AN ENIGMATIC CASE OF A MEDIEVAL TEMPLE AT TALAVRIKSHA, RAJASTHAN
DR.
VINAY KUMAR GUPTA
Superintending Archaeologist,
Archaeological Survey of India, Jaipur,
archaeologist1@gmail.com, 9456053192.
ABSTRACT
The site of Talavriksha is traditionally linked to the
Mahabharata, where the Pandavas supposedly hid their weapons during their
ajnatavasa (period of incognito exile). Located midway between Viratanagara
(modern-day Bairat) and Upaplavya nagara (modern-day Alwar), this area features
several significant cultural and natural landmarks, including the Ganga Mata
Temple, hot and cold water springs, medieval chhatris, and a Shiva temple. The
site is indicative of the ancient practice of establishing religious shrines
near natural water sources. The presence of a Devi Saktipitha in the region,
suggested by Mahabharata references, underscores the site's historical and
religious importance. The architectural fragments and sculptures at Talavriksha
suggest a temple complex dating back to the early ninth century CE, originally
dedicated to Vishnu or Vasudeva. Despite its historical value, the temple's transplanted
nature poses challenges for its preservation under government protection.
KEYWORDS: Talavriksha, Mahabharata,
Viratanagara, Saktipitha, Temple Architecture.
INTRODUCTION
Talavriksha, as per the popular
belief referring to the Mahabharata story marks the spot of the tree
under which Pandavas had hidden their weapons during the thirteenth year of
their vanavasa, the ajnatavasa. The Mahabharata informs
that the five Pandava brothers had hidden their weapons inside the crater of a
large Sami tree situated near a crematorium amidst the forest and hills
before entering Viratanagara (Virataparva, 5th chapter). The
spot is at present identified with the locality Talavriksha which lies midway
between Viratanagara (Bairat) and Upaplavya nagara (Alwar) about 25 km
north-east of the former, past Narayanpur village (Map 1). The place is
situated amongst the forest and fields and is marked by the presence of a Ganga
Mata Temple, hot and cold water springs, few late medieval chhatris, kundas
and a Siva Temple (Map 2). As has been observed in the entire eastern
Rajasthan, the spots of natural water sources are often marked by the presence
of religious shrines of Devi since ancient times, this area again reaffirms
this view. Similar presence of Devi shrines is observed at Old Kaila Devi
Temple, District Karauli; Narayani Mata Temple, near Bhangarh, District Alwar;
Shakambhari and Old Shakambhari Mata Temple (Varahi Mata), near Udaipur Vati,
District Sikar; Jeen Mata Temple, District Sikar; Shakambhari Mata Temple, near
Sambhar, District Jaipur; Harshat Mata Temple, Abhaneri, District Dausa; Jamwa
Mata Temple, Jamwa Ramgarh, District Jaipur; Jobner Mata Temple, District
Jaipur; Harshnath Hill Temple, District
Sikar etc. There are some other temples which at present are principally not
dedicated to the goddess but have the natural presence of water, e.g. Shiwad
Temple, District Tonk; Trinetra Ganesa at Ranthambhore Fort and Galtaji Temple,
Sawai Madhopur; Galtaji Pith, Jaipur; Charchoma and Kansua Siva Temples, District
Kota; Chandrabhaga Temple, Jhalrapatan; temples at Krishnavilasgarh, District
Baran; Atru Temples, District Baran; Nilkanth Temple, District Alwar and many
more.
The landscape at Talavriksha is
surrounded by Aravalli hills and the spot has the presence of natural hot and
cold water springs. The water table is quite high, so there is water at only
one or two meter depth in some wells. The presence of natural springs would
have attracted people to the spot since ancient times and it is quite possible
that the spot was associated with River Goddess Ganga since ancient times.
