The Heritage Diary : December 2022

PROMOTING HERITAGE THROUGH DANCE

Muvva Nritya Raaga Nigamam; a dance institute started by renowned Kuchipudi dancer Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj; is doning a wonderful job at promoting Indian Temples and Heritage through their dance videos and photoshoots The institute was recently conferred with “Indian Excellence Award” for this initiative.

Muvva was started twenty years back to train interested learners in classical dance Kuchipudi. Although it was started as a training school, Hima and her eight members team does various kinds of projects that involve addressing social and environmental issues, temple research, conducting dance festivals, workshops and many more activities Through the activities of Muvva, they have connected with many artists and they continuously work to create platforms and stages; both offline and online; wherein the artists can showcase their work and talents through dance

Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj has done an extensive research in the dance related sculptures of Kakatiya and Vijaynagara temples. And she has received a PhD for this research.

Since childhood, Hima was fascinated by temples More than going to a park or a play area, she used to love accompanying her mother to the temple. The whole atmosphere of being in a temple always was special to her.

After learning dance, she used to try observing the sculptures in the temple and see whether she could recognise any dance movement in them; whenever she visited an ancient temple This further inspired her to learn and study more about them in future. After pursuing Masters in Dance, when she got an opportunity to do a PhD in dance, she immediately decided that her research topic would be about temples and dance. She studied in detail about the dance sculptures , their iconography and the sublime connection of dance and sculpture

Indian classical dance has always a connection with the temples Dancing was a part of the temple activity in olden days and as both dance and sculpture are visual mediums of art, they enhance each other with thier beauty

The preference to shoot Muvva dance videos in ancient temples is that it increases awareness among people that a temple has more than what is seen, and dance is also more than what is portrayed Hima says that she would love to see people going more to the temples and know about them, as there is a lot of beauty hidden there It increases cultural tourism and many temples which are in a bad state can be renovated too.

There are many temples which require attention and their small desire is that if these temples are known more to the outside world, then the more chances are there that they are looked after Hence the group tries in their best way that they shoot in lesser known temples and showcase their beauty.

By shooting their videos in temples, they also try to teach their students about the importance of knowing our culture, arts, history and heritage.

The group has done photo and video shoots at Pacchala Someswara temple, Nalgonda district.; Krishna temple, Kondamadugu, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district and Lalitambika temple, Gollapalli, Mahaboonnagar district. They have also performed at various temple festivals including Tanjavur Brihadeeswara temple, Chidambaram Nataraja temple, Tirumala temple, Tiruchanoor temple, Srikalahasti temple, Kanipakam temple, Srisailam temple, Basara Gnana Saraswathi temple, Vemulawada Shiva temple, Birla Mandir Hyderabad, Naina Devi temple, Nainital. For research papers, they have visited around thirty to forty temples all over Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh

Muvva Nritya Raaga Nigamam; as a group of temples and dance enthusiasts; are always open for collaborations and research work related to temples.

Team Indian Temples feels very fortunate to be connected with this group of amazing individuals and temple lovers.

THE STORIES IN OUR LIVES Be the Nilkanth

Dinesh H. Soni

The Stories we hear in our Puranas and folklores often have large implications in our day to day lives. We just need to see and hear these stories with minute attention to details. We just need to understand the crust of the story, instead of focusing on the outer cover Dinesh Soni, in this monthly series, talks about how we can learn from these stories .

Hello friends

I wholeheartedly thank you for your appreciation for my earlier article about “Thinking within the box”. That appreciation inspired me to take up more articles, based on the stories from Puranas / folklores that we have heard in our childhood.

While growing up in a religious Hindu family, I have heard many stories of Devas, Asuras, Devatas and Rakshashas. I have also grown up watching stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana on television One of those stories made a mark on my mind The story of Samudra Manthan

Samudra Manthan or the churning of the ocean is one unique occasion when the Devas and their archnemesis, the Asuras, unite for an important reason. Devas and Asuras churned the ocean in pursuit of Amrit.

The churning of the ocean was a result of a curse by Sage Durvasa. Once, he offered a garland to Indra, the king of Devas. Indra accepted the garland and showed his happiness, putting the garland on his elephant, Airavata, as an ornament. Airavata, irritated by the scent of the garland, picked it with his trunk and threw it on the ground. Durvasa was furious and cursed Indra and the Devas to lose their kingdom, power, and glory

As a result, Indra’s mighty vahana instantly went into oblivion. Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, could no longer stay in the same realm as the Devas, and parted ways with her consort, Vishnu She made the depths of Kshir Sagar her new home. Due to Lakshmi’s absence in Devlok, the Devas lost all their riches.

