Ashvakranta Temple (Guwahati, Assam)

The temple of Asvakranta (also spelt as Ashvakranta), situated in North Gawahati, is an important Vaishnava shrine. Asvakranta means ‘ascended by horses’. It is here that Sri Krishna camped with his army before he defeated and killed ‘Naraka’.

According to the Naraka legend, Lord Vishnu placed him as the King of Pragjyotisa. At first Naraka was pious and ruled his country righteously. But soon he became friendly with Bana, King of Sonitpur, a Shaivite king who had become all powerful by propitiating Lord Shiva. This friendship between the two resulted in King Naraka becoming irreligious and presumptuous. Possessed by demonic ideas (“Asuram Bhavamwadya”), Naraka began to harass the Brahmanas and even neglected the Goddess Kamakhya, who was greatly favoured by Lord Vishnu.

To add to his misfortune, the sage Vashistha visited Kamarupa and wished to worship the Goddess Kamakhya. Naraka refused permit to Vashistha to go to Kamakhya temple whereupon the sage cursed Naraka saying that he would be slain by his father Vishnu and that Goddess Kamakhya would remain hidden during the short duration of his life. It was at this juncture he sent for Bana for a friendly guidance. Bana’s study showed that Indra was a jealous god and he did not tolerate the prosperity and well-being of any one be a man, a ‘Raksasa’ (demon), a ‘Kinnara’, or a ‘Daitya’. By crooked means and with the help of other gods he was sure to encompass Naraka’s downfall.

Bana said that Vishnu was the tutelary god of Indra and Vishnu would not let anybody do any sort of harm to Indra. Whoever worshipped Vishnu for a boon potent against Indra, would be granted one coupled with fatal defects. Though Vishnu was his protector, he had no natural compassion for anybody. He was propitiated by his (Naraka’s) mother and so he granted a conditional boon that all would be well with Naraka unless and until he offended the twice born.

Bana also said that Vashistha (also spelt as Vasistha & Basistha) should not be found with fault. So Naraka should try to propitiate Brahma or Shiva. Naraka was convinced by the arguments of Bana and he chose to worship Shiva because he was lying concealed in his own kingdom. But Naraka’s rule became unbearable and at last Vishnu in the person of Krishna came to invade Pragjyotisa. He is said to have halted his army and stabled his horses on the rock opposite to Gawahati, on the north banks of the Brahmaputra River. He killed Naraka and installed his son Bhagadatta or Bhagirath as called by the Muslim writers on the throne.

Note : Images will be displayed later. Thank you.

Masrur – Rock Temple (Himachal Pradesh)

image credit : Hotch Potch

Masrur is 32 km from Kangra on Nagrota Surian link road and is famous for remarkable group of rock cut temples. They form a group of 15 monolithic Rock cut temples in the Indo Aryan style and are richly carved. These richly ornamented cave temples are the only Rock shrines in the northern part of India.The main shrine contains three stone images of Ram laxman and Sita but the presence of the figure of Shiva in the centre of the lintel affords a strong presumption that the temple was originally dedicated to Mahadeva.

image credit : DreamSeekr

image credit : Edo

Before dealing with the questions of its builders and the time of its construction, it is important to discuss the rock-cut technique and the place this temple-complex occupies among the rockhewn monuments in India. The rock-cut style started in the reign of the Pallava king Narsingha varman I Mahamalla (630-668 A.D.) during the first half of the seventh century .   It reached its climax in the Kailasha temples at Ellora which were taken in hand during the reign of the Rashtrakuta King Dantidurga (753- 756 A.D.) and finished during that of Krishna I (758-773 A.D.). Though Rock-cut caves are common in South India, yet temples cut out of freestanding rocks, known to archaeologists and art critics, are only four in number-’Rathas of Mammalapuram’, ‘Kailashas at Ellora’, ‘temple-complex at Masrur in Kangra’ and the ‘Dharmnatha temple at Dhamnar’, 65 miles to the South-East of Jhalra Patan in Rajasthan. The Rathas and the Kailashas are built in the Dravidian style, whereas the Masrur and Dhamnar ones are in the Nagara style. Masrur beats its Nagara rival in situation, size and execution.