Rishi Mandavya is believed to have done tapas there, so the nearby
village is named after him as Mundawara and the kunda at the Ganga Devi
Temple premises is known as Mandavya kunda. This sacred landscape might have
attracted the Pandavas during their ajnatavasa as various nearby places
of District Alwar (ancient Matsyadesa) are well associated with them whether it
is Viratanagara, Pandupol, Upaplavyanagara/ Alwar (Gupta 2020: 334) etc. The
temple of Ganga Mata is situated on a lofty land (Pl. 1) and so is the ancient
Sivalingam situated in front across the Bairat-Alwar road (Pl. 2). Natural
spring water earlier used to ooze out at this Ganga shrine but now it oozes out
occasionally. The ancient Sivalingam is about 6 feet high and would have been
there at the spot before the destruction of temples there. Various temple
architectural fragments lying in the vicinity and the two ancient pillars used
in the Ganga Mata temple (Pl. 1) testify to the presence of Hindu temples about
a thousand to twelve hundred years back at the spot (Pl. 3-4). Here, it is
quite interesting to note that the story in the Mahabharata informs that
Yudhishthira had prayed Goddess Durga after hiding their weapons and before
entering Viratanagara and then the five Pandava brothers took a holy dip in the
Ganga and paid homage to devas, rishis and pitras (Virataparva,
6th chapter). There is also a mention of the presence of a Devi
Saktipitha (out of fity-one Saktipithas) at Viratanagara in Hindu texts but it
has never been identified. The mention of Durga-stuti by Yudhishthira
somewhere near Viratanagara confirms that there was a Saktipitha in the
vicinity of Talavriksha or at some distance but within the territory of
Viratanagara kingdom as the Mahabharata only informs of the manasa
stuti of Devi Durga but not of a temple or idol. It indicates that the
Pandavas (and the author of the epic) were well aware of the presence of a
Durga Saktipitha in that kingdom but were not visiting it at that time. The dip
in the Ganga in Viratanagara kingdom is very significant as the presence of
Ganga Mata temple at Talavriksha confirms the association of that spot with the
sacred Ganges and the Mahabharata story. The water stream at Talavriksha
was identified to be the same as the sacred Ganges. As far as the
identification of the Durga Saktipitha in Viratanagara area is concerned, I am
of the opinion that Sarunda Mata situated atop a small hill near Kotputli on
the road to Neem-ka-Thana might be the Saktipitha. The antiquity of the site
goes back to prehistoric times as the presence of rock shelters there confirms
and also the tradition which believes the Devi at Sarunda Mata to be the Kuladevi
of the Pandavas and crediting the installation of the image there to the
Pandavas. Sarunda is situated about 40 km to the north-west of Talavriksha.
Besides Sarunda Mata, Shakambhari Mata near Sambhar and Jobner Mata at Jobner,
both situated in Old Jaipur district and Jeen Mata and Shakambhari Mata in Old
Sikar district are also probable Devi shrines which might qualify as a Durga
Saktipitha.
The temple which is of interest
to us here is the one which presently enshrines the ancient Sivalingam inside
it (Pl. 5). The temple has possibly been visited by a few scholars in the past
and recently Shri Harphool Singh, a retired Registering Officer of Rajasthan
State Archaeology Department asked the author to visit it and to explore possibilities
of its government protection. On first look, the temple seems to be an original
building with repairs of comparatively recent times. But when the sculptures
present on the temple’s wall were studied in detail, it turned out that their
position could not be original. This was quite an enigma as how the rules of
placement of deities as per temple architectural canons were not followed and
the most enigmatic was the presence of Vishnu’s avatara panels on the
temple walls instead of Saiva themes as the icon in the garbhagriha was
a Sivalingam only. The temple faced south direction and the original parts of
temple at the entrance were completely missing. This riddle continued for some
time till the question was answered by the local pujari who informed
that the temple was not the original building and it was brought and
transplanted at this spot by a powerful tehsildar of area about a
century ago. According to him, the original temple ruins were lying in an
agricultural field in village Mundawara situated about 2.5 km to the
north-west, from where the Thakur tehsildar brought them to the present
spot at Talavriksha. Let us discuss the imagery on temple wall one by one:
Dikpalas:
1.