Robbed of their power, the Devas were soon defeated by the Asuras in battle The defeated Devas approached Lord Vishnu for a solution, who advised them to churn Kshir Sagar, to obtain Amrit. Amrit or the elixir of immortality would help the Devas regain their powers The Asuras willingly offered to assist their half brothers since they too wanted immortality and invincible powers by consuming Amrit.

Mount Mandara was used to churn the ocean, which was kept afloat in the ocean by Kurma, Vishnu’s turtle avatar The Naga king, Vasuki, became the churning rope. Several precious items, ratnas, emerged from the cosmic ocean; which were distributed amongst the Devas, the Asuras and the Sages. The list includes Chandra; Parijata; Airavata; Kamadhenu; Madira or Varuni, the goddess of wine; Kalpavriksha; The Apsaras; Uccaihshravas; Goddess Lakshmi; Panchajanya; Vishnu's mace and magic bow; various gems like Kausthubha and Chintamani; Dhanvantari and The Amrita

Here, I don’t want to talk about all the Ratnas that were discovered in the churning. Instead I want to talk about the first thing that emerged out of the churning. Halahal, the first thing that came out from the churning

The Halahal was a deadly poison that had the potential to destroy all beings in the three realms. None amongst the armies of Asuras and Devas stepped in to stop the poison from spreading into the universe as they feared the poison would destroy them too Lord Shiva descended from Mount Kailash to consume the poison. Goddess Parvati, Shiva’s consort, used her powers to stop the Halahal in Shiva’s throat, and as a result, his throat turned blue Thus he came to be called Neelkanth

In modern days, do we ever do Samudra manthan? In our corporate or social organizations, we need to churn out ideas using brainstorming sessions Is it similar to this Samudra manthan? And what is the first thing that comes out during our brainstorming? The doubts, the negative comments, the questions. All these are not much different from the Halahal that appeared during the Samudra manthan

Do you even wonder why did Shiva hand to consume the Halahal? Couldn’t they just discard it? No. They couldn’t. Because the Halahal would have destroyed the entire universe Exactly like the doubts and questions arising through the brainstorming can. You can’t discard or ignore these You need to consume these doubts, which means understand them. Only when you understand the questions and doubts, is when you can achieve your goals

But what about the act of keeping Halahal only at throat? Does that give a subtle message about how the doubts need to be tackled? Yes, it does. Even when Shiva consumed the Halahal, Parvati made sure that the Halahal doesn’t affect Shiva’s body We also need someone on our teams, who can keep the Halahal at bay and does not let it affect the whole company or social organization We need someone who can help settle these doubts at a point of no damage.

Shiva drinking Halahal Sketch by Mrinal Raj

Sagar Manthan Ravi Varma Press, Malavli

Now the most important question is who is the Shiva in your company or social organization? Who is the one who can consume this Halahal and help everyone else go ahead with churning out the Ratnas from the brainstorming?

In Vishnu Puran, there was only one Shiva who consumed the Halahal But in today’s scenario, every one of us has to be the Shiva. Because somewhere, every single person needs to understand the doubts raising inside mind, and also those coming from outside

So, I wish everyone of you to become Nilkanth Be the Nilkanth of your organization and take it on a path of progress.

The Writer is an indologist and is writer of 16 books. He is felicitated by Acedemia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan for his research in mythology. He has received numerous awards including the Lokmat Digital Influencer Award (Heritage) Dinesh is also a speaker who has graced many occasions He is the main admin of Indian.Temples.

SEIZES AND DISCOVERIES THAT MADE THE NEWS

In the month of November 2023, a few seizes and discoveries made great news While many of our sculptures have been stolen and smuggled over a period of time, the police and government are trying their best to track and seize these sculptures. The most receint seizes include Balaji idol in Gobichettipalayam, a Buddha idol at Atarai from a foreign national and Three foot Natarajar idol in coibatore.

Along with the seizes, the archaeologists of the country discovered some hidden gems including new inscriptions, coins, sculptures, stone shelters and hero stones These include antique coins and potsherds in Punnakayal, Sanskrit inscription in Kolhapur, and Megalithic era cave in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district.

