally square and always undivided early temple rooms of northern India. Wall pillars and architraves of the interior are decorated with bas-reliefs (rosettes or leaf shapes and jagged frieze). There is no longer any cult image or lingam inside; other figural reliefs are also missing.
Architectural jewelry
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Despite the - at first glance - appearing massive building structure, stone or wall visibility is largely avoided: The areas above the large central outer wall niches as well as parts of the roof construction are covered with decorative panels ( udgamas ) consisting of small - potentially infinitely arranged - window niches ( chandrasalas ) richly decorated. Above the side window niches there are convex curved Shikhara motifs, which is remarkable in that the tower of the Teli-ka-Mandir is designed in a completely different way. As the upper ends of the side porches, there are large false windows that are very similar to the Chaitya windows and window niches of Buddhist cave monasteries. In the many small and large niches on the outside wall there are still several surviving images of gods, which are more likely to be assigned to the Shivaite circle ( Lakulisha , Ganesha , Karttikeya ). But other gods can also be seen: Brahma , Vishnu , Surya , Kubera , Vayu , Agni and the like. a.
The huge outer portal walls, stepped back several times and widened at the top, originally opened to the temple vestibule behind ( antarala ); below it is adorned with figures of Ganga and Yamuna, female umbrella bearers ( chattra -inis ) and male door guards ( dvarapalas ). Relief fields with heavenly lovers ( mithunas ) and ornaments (bells hanging on chains, etc.) can be seen in the portal walls above ; a Garuda figure forms the upper middle end. This portal was later closed by a wall with a much smaller entrance and a window above. A further opening without any decorative border can be seen above the original portal zone; behind it is a small room, the purpose of which can only be speculated - possibly a chamber for holding the temple treasures. The entrance to the cella ( garbhagriha ) is much smaller and essentially repeats the figurative and decorative ornamentation of the outer portal.
meaning
The Teli-ka-Mandir shows - especially in the decor - clear references to the temple architecture of the Pratihara , to which it can also be assigned. The unusual, transverse temple structure with its barrel-like roof structure ( valabhi ) can only be explained by South Indian influences, which had already been effective a short time earlier at temple number 20 in Naresar .
The massive and compact architecture of the temple, which clearly sets it apart from all other temple buildings in the northern Indian cultural area, has remained without successor.
See also
- Naresar , Temple No. 20
- Amrol
- Vaital Deul Temple , Bhubaneswar
literature
- RD Trivedi: Temples of the Pratihara Period in Central India. Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi 1990, pp. 89ff
- Michael W. Meister, MA Dhaky (Ed.): Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture. North India - Period of Early Maturity. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1991, pp. 15ff ISBN 0-691-04094-X
Web links
- Teli-ka-Mandir (Eng.)
Coordinates: 26 ° 13 ′ 17 ″ N , 78 ° 10 ′ 28 ″ E