Badoli Tempele Town
Distance : 54km from Kota
¤ Main Attractions of Badoli
Temple Shrines
Baroli is a village, and the only real things to see here are ancient
famous temples that were built between the 9th and 12th centuries.
What is remarkable about these temples is that they were left
untouched by the Afghan invaders and still stand in marvellous
dignity. Situated in a clearing within a forest, the Baroli temples
consist of a number of temples in close proximity, the Ghateshwara
temple being the principal amidst them. However, the Baroli temples
are not very large ones, and if you’re used to seeing massive
ones like the temples in Khajuraho, a little disappointment may seep
in. These temples were not designed for hordes of worshippers, and
their size makes it apparent that their use was restricted mainly to
holy men and local believers, with the royalty dropping by once in a
while. Built from stone, all temples here have detailed carvings in
pillars, ceilings and roofs.
Ghateshwara Temple
The Ghateshwara temple are famous for profusely decorated porch,
ceiling and the outside roof with images of Shiva and celestial nymphs
in attendance. Shiva runs riot in this temple, and almost all images
are of his likeness. That is not all – since Shiva is the
Destroyer in holy Hindu trinity of Brahma the Creator and Vishnu the
Presever, he slays a couple of demons called andhaka and Chamunda, and
the entire battle gets recorded in stone by the builders of this
temple. and after a glorious victory Shiva normally gets a bit
inebriated and goes dancing, in his celebrated tandav dance. This
dance itself forms the basic imagery for carvings outside the temple.
Finally, at the very entrance of the temple there’s another
dancing Shiva, but this time he’s surrounded by an audience of
Brahma, Vishnu and a host of other figures straight out of mythology.
Mahishasuramardini & Trimurti Temples
The famous Mahishasuramardini and Trimurti temples near the
Ghateshwara temple were built in the 10 century. The goddess Durga was
sent down to terra firma as Mahishasuramardini to slay the demon
Mahishasura. Now `mardini’ means slayer and Mahishasura was the
demon. So the one who slays the demon ought to be called
Mahishasuramardini, and so it goes in Hindu mythology.
Anyway – the Mahishasuramardini temple is crowned with a finely
carved and curved pagoda. The motifs on this are so intricately etched
that they almost appear to be a fine transparent screen. Close at hand
is another Shiva temple situated in a tiny pond.
Kansuan Temples
10km from Kota is an ancient Kansuan temple which bears an
inscription dating back to 738AD. Enclosed by a wall, the complex
consists of a main Shiva temple and a few smaller shrines, all with
Shiva lingas (Lord Shiva’s symbolic phallus) within them.
However, the trials of time and weather have laid seige to the
edifices, and the temples now lie in a state of disrepair.
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