Dikpala Agni (Pl. 6): The first sculpture on
the wall of the temple while moving for circumambulation is of dikpala
Agni represented in a karnarathika (niche) with decorated pilasters on
either side topped by a pediment. Though as per architecture manuals, Agni is
the guardian deity of the southeastern quarter, here he is placed at the
southern end of the western wall after the transplant of temple structure. He
is shown standing in tribhanga as a bearded man with his vahana mesha
(ram). The left hand of the deity is holding a water pot whereas the right hand
is possibly held in abhayamudra, a lotus flower is held behind his palm.
He is wearing a beaded yajnopavita. The jatamukuta and the flames
coming out from behind his shoulders are his other identifying attributes.
Anklets and wristlets are adorning his feet and hands respectively and a three
stringed pearl necklace his neck. He is also shown wearing a long garland made
of pearls and flowers running down to his knees.
2.
Dikpala Yama (Pl. 7): The second
guardian deity placed in the karnarathika of western wall is Yama. He is
fitted inside a niche with two decorated pilasters surmounted by capitals
having foliage designs. The capitals are quite different from those surmounting
the pilasters of Agni niche. Here Yama is the guardian deity of northern end of
the western wall as per his placement on the temple wall whereas his proper
position is the southern quarter. He is standing in tribhanga with his
vehicle mahisha (buffalo) shown behind. In his right hand, the deity
holds a danda (standard) whereas his left hand holds Yamapasa (noose),
though quite broken. Traces of very fine lower garment are clearly visible.
He is adorned with a beautiful necklace and with wristlets and anklets.
Fragments of a long garland worn by him survive at the knees. He is seemingly
wearing a three-tiered crown and a beaded yajnopavita is running across
his left shoulder.
3.
Dikpala Nairitti (Pl. 8): The third
guardian deity placed in the karnarathika of northern bhitti is
Nairitti. He is fitted inside a niche with two decorated pilasters surmounted
by capitals having foliage designs. Here he is represented as guardian deity of
the western end of the northern wall whereas his actual position in temple
architecture is south-west. His vahana nara is shown near his feet. He
is again shown standing in tribhanga pose with his right hand holding a khadga
(sword) and left hand placed on his left thigh. He is adorned with a beautiful
necklace, wristlets, anklets and karnakundalas. His yajnopavita
is made of thick threads unlike the yajnopavita of Agni and Yama. He is wearing
a long garland running down to his knees and is also wearing heavy armbands
with nagamukha. Traces of very fine lower garment are clearly visible.
His headdress is quite different but much broken.
4.
Dikpala Varuna (Pl. 9): The fourth
guardian deity placed in the second karnarathika of the northern bhitti
is Varuna. He is fitted inside a niche with two decorated pilasters surmounted
by capitals having foliage designs. Here he is placed as the dikpala of
eastern end of the northern wall instead of his actual textual position of
western direction. The sthanaka figure of deity in tribhanga
position holds a nectar vase in his left hand and a noose in his right hand. He
is adorned with a two-stringed necklace, slightly different from the
above-mentioned three dikpalas. His yajnopavita is a
single-stringed beaded one and a long garland, wristlets, anklets and earrings
adorn him. He is wearing a tiered crown and lower drapery similar to Nairitti.
His vahana makara (crocodile) is shown at his feet in a slightly stylised
manner.
5.
Dikpala Isana (Pl. 10): The fifth
guardian deity placed in a karnarathika of the eastern wall is Isana. He
is fitted inside a niche with two decorated pilasters surmounted by capitals
having foliage designs. He is placed as the dikpala of northern end of
the eastern wall which is also his position as per vastu texts. His vahana
vrishabha is shown in a quite disproportionate manner near the feet of
deity. The standing deity in tribhanga mudra holds a sula in his
right hand whereas his left hand is placed on his thigh. He is adorned with a
three-stringed pearl necklace, armlets, wristlets, anklets and heavy karnakundalas.