The Idol Wing CID of Tamilnadu Police has seized an idol of Lord Balaji from a house in Gobichettipalayam, Erode district. Initial inquiries revealed that the idol was stolen a few years ago from a temple at Mandya in Karnataka by the temple’s priest, and sold to an advocate

The same wing also seized a three foot tall Natarajar statue, believed to be worth Rs 8 crore, and detained two at Irugur division near Coimbatore Palladam road . The team approached the sellers posing as buyers and convinced them to bring the idol to Coimbatore. Jayanth and Sivaprasath were detained when they were heading to the pre determined location in a car with the idol.

The statue, weighing 26 8 kilogrammes, has a length of 85 cm and a width of 71 cm. It was handed over to the Kumbakonam court

In the northern part of the country, an antique stone sculpture of Buddha dating back to 2nd or 3rd century was seized by custom officials in Amritsar.

A passenger of foreign nationality, who arrived in India via Integrated Check Post on the Attari Wagah border with Pakistan, was intercepted and his baggage was examined. Upon investigation, the officers detected a stone sculpture of Buddha

The matter was referred to the office of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Chandigarh circle. The sculpture fragment appears to be Buddha of the Gandhara School of Art and tentatively datable to 2nd or 3rd CE. The custom department however refused to disclose the identity or nationality of the person in possession of the idol.

The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID ALSO seized 15 antique idols, estimated to be several crore in the international market, from a house at Thiruvanmiyur. The action was taken based on on a tip off about idols being smuggled from Chennai.

The team discovered the 15 idols Amman, Devi, Shiva, Parvathi, a horse, Buddha, Nandhi, small Nataraja, big Nataraja, Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Narthana Vinayagar and a Nataraja idol with plinth in the right leg folded. He did not have documents for the purchased idols, and the artifacts were not registered Archaeological Survey of India.

During inquiry, the owner confessed he dabbled in the smuggling business. A case was registered, and an investigation was launched to identify the temples from which the idols were stolen.

Talking of discoveries, a cave dating back to the Iron Age Megalithic period has been discovered at Kallembi village of Kadaba Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. The cave was accidentally discovered when land was being leveled for plantation.

The cave looks like a hemispherical dome having a central pillar. Pottery base impressions are visible on the inside surface of the cave

In Odisha, A team of researchers recently discovered two rock shelters on Dummaguda hill near Rayagada town. The researchers took up the exploration in Dummaguda after The New Indian Express published a report on discovery of rock shelters near Anjipenta hill in Rayagada town earlier this year

In Maharashtra's Kolhapur, A 12th century inscription in Sanskrit carved on the stone wall of the Mahalaxmi temple here has shed more light on the rich heritage of the ancient place of worship. The inscription came to light while removing marble from the walls and floor of the Mahalaxmi temple is on

In southern state of Tamilnadu, A team of archaeologists has found antique coins and potsherds along the shores of Punnakayal coastal hamlet during an exploration conducted recently The physical condition of the coins shows they might belong to the Nayaka period, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries The inscriptions have faded making it difficult to ascertain the exact period to which it belongs.

In Odisha's Jajpur, three ancient idols of Lord Vishnu were excavated near Dashaswamedha Ghat of Baitarani River. Excavated sculptures are said to be of the twelfth and thirtieth centuries out of which one is broken and two are in an intact condition. Out of those two intact sculptures one is of Varaha avatar, the third incarnation of among Lord Vishnu’s Dasavatars, and the other represents his natural form.

In Telnagana's Bhupalpally district, Archaeology enthusiast R Rathnakar Reddy has recently found an intricately carved sculpture of a woman deity, believed to be Goddess Mahalakshmi, at a dilapidated temple at Minajipet village at the ruined Ranganatha Keshavalaya (temple) of the Kakatiya era. The goddess can be seen sitting in ‘Lalitasana’

INDIAN.TEMPLES UPDATES

OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ADVISOR RECEIVED INDIA EXCELLENCE AWARD

The Digital Media company VJ Analytics, owned by our social media advisor Avinash Jadhav, has bagged the India Excellence Award for "Best Digital Marketing Agency" The award was handed over in an award ceremony held in Pune on 10th November.

OUR ADMIN RECEIVED INDIA EXCELLENCE AWARD

Our admin Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj was awarded India Excellence Award, in appreciation of her efforts to promote heritage though dance and through social media. The award was handed over in an award ceremony held in Pune on 10th November.

