Kiradu Ancient Temples
Distance : 39 km from Barmer
Kiradu Ancient Temples lie at a
distance of 39km from Barmer city in Hathma village.You find an
inscription here dating back to 1161AD indicating that the place was
once called Kiratkoop and had once been the capital of the Panwara
dynasty. The Panwaras owed their allegiance to the rulers of Gujarat
at the time.
¤ Kiradu Someshvara Temple
The Kiradu temples are a group of five temples and are grouped as
ancient temples, an important site from the archaeological point of
view. The largest and the most impressive amongst them is the
Someshvara Temple. Built in the 11th century, the Someshvara ancient
temple is said to be the best example of its kind today. Constructed
in honour of Lord Shiva (the Destroyer in the holy trinity of Hindu
gods), it has a rather stumpy multi-turreted tower and beautiful
sculptures dedicated to the god. The inner sanctum has a resplendent
image of the Lord. At its base, is a large reverse-curve lotus, which
has a resemblance with the early Chola Temples of south India. This
ancient temple also depicts scenes from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Other
notable features are sculptures of apsaras (mythical dancing girls
from the abode of the Gods) and vyalas (a griffin-like mythical beast
generally associated with the Buddha) which were rarely seen after
1050AD in temple architecture. All in all, although Barmer is a bit
out of the way you’ll get your money’s worth when you visit
Someshvara.
¤ Other Group of Ancient Temples
The other four temples, also considered as ancient are dedicated to
Lord Shiva and Vishnu (the Preserver in the holy trinity of Hindu
deities). The temples show the influence of the Solanki school of
architecture which originated in Gujarat, which is not surprising
given the close links the Panwaras had with the rulers there.
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