Bhojpur is a town of historical and religious importance in
Raisen District of
Madhya Pradesh,
India.
hojpur
Shiv Temple
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Coordinates:  23°6′54″N 77°35′43″E |
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Geography and hydrology
River Betwā at Bhojpur, showing remains of the southern dam
Bhojpur is situated on the Betwā River, 28 km from Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh.
The site is located on sandstone ridges typical of central India, next
to a deep gorge through which the Betwā River flows. Two large dams,
constructed of massive hammer-dressed stones, were built in the eleventh
century to divert and block the Betwā, so creating a large lake. The
approximate size of the lake is shown in the site plan given here.
Actually this temple is present on the centre of ancient OM Valley,
recently it has been proved by satellite image.
History
Bhojpur takes its name from king Bhoja (reg. c. 1000–1055 CE), the most celebrated ruler of the Paramāra dynasty.[1]
There is no archaeological evidence from Bhojpur before the eleventh
century, a fact confirmed by local legends which recount how Bhoja made a
vow to build a series of dams "to arrest the streams of nine rivers and
ninety-nine rivulets". A location was found in the kingdom that allowed
the king to fulfil this vow and the dams were duly built at Bhojpur.[2]
Although the dams were constructed of cyclopean masonry, one of them was opened on the orders of Hoshang Shah of Malwa
in the fifteenth century. According to Persian chronicles, he ordered
the dam to be broken at the request of local merchants in Bhopal and Vidisha whose caravans were being raided by bandits taking refuge at an inaccessible spot protected by the lake.[3]
Places of historical, archaeological and religious interest
Jain temples
Idols at the unfinished Jain Temple, Bhojpur
Bhojpur also has an unfinished Jain temple containing a 6-meter-tall statue of Bhagwan Shantinath and two statues of Bhagwan Parshvanath (left) and Bhagwan Suparshvanatha (right). On the base of the central images of Lord Shatinath there is an inscription mentioning king Bhoja, the only epigraphic evidence connecting Bhoja to the site.[4] The Suparshanath image on left has an inscription date samvat 1157 which mentions Naravarman,
the nephew of king Bhoja, and mentions that the two smaller idols were
installed by the grandson of Nemichandra of Vemaka community, who had
installed the main image in the middle[5]The same temple complex hosts shrine for Ācārya Manatunga who wrote Bhaktamara Stotra.
Main Temple & Idol
This
huge temple was established in year 1100 AD. The miraculous idol of
principal deity Bhagwan Shantinath in standing posture (22½ feet in
height) is installed in the huge sanctum of this temple. On the both
sides of this idol, 2 standing beautiful idols of Bhagwan Parshvanath
& Suparshvanath (7th Teerthankar) 8 feet in height each are
installed. Near the feet of Bhagwan Shantinath, artistic whisk bearers
are carved on both sides.
Bhojeśvar temple
The liṅga at the Bhojasvāmin temple, Bhojpur
Bhojpur is famous for the incomplete Bhojeśvar temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple houses one of the largest liṅga-s in India, 5.5 m (18 ft) tall and 2.3 m (7.5 ft) in circumference. It is crafted out a single rock.[6] The building is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India.
The attribution of the temple to Bhoja is based on the testimony of Merutuṅga, who reports in the Prabandhacintāmaṇi
that Bhoja bestowed on the poet Māgha "all the merit of the new
Bhojasvāmin temple that he was about to build himself", and then "set
out for the country of Mālava".[7] The style of the sculpture on the building confirms an early to mid-eleventh-century date for the structure.
The building as it stands consists of the inner cella or garbhagṛha,
supported by massive pillars, surmounted with an elegant corbelled
dome. The outer walls and superstructure of the temple were never built.
Quarries and rock drawings
Architectural fragments in one of the quarries at Bhojpur
The temple at Bhojpur is unique in being left unfinished, with a
series of large architectural parts still located in the quarries where
the stones were cut and fashioned. In addition, there are a significant
number of architectural drawings engraved on the flat surfaces of the
quarry showing mouldings, pillars, and temple plans.[8]
Also of note is the large earthen ramp behind the temple which shows
how medieval craftsmen raised the large blocks of stone into position.
Cave of Pārvatī
Immediately
opposite the temple, on the west side of the gorge facing the Betwā, is
a rock-shelter or cave, now occupied by religious mendicants. Popularly
known as Pārvatī's Cave, the cave contains a number of sculptures and
architectural fragments dating to the eleventh century.
Remains of Bhoja's Royal Palace
One of the avenues in the ruins of the royal palace at Bhojpur
On the low plateau above the Cave of Pārvatī and opposite the Bhojpur
temple are the remains of Bhoja's palace. Only the foundations survive.
The complex is laid out as a grid in a square, with a courtyard in the
centre (see site plan above). It is oriented on an exact north-south axis as prescribed in the Samarāṅganasūtradhāra, an architectural treatise ascribed to Bhoja.[9]
Among the many features of interest are unfinished carved blocks and
graffiti engraved on the rock floor. The latter includes diagrams for
games and a series of names dating to the eleventh century and later.
The palace is a unique survival, being the only medieval building of its
kind in northern India. Its association with Bhoja and its close
conformity to a text ascribed to the king mark it out as a site of
national and international cultural importance. The site of the palace,
like the neighbouring dams, is unprotected. The remains of the palace
are being slowly destroyed as local people collect stones for modern
building purposes.
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