WE ARE NOW A 75K FAMILY

Indian Temples is now a 75k family on Instagram

The page that was started in October 2019 has reached this milestone, in an organic way, in a short span of 3 years. Along with Instagram, we are also active on youtube and podcasting platforms like spotify, amazon music, google podcast and apple podcast.

THE DANCING STONES

The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro

Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj

In Indian history, every art form is interconnected. The stories in Puranas started to be shared in the form of oral retelling, and gradually other art forms like literature, performance, dance and sculptures were introduced Dance researcher Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj explores the interconnection in Dance and sculptures as a medium of expression.

Thank you dear friends for your appreciation to this series Through this series, we are trying to explain the co relation of dance and sculptures; that existed for centuries Let me start with a small question

Where do we see the very first reference of dancing in a sculpture? The answer is all the way back in 3rd century BCE

Dancing Girl is a prehistoric bronze sculpture made in lost wax casting about c 2300 1750 BCE in the Indus Valley Civilisation city of Mohenjo daro (in modern day Pakistan), which was one of the earliest cities The statue is 10 5 centimetres (4 1 in) tall, and depicts a nude young woman or girl with stylized ornaments, standing in a confident, naturalistic pose. Dancing Girl is well regarded as earliest reference to dance in sculptures

This is one of two bronze figures found at Mohenjo daro that show more flexible features when compared to other more formal poses. The girl is nude, wears a number of bangles and a necklace and is shown in a natural standing position with one hand on her hip.[3] She wears 24 to 25 bangles on her left arm and 4 bangles on her right arm, and some object was held in her left hand, which is resting on her thigh; both arms are unusually long.[4] Her necklace has three big pendants. She has her long hair styled in a big bun that is resting on her shoulder

The sculpture is currently available for display at National Museum, Delhi

Image courtesy : Rahul Katikala

In photo : Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj

The Writer is an internationally acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer, who has performed at more than 100 dance festivals in and outside India. She has done extensive research in the topic of the dance related sculptures and the connection between dance and sculptures. She has also done workshops on various topics of Indian Dance, Art and Culture at multiple universities in USA Hima is also a part of admin team of Indian.Temples.

DAITYASUDAN : VANQUISHER OF LAUNASUR AKSHAY SAWANT

The God of Protection & Preservation, Lord Vishnu has his own one Thousand names, having separate stories to each The Garuda Purana consists his thousand nouns under the title of "VishnuSahastranamStotram". Narayan, Jaggannath, Hari, Padmanabha are famous among them. The meaning of the term "VishnuSahastranamStotram" Is Vishnu means Lord Vishnu, Sahastra means Thousands, Nam- Names & Stotram meas verses of Stotra or Shloka

There is a Naam or noun of Vishnu among Thousands, Daityasudan meaning the destroyer of the Daitya or Asura. And a beautiful temple in Lonar (Maharashtra) is dedicated to this particular form of Vishnu

So, who was the Daityasudan? What he Did? Is he Vishnu or Demon ? etc The answer of all these questions or other, will get, when we come to know about the background of Daityasudan. Vishnu took the form of Daityasudan to rescue humans & gods from the demon Lonasur As mentioned above, there is story regarding Daityasudan.

Once upon a time, a demon, Lonasur or Lovanasur resided in the area of Lonar (A Village in Buldhana District of Maharashtra, Famous Lonar Creator) Author of the presenting story, suggests that the creator at lonar was the hiding place of Lonasur. He had a sister As a demon he became a threat to local communities and gods also. He challenged gods. His destructive activities and arrogance led locals and gods to appeal to Lord Vishnu. Hence, Lord Vishnu took the form of a handsome young boy named Daityasudan and found his hiding place with the help of Lonasur's sister. As Daityasudan, Vishnu killed demon Lonasur Fresh water of lake or creator became saline after mixing up Lonasur's blood into water.

This story told by locals and others. There are several temples around the lake dedicated to various gods & goddess e g Shiva, Parvati, Jaagdamba, Raam-Sita- Lakshaman, Hanuman etc. A temple dedicated to lord Vishnu, dated back to the c 13th century CE (May be more) The temple is known as Daityasudan temple. Scattered ruins of this temple show a very different architectural plan from the present one.