He is wearing a long garland similar to the one worn by other dikpalas
here. His hair is arranged with the help of a tiered jatamukuta.
6.
Dikpala Kubera (Pl. 11): The
identification of the sixth guardian deity placed on the southern end of the
eastern wall is slightly tricky. The three guardian deities who are still left
are: Indra, Vayu and Kubera/ Soma. Indra and Vayu are absent at this temple and
the extant image of the sixth dikpala has to be identified either as
Kubera or Soma. The attributes of Soma image, e.g., his vahana sasa
(hare), soma plant, and crescent moon are all absent, so the only option
left is the identification of the dikpala as Kubera. As per order of vastu,
Kubera should be placed as the dikpala of the northern direction but it
is not the case here. The vahana of the deity looks like a vrishabha
(bull) but for Kubera it should be a mesha (ram). So, the vahana
may be identified as a ram. The left hand of the deity holds a vase which
should be a vase full of wealth whereas the left hand is in varadamudra
with a rosary tied to his palm. He is adorned with a two-stringed pearl
necklace, anklets, armlets, wristlets and a long garland hanging up to his
knees. A beautiful circular earring is visible in his right ear whereas the
left one is mutilated. The deity is wearing a jatamukuta arranged in two
tiers.
Now we can have a look at the
deities who are represented in the three prominent central rathikas of
the temple wall.
1.
Varaha (Pl. 12): Varahavatara is represented in the central rathika of
western bhitti. Four-handed Bhagavana Varaha holds sudarsana chakra
and kaumodaki gada in his upper left and right hands respectively
whereas his natural left hand holds Prithvi on his palms and the right hand is
placed on his thigh. The tusk of Varaha and the figure of Prithvi are quite
mutilated. Varaha’s vaijayantimala is running down his knees. He is
adorned with keyuras, kanthahara and a pearl yajnopavita. The
upraised left foot of the God is resting on a lotus under which a naga
couple with serpent hoods and bodies is shown in adulation with folded hands.
The mutilated figure of a lady carved to the right of Varaha may be identified
as goddess Sri-Lakshmi, the wife of God whereas the male figure to Varaha’s
left may be Brahma. Two palmettes are shown on either side at the top ends of
the niche, perhaps as indicative of the setting of scene at the spot
“Talavriksha”! To better understand the early representation of Varahavatara in
art (as at Adivaraha Cave, Mahabalipuram), one may refer to Sivaramamurti
(1952).
2.
Nrisimha (Pl. 13): The central rathika of the northern wall has the sculpture
of God Nrisimha. The eight-handed deity is shown standing on a kneeling human
figure who might be bhakta Prahlada; the raised left leg of the deity is
placed on the back of this kneeling figure whereas the right leg of the deity
is kept on the head of the kneeling figure, but, this kneeling figure does not
appear to be in any sort of discomfort. The panel shows the ugra form of
the God who is tearing apart the belly of demon Hiranyakasipu with his natural
hands. Two of his hands are holding two of the demons, one each on either side
from their sikha. These two demons, each holding a mace are carved quite
lively. The objects held in the hands of the God are not identifiable due to
mutilation but the top hands of the deity seem to be in a pose of
self-coronation/ self-proclamation on defeating the demon as is observed on
many Mahishasuramardini sculptures of the Kushan and Gupta period from Mathura
and elsewhere. The God is adorned with vanamala, keyuras, kankana,
kanthahara etc. The body of the God is of a man up to the neck whereas the
head portion is of a lion with manes. Two palmettes, one on each side at the
top of the niche are again depicted, possibly to mark the locale of the temple
as “Talavriksha”. The overall depiction of the scene is quite vivid and lively.
All three demons are shown wearing ornaments and having linear bodies.
3.
