Ahar- An Archaeological Site
 About
3.2km from the Delhi Gate, Ahar is a favourite haunt of archaeologists
and research scholars. Historians say that the town was founded around
950AD by Rawal Allat of Mewar. He built the city on the ruins of the
Harappan site of Tambavati Nagri, the city of the ancestors of King
Vikramaditya before he shifted to Ujjain. It is also said that Ahar
was the ancient capital of Mewar, the residence of the Gehlot rulers
later known as the Sisodias, ancestors of the present Ranas. The
excavations done by the Archaeological Department of the State have
revealed the remains of the Chalcolithic era of Rajasthan dating back
to nearly 3750 years. Ancient temples, sculptures, coins, pottery and
mounds from the ashes of volcanic eruptions are also found in
abundance here at Ahar. Four Jain temples with their intricate
carvings and dating over 1000 years old found here is still intact and
in one piece. Ahar was quite a happening place for the Jain community
and ancient Jain literature names Ahar as Aghatpur.
¤ The Temple Attractions
Temples found here belong to different centuries and each have their
own reigning deities. The Temple of Mira Baibuilt in the 10th century
has projected walls that are elevated on a high basement. The basement
has deep carvings and a continuous panel of sculptures. The combined
tower rises above the temple and adds quite a bit of charm to it.
Built in the 11th century, only the walls of the Adinath Temple have
survived. A similar fate would have descended upon the mandapa (inner
sanctum) and the shikhara (spire) of the temple had they not been
renovated. Following the traditional Western Indian style of temple
architecture, the Adinath temple has a high basement and lavishly
carved wall nichés. The Mahavira Temples built in the 15th
century are a group of shrines crowned with a minute tower that
cluster around the central shafts.
¤ Royal Cenotaphs
The town of Ahar is also noted for the Mahasatia or the Royal
Cenotaphs that include those of the rulers of Mewar, their family
members and officials. There are 19 chhatris that commemorate the 19
rulers who were cremated at Ahar. These pavilions are carved with
designs that resemble the nearby 15th century temples. Each chhatri
has an image of Shiva and a stone portraying the ruler and his wives
who committed sati. The most recent one is that of Swaroop Singh built
in 1861, and the most breathtaking one at Mahasatia is that of
Maharana Amar Singh I who died in 1620. The chhatri of Amar Singh has
a four-faced statue in the centre and the friezes on the basement show
the immolation of the king’s wives who chose to commit sati. The
cenotaph of Swaroop Singh II, who was cremated with his 21 wives, is
another fine specimen of these memorials. It has a 56 pillared portico
with an octagonal dome in the centre, supported by eight dwarfed
pillars. Very close to these cenotaphs is Gangodbhava or the sacred
reservoir (kund) alongwith a cenotaph (chhatri) that probably belongs
to Gandharva Sen, the brother of Vikramaditya of Ujjain. There are
also two tanks nearby – one has a central pavilion with a
multi-faced linga (symbolic phallus of Lord Shiva) and the other has
several 10th century images of Brahma and Surya in it.
¤ Archaeological Museum
Apart from the temples, Ahar has a small Archaeological Museum that
has some wonderful exhibits of 10th century sculpture including a
fantastic image of the sun god Surya. It also houses the ancient
excavates from the mounds of Dhulkot by the archaeological department.
Dhulkot is believed to be the site of a 4,000 year old township. Major
exhibits of the museum are the skin scrubber, seals, animal figures,
stone weights and balls. Other displays include terracotta toys,
pottery remains and a huge earthen pot. There are some beautiful Hindu
and Jain icons displayed among which the most notable is the metallic
image of the Jain fordmaker. The collection of sculptures includes the
statue of Vishnu-Nag-Nathan that belongs to the medieval period in
which the snakes are entwined around the deity.
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