The present Temple dates back to the 11th century CE built by a Chalukya king Vikramaditya

The temple is divided into Three sections by architects The Sabhamandap or assembly hall is in the form of Gudhamandapa along with one Mukha Mandapa & two Ardhamandapa Other sections are like other temples, Antarala and Garbhagriha (Garbhagruha). The main entrance of the temple on the East Hence, it is consider as a Eastward Temple, has Garudamandapa in front of Eastern Entrance. The Garudamandapa is in poor state, other two entrances on the North and South. All These three Pravesha Dwaras or entry gates have five shakhas with beautiful carvings of deities at the bottom, upper section of Dwarshakhas is simple and plain Chandrashila also depicted here. On the top of the main entrance, we can see here a baked bricks structure Praveshdwaras have Arches on top The entire shape of temple is Asymmetrical star, exterior wall is full of carvings of sculpture of Deities, Celestial nymphs, Animals, Symbols etc.

As stated before the assembly Hall is a Gudhamandapa, but today it is repaired by Bricks in Islamic Architecture. In the middle, raised a Rangashila (a little bit raised platform for performing religious activities such as bhajan, kirtan, dance etc.) measures around 10 X 10 feets in square shape The Antarala and Assembly Hall is divided by a Door or Dwara similar to the main entrance but has beautiful carvings.

Vitaana of Antarala and Garbhagriha seems to be similar. There, sculptures relating to Kansa & Krishna, Krishna Raaslila, Narsimha, Death scene of Lonasur carved out The Sanctum Sanctorum, it's entrance gate is the same as antarala's entrance gate a little bit.

Animals at the bottom and Torans can be seen Chandrashila, like lotus pilates can be seen here. The remains & marks show that the original temple had many beautifully carved pillars inside. But today, they are completely demolished & invisible.

Exterior wall of the temple has several sculptures of various scenes and themes. Main themes are Battle, Dance, Worship, Celestial Beauty, Sexuality, Devotion, Great Personality etc. First of all we need to know about the foundation or base of the temple from bottom to top.

The foundation or Pitha or Adhisthana of the temple has Seven Layers or Bands (Thara). These Bands show similarities with Sun Temples in all over India, specially at Konark Layers from bottom -

1)Geometric Design of flowers. Some kinds of flowers are carved into square shapes

2)Jaadamba or Padma thara (Band of lotus). It has carvings like lotus pilates wide and large

3)Third band is known as Kani. It depicts footprints of Cows or Bullocks. 4)Band of Swan or Goose

5)Buds of Lotus.

6)Kirimukha Thara & 7)Nar thara depicting various battle scenes

Then this foundation & main temple’s wall formed Vedibandha & Mandovara It has several layers like Manchi, Kapota, Kumbha, Kalasha Etc The Mandovara or wall temple is "Ekjanghaa"(Only one panel of sculptures). They are based on Gods, Goddesses, godgoddesses, Celestial Nymphs, Yakshas Yakshis, Anthropomorphic Figurines etc. It shows the evidence of effluence of Khajuraho, Pattadakal temple on it found here. Some famous sculptures. There are more than 200 carved Figures or Sculputers (solo Countation) Some of them I tried to describe here (Without Catalogue).

●ten incarnations of Vishnu These are seen at various locations on the Mondovara. Specially Varah, Krishna, Rama depicting mostly ●dancing Figures of Womens. Sometimes in group, mostly two womens, sometimes solo Some Dancing figures have three individuals, one with musical instruments (Drum or Dholki) and two engaged in Dancing ●several erotic sculptures are found on the Mandovara. These sculptures are broken and in very poor condition, therefore, they are a reminder of the ancient Indian Grandeur at Khajuraho. Some sculptures are trying to elaborate lasbian relationship Beside them, some figures are of Couples who engaged in their World of Love.

● few sculptures showing a woman figure killing an Asura (Anthropomorphic Demon) with her sword. Maybe, they could be Goddesses.

● several sculptures having a scene of punishment to one by someone. They could be Goods or great personalities, who punished Demons & evil mentality.

● most significant sculptures of this temple is, Ram Sita sculpture It seen on the North wall. Lord Raama stand in the mid and Sita on his left and Laxmana on his right. All they are standing in 'Tribhanga' (body bent at three places) pose.

● another one figurine is, Radha Krishna. Krishna holding Sudarshana in his upper right hand, other hands are broken, thus it is hard to identify, but as per norms, usually, Krishna holds Conch, Sudarshana, Musal, and one hand in Abhay Mudra or sometimes in Varada mudra (here mudra means position of hand) He stands in Tribhanga posture, on his left Radha standing the same as Krishna, in Tribhanga pose, looking at his face, holding a lotus in her left hand.