Trivikrama (Pl. 14): The third central rathika of the temple, located on the
eastern wall has the depiction of Trivikrama form of Bhagavana Vishnu. The
scene is again quite vivid with the upraised right leg of the God touching the
mouth of Rahu in the tertiary world. The upper right hand of the God holds the kaumodaki
gada and the upper left hand holds the sudarsana chakra. The
natural left hand of the God is placed on his thigh whereas the natural right
hand seems to be in tarjanimudra. Rahu who had become immortal due to
inhaling nectar up to his throat before his body was slit away during the samudra-manthana
(churning of the ocean) episode, is represented by his head only. He along with
Ketu is the last of navagrahas and thus represents the farthest point of
the tertiary world. Ketu is possibly also represented here as a snake who is
partially visible by the side of Rahu above the mace of Vishnu. Vishnu is
adorned with a yajnopavita, vaijayantimala, keyuras, nupuras,
kanthahara, karnakundalas and a mukuta. In the lower end
of the panel, the story of Vamanavatara is represented which had occurred just
before Vishnu took three strides as the victor of three worlds (Trivikrama).
Vishnu as Vamana is standing holding a parasol over himself. Behind him is
standing the horse of yajna and a personage in royal attire, possibly
Indra. In front of Vamana is standing King Bali with a vase in his hand to
sprinkle water. By his side, a kneeling figure with folded hands is shown who
in all probability is the grandfather of Bali, the great bhakta
Prahlada. A human figure standing behind the left leg of Trivikrama is possibly
Daitya Guru Sukracharya or Brahma as represented in some Vamanavatara
reliefs. To better understand the depiction of Vamanavatara episode in art, one
may refer to Mankodi (2013).
On the base moulding, in the
central niche on each side, a deity is depicted. The details are as follows:
1.
Ganesa (Pl. 15): In the central niche of the base moulding on the western side, a
seated figure of Ganesa is carved. Vermillion has been applied all over the
figure, in spite of that certain features of the image are recognisable. In his
left hand he is holding a parasu whereas the object held in his right
hand is not clear. A bowl full of sweet balls is held possibly in his lower
land hand. The deity is seated in maharajalilasana.
2.
Sri-Lakshmi (Pl. 16): In the central niche of the base moulding on the
northern side, a seated figure of Sri-Lakshmi is carved who is being lustrated
by elephants. The goddess is seated in maharajalilasana. In her two
upper hands, she is holding lotuses on which are standing the elephants who in
turn are lustrating her by emptying the down turned vases. Her natural hands
are too broken to identify the attributes held in them.
3.
Kubera (Pl. 17): In the central niche of the base moulding on the eastern side,
the seated figure in lalitasana appears to be of Kubera. The two-handed
deity is shown seated on a low stool. Attributes held in his hands are quite
mutilated, still the object held in his left hand seems to be nakula
purse and the object held in his right hand a wine cup. Two foliages are shown
coming out from his back side, possibly indicating something. Over his head an
object is seen which somehow resembles a plough. The probable visible
attributes are not enough to identify the figure but the presence of Ganesa in
the western niche and Sri-Lakshmi in the northern niche indicates towards the
possibility of the presence of Kubera in the eastern niche as these three
together form part of an important triad during the Post-Gupta and early
medieval period, Sri-Lakshmi being the most prominent of them and being
represented in the center.
Besides the above sculptures, in the rathika niches of all the six pratirathas,
six female figures or nayikas have been carved out. The first one on the
western wall standing in tribhanga is possibly holding a lamp in her
right hand and the pleats of drapery in her left hand (Pl. 18). The second lady
on the western wall is possibly holding a chauri or broom in her right
hand whereas her left hand is holding the pleats of her dress (Pl. 19). The
lady standing in the western pratiratha niche of the northern wall is
possibly holding a fly-whisk in her right hand whereas her left hand is holding
the pleats of her drapery (Pl. 20). The lady figure standing in the niche of
the second pratiratha of the northern wall is holding a musical
instrument possibly a sarod in her hands (Pl. 21). The lady in the
northern pratiratha niche of eastern wall is in nrityamudra (Pl.
