File:Shiva temple and monastery, Chandreh Rampur Naikin, Madhya Pradesh 13.jpg

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Summary

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English: The 10th-century Shiva temple and monastary in Chandreh village (near Shikarganj, Rampur Naikin) is close to the confluence of Son and Banas rivers in Baghelkhand region of northeast Madhya Pradesh.

The Shiva temple of Chandreh is one of the rare examples of:

  • a historic circular plan Hindu temple in central India; such historic Hindu temples are far more common in Kerala and parts of Karnataka.
  • of a Hindu temple with Gavaksha-patterned, perfectly circular sikhara that reminds one of a ultimate limit in the Sekhari style.
  • of a 10th-century monument where hollow human-shaped figures were used for an aesthetic appeal as well as hydraulics and rainwater harvesting.

The temple is also notable for being a part of Mattamayura sect of Shaiva monastic tradition whose temples and monasteries are found in Kadwaha, Rannod, and Survaya in north Madhya Pradesh.

The Chandreh temple is relatively well preserved and stands on a high jagati (platform). The outside walls have artwork, but lack typical any iconography. From a distance it appears simple and plain. The temple has a Sukhanasi, and it is here that most of the artwork is concentrated. Its plan is so circular that the mandapa and sikhara appear to be a yoni and Shiva-linga. The mandapa pillars and the sanctum doorway are also plain, yet mirror the style of pillars found in the monastery.

The temple complex includes a two-storey monastery made from stone. The site has two Sanskrit inscriptions, and these help date this to 972 CE, attribute it to the Saiva Siddhanta Guru of the Chedi dynasty named Prabodha Shiva. The monastery does include original Hindu iconography such as Ganga, Yamuna, Ganesha and others – but in a minimalist style. The Chandreh temple and monastery is an unusual Hindu historic site.
Date
Source Own work
Author Ms Sarah Welch

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the monastery (front), the temple towers in the back

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14 October 2017

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