Temple has three Niches or small shrines attached to Mandovara Southern niche has sculpture of Chamunda devi, has four hands but all are broken now, wearing a chain of small skulls around her neck and forehead The Sun God, Suryadeva in Indian languages, took place in Western niche. Sun flowers are seen behind him, his swords, Gandharwas etc as well . Northern niche has a sculpture of Narsimha, a general and regular depiction on killing the demon

Beside them there are several sculptures which are enormous, tremendous & have soul in them. The main sculpture, Idol of Vishnu means Daityasudan, four handed, lower right hand holding a Mace, Wheel or Sudarshana in upper right, Conch in his upper left and lower left, may be in Varada Mudra, he stand on the belly of demon Lonasur, Demon requesting to the god to leave him. This is the a new idol, from Bhonsales of Nagpur Original one was, maybe be demolished.

There is one more temple in the South East direction with Mukhamandapa & Assembly Hall. Mukhamandapa & Assembly Hall have beautiful carved pillars. This temple is without garbhagriha, hence, a middle portion of the southern wall is used as a place of garbhagriha This temple was built for the trinity of Hinduism Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. Their vehicles are seen at the bottom panel. Here, a sculpture of Garuda took place instead of Shiva (it may have been placed by locals).

Fragments & remains, leads scholars to create their opinion Some Said, the temple was not complete but some said, it was destroyed by invaders trying to convert into Islamic religion The Bricks is the indication of this statement.

Besides the controversy, we need to protect our heritage as a citizen of our country, as a human. These temples are the identity proofs of ancient Indian cultural life Hence, we have to come forward to conserve & preserve our cultural heritage.

The Writer is student of Archaeology with interests in Prehistoric Studies, Ancient Cultural History and Art-Architecture of ancient India. He is from Aurangabad, the city in Maharashtra commonly termed as tourism capital of Maharashtra

NEWS UPDATES

NEW ASI CIRCLE IN PURI

The archaeological survey of India (ASI) will establish a new circle in Puri for better protection and conservation of centrally protected monuments in Odisha Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed about this decision through a tweet on Nov 09.

BAN ON PHOTOGRAPHY IN GARBHAGRIHA OF UJJAIN'S MAHAKAL TEMPLE

After the inauguration of Mahakal Lok, the number of devotees has increased Devotees visiting the Garbhgriha take selfies and click photos, due to which common devotees have to face many difficulties while having darshan. Because of this, the administration has banned photography and entry of mobile phones inside.

KEELADI MUSEUM 95% COMPLETE

The Archaeological museum at Keeladi, near Madurai, is 95% complete and will be inagurated soon More than 1,200 objects unearthed at Keeladi will be on display and the museum will be inaugurated soon. Keeladi is a Sangam age settlement that is being excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology.

Six lesser known World Heritage Sites in India

1. PATTADAKKAL, KARNATAKA

nine Hindu and one Jain temple that were built in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty. They were constructed in the Badami Chalukya style that blends influences from northern and southern India.

2. GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, TAMILNADU

three Hindu temples built in the 11th and 12th centuries under the Chola dynasty They represent some of the best examples of Dravidian architecture of the Chola period

3. MAHABODHI TEMPLE, BODH GAYA, BIHAR

The Buddhist temple complex dates to the 5th and 6th centuries CE (during the Gupta period) and was built upon a previous structure commissioned by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE

4. NALANDA MAHAVIHARA , BIHAR

Buddhist ancient higher learning institution established in the 5th century and lasting until the sacking in the 13th century, though some archaeological remains also date back to the 3rd century BCE.

5. RAMAPPA TEMPLE, WARANGAL, TELANGANA

13th century Shiva temple built under the Kakatiya dynasty. It is decorated with stone carvings and sculptures in granite and dolerite that depict regional dance customs. the temple is constructed in a way that it blends harmonically with the environment

6.

BUDDHIST MONUMENTS

, SANCHI, MADHYA PRADESH

One of the oldest extant Buddhist sanctuaries It was instrumental in the spread of the religion through the Indian subcontinent. Stupas, palaces, temples, and monasteries are preserved in different states of conservation, mostly dating to the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE

Deepmala

Banshankari Temple, Banshankari, Bagalkot District, Karnataka. Clicked by Omkar Kumbhojkar

DDakshin Kashi Shiv Temple, Satara, Maharashtra.

Clicked by Rahul Kalekar