image credit : abhinandan Kalia

The Masrur complex has 15 temples, the Dhamnar has onl y 8. At Masrur temples not separate from it surround the central shrine, but at Dhamnar the smaller ones are entirely separate from the main one. Carvings and ornamentation at Masrur are of a much superior order than at Dhamnar and the length of the latter is one- third of the former. The Dhamnar group has been built in a pit-like hollow, whereas the Masrur group is on top of a 2500 feet high hill range. One looks below, the other looks up. One depresses, the other elates. In point of situation, Masrur beats the other two also. Ellora Kailasha are built in a pit a hundred  feet. However, Kailasha at Ellora is a supreme creation, one of the wonders of the world.

image credit : Mountain

Rock-cut style is much more difficult than the structural one. In the latter, the artist shapes the material as he likes, whereas in the former the Material determines the way the artist should move. The limitation makes an artist creation out of a rock a most difficult task and the ability with which the remote artist of seventh and eighth centuries carried out their purpose is superhuman.  Only a few of the original shikharas stand and some of the most beautifully carved panels are now in the state museum, Shimla. The main shrine dominates the centre. Although the remote location of these temples protected them from the invading army of Mahmud Ghazni and their stone construction prevented severe damage in the 1905 earthquake.

Ananta Vasudeva Temple (Orrisa)

The plan of the Anata-Vasudeva temple differs significantly from that of the other temples. The main temple stands on a uniform platform, a peculiarity which is the first of its kind in a dated temple, and has a three- chambered frontal adjunct consisting of Jagamohana, the Natamandira and the Bhogamandapa. It is stated in the epigraph that a temple was built for SriKrishna & Valaram on the bank of Vindu Sarovar tank by Chandrikadevi, daughter of Ananga- bhimadev III,in the Saka era of 1200 (1278 A.D.).

image credit : eternal_destiny

Architecturally, it is almost a reduced copy of the Lingaraja temple, but the grouping of the four component parts, with their roofs presenting the appearance of ascending peaks culminating in the highest ‘Mastaka’ of the ‘Deul’ at a height of 18.29m, is more effective.

It is further distinguished by an ornamental platform, relieved with ‘Khakhara-Mundis’, carved pilasters, ‘Nagas’, ‘Nagis’ and ‘Vidalas’ between two sets of three mouldings each. Though the ‘Deul’ is ‘Pancha-Ratha’ on plan, a new feature is introduced in the division of the corner ‘Ratha’ of the ‘Bada’ in two equal parts, both on the same plane; the inner one is crowned by a miniature ‘Rekha’ above the mouldings of the ‘veranda’.

image credit : anindya sundar

The facets of the ‘Rathas’ are richly imprinted with fine scrollwork, ‘Jali’, creepers and flower-shaped motifs, the central facets of the corner ‘Ratha’ having female figures. The ‘Khakhara-Mundis’ on the intermediary ‘Rathas’ of the lower ‘Jangha’ contain the eight ‘Dikpalas’, seated on their respective mounts, while the corresponding spaces on the upper ‘Jangha’ have their female counterparts.

This is the only significant ‘Vaishnava’ temple standing at Bhubaneswar . The deities installed in the sanctum are Krishna, ‘Balarama’ and ‘Subhadra’. The ‘Parsva-Devatas’ are three of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, of which the four-armed “Varahaand Trivikrama”, both mutilated, now exist in the south and north niches respectively. As in the Lingaraja temple, there were porches in front of the ‘Parsva-Devatas’, only the eastern one now standing. These porches were integral parts of the original scheme of the sanctuary and porch.

image credit : anindya sundar

According to a remembrance inscription, originally belonging to this temple but now in the hall of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, London, the temple was built in A.D. 1278 at the instance of ‘Chandra-Devi’, daughter of ‘Anangabhima’ III, during the reign of the latter’s grandson ‘Bhanudeva’ on the bank of ‘Bindu-Saras’ for ‘Baladeva’ (‘Ananta’), ‘Subhadra’ and Krishna (‘Vasudeva’) and proving thereby the existence of the tank before that date.