22) and the last lady figure available in the southern pratiratha niche
of the eastern wall represents a standing lady with a musical instrument
possibly tambura (Pl. 23).
Besides the temples, the spot also houses a number of late medieval chhatris,
one of the chhatri (Pl. 24) which is situated just by the side of the
road is situated on a raised platform and its ceiling is supported on eight
pillars. The ceiling of the dome is beautifully painted with a central lotus
symbol and radiating designs (Pl. 25) and the spandrels and pendentives of the
dome are painted with eight beautiful theme-based paintings which include
narratives from the religious folklore and royal episodes (Pls. 26-29). These
paintings require further studies.
On the basis of temple architecture and iconography of the images, the
original temple can be dated to around the early ninth century CE, slightly
later contemporary of architectural activities at Abhaneri and Narayani Mata
but earlier than Rajorgarh (Nilkanth village). The architectural and
iconographic features resemble those of contemporary Osian temples (Handa 1984).
The style of representation of avatara panels has some continuity in the
avatara panels on Central Indian temples during the tenth century CE
(Trivedi 1990; Wessels-Mevissen 2001; Mankodi 2013). The original temple would
have either been dedicated to Vishnu or Vasudeva as the presence of Vishnu’s
three incarnations (third, fourth and fifth) on the central rathikas
indicates. This temple is a rare example of transplantation by some individual
rather than the governments. Since the temple is not at its original place and
has many alterations uncharacteristic of ancient temple architecture, it might
not be possible to bring it under Central government protection but still it
has some uniqueness for which it must be protected by some authority, possibly
by the State or local authorities so that it survives for future generations.
CONCLUSION
Talavriksha,
associated with the Mahabharata, serves as a significant historical and
religious site. Its natural springs and religious structures, including the
Ganga Mata Temple and the relocated Shiva temple, highlight the enduring
tradition of establishing shrines near water sources. The temple's
architectural features and sculptures indicate its origins in the early ninth
century CE, with a probable dedication to Vishnu or Vasudeva. The site's
association with the Pandavas and the nearby Devi Saktipitha further underscore
its historical importance. While the temple's relocation complicates efforts
for its preservation under central government protection, state or local
authorities should ensure its protection to preserve its unique historical and
cultural value for future generations.
MAPS
Map 1. Google view of Talavriksha with important
structures (prepared by Shri K.L. Saini, Surveyor, Jaipur Circle)
Map 2. Map showing important religious
shrines situated near water bodies in the Eastern Rajasthan (prepared by
Shri K.L. Saini, Surveyor)
PLATES
Pl. 1. Ganga Mata temple with use of ancient pillars
Pl. 2. Sivalingam
Pl. 3. Bharaputraka part of temple pillar
Pl. 4. Fragments of temple pillars
Pl. 5. The ancient temple, Talavriksha
Pl. 6. Agni SW
Pl. 7. Yama NW
Pl. 8. Nairitti NW
Pl. 9. Varuna NE
Pl. 10. Ishana EN
Pl. 11. Kubera ES
Pl. 12. Varaha W
Pl. 13. Nrisimha N
Pl. 14. Trivikrama E
Pl. 15. Ganesa W
Pl. 16. Gajalakshmi North
Pl. 17. Kubera East
Pl. 18. Lady 1 on the western wall
Pl. 19. Lady 2 on the western wall
Pl. 20. Lady 1 on the northern wall
Pl. 21. Lady 2 on the northern wall
Pl. 22. Lady 1 on the eastern wall
Pl. 23. Lady 2 on the eastern wall
Pl. 24. Late medieval chhatri
Pl. 25. Inner ceiling of chhatri
Pl. 26. Paintings, Chhatri
Pl. 27. Paintings, Chhatri
Pl. 28. Paintings, Chhatri
Pl. 29. Paintings, Chhatri
REFERENCES: