Amruteshwar Temple is an intricately carved

Shiva temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

located in

Ratanwadi Ratanwadi is a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Villages in Ahmednagar district {{Ahmednagar-geo-stub ...

. This temple is over 1200 years old. This beautiful temple was built by the rulers of

Shilahara dynasty The Shilahara Kingdom ( IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) d ...

in 9th century CE. This is one of twelve Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

temples built by King

Jhanjha Jhanjha was Shilahara ruler of north Konkan branch from 910 CE – 930 CE. Vappuvanna was followed by Jhanjha . He is mentioned by Al-Masudi as ruling over Samur (i.e., Chaul in the Kolaba district) in 916 CE. He was a very devout Shaiva. He ...

. The Temple of Amriteshwar (19°31'3.67" N; 73°43'22.91" E) measuring 61mX36m is datable to 12th-13th century CE. The temple is located in a very picturesque location. The temple is surrounded by a low

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

with an entrance towards the east. On plan it consists of the mandapa, with an

antarala Antarala (Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the ...

and

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ''M ...

on the east of it, and a porch before the eastern back door of the shrine. The temple faces west and is dedicated to Shiva; the

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

installed in the shrine is peculiar; it consists of a

yoni ''Yoni'' (; sometimes also ), sometimes called ''pindika'', is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu goddess Shakti. It is usually shown with '' linga'' – its masculine counterpart. Together, they symbolize the merging of micr ...

which is placed over a cavity in the rock and over it in the shape of

kalasha A kalasha, also spelled kalash or kalasa, also called ghat or ghot ( sa, कलश , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large base and small mouth, large eno ...

are three stones kept one over the other. The Nandi is placed on the western gate facing the backdoor of the shrine, i.e. east; apart from this, there are two other eroded nandis on the porch. Perforated windows can be seen in the shallow recesses of the mandapa. The

shikhara ''Shikhara'' ( IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chambe ...

over the shrine is intact and is very ornamental, while the roof of the mandapa has disappeared leaving the inner

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...

s of the ceiling. The ceiling at places where the original roof slabs are missing is filled in with

Hero stone A hero stone (Vīragallu in Kannada, Naṭukal in Tamil) is a memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero in battle. Erected between the second half of the first millennium BC and the 18th century AD, hero stones are found all over India ...

s, undressed stones and other architectural members at a later period. The shikhara has four vertical spires with diminishing miniature shikharas capped with a flat

amalaka An amalaka ( sa, आमलक), is a segmented or notched stone disk, usually with ridges on the rim, that sits on the top of a Hindu temple's shikhara or main tower. According to one interpretation, the amalaka represents a lotus, and thus the ...

. It is similar to

Gondeshwar Temple, Sinnar The Gondeshwar temple (IAST: Gondeśvara) is an 11th-12th century Hindu temple located in Sinnar, a town in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India. It features a panchayatana plan; with a main shrine dedicated to Shiva; and four subsidiary shr ...

and architecturally can classified as a

Bhumija Bhumija is a variety of north Indian temple architecture marked by how the rotating square-circle principle is applied to construct the ''shikhara'' (superstructure or spire) on top of the sanctum. Invented about the 10th-century in the Malwa regi ...

temple. The walls are decorated with geometrical patterns but are devoid of images. The pillars are elegantly carved and consist of a square base over which an octagonal member is topped by a circle, and then they have kichak hastas above the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

. A stepped tank locally known as pushkarani, square on plan, was also provided near the temple, with stepped entrances from three directions and a number of subsidiary shrines in niches around it. The images in the niches are of

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

and different forms of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

like those of Sheshayi,

Madhava Mādhava means Lord Krishna an incarnation of Vishnu. It may also refer to: *a Sanskrit patronymic, "descendant of Madhu (a man of the Yadu tribe)". ** especially of Krishna, see Madhava (Vishnu) *** an icon of Krishna ** Madhava of Sangamagrama, ...

and others.

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

declared it a monument of national importance.Source: Archeological Survey of India, Aurangabad Circle, plaque outside the temple, February 2022

References

Hindu temples in Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Ahmednagar district {{India-Hindu-temple-stub