Bhitargaon is a town, near

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...

in Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India, known for its ancient Hindu temple, the largest Indian brick temple to survive from the time of the Gupta Empire. Despite being heavily restored, a number of original features remain. It is dated to the late 5th century.

Bhitargaon Temple

The Bhitargaon Temple is a terraced brick building fronted with a terracotta panel. Built in the 5th century during the Gupta period, it is the oldest remaining brick/terracotta

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

shrine with a roof and a high shikhara, though its upper chamber did sustain some damage in the 18th century. The temple is built on a square plan with double-recessed corners and faces east. There is a tall pyramidal spire over the garbhagriha. The walls are decorated with terracotta panels depicting Shiva and Vishnu etc. When

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly ...

first visited the site, the remains of the porch and of the

ardhamandapa In Hindu temple architecture, Ardhamandapa (lit. half-open hall), also spelled ''artha mandapam'' or ''ardh mandapam'', is an important element of the entrance group. It is an entrance porch forming a transitional area between the outside and a ma ...

were still visible, which later collapsed.

Description of the architecture and layout of Bhitargaon temple

The construction material is bricks and terracotta. The brick size is 18" x 9'' x 3" and the other salient features are following: *The size of platform on which the temple is built is 36 feet x 47 feet. *The sanctum is 15 feet x 15 feet internally. *The sanctum is double story. *The wall thickness is 8 feet. *The total height from ground to top is 68.25 feet. *There is no window. *The terracotta sculpture depicts both secular and religious theme such as deities like Ganesha and Durga Mahisasurmardini. Myths and stories representing abduction of Sita and the penance of Nara-Narayana. *Shikara is a stepped pyramid and got damaged by thunder in 1894. *The first story of sanctum felled in 1850.

Behta Bujurg temple

There is another ancient temple in Behta Bujurg (or Behata Bujurg) village which is only 4.3 km far from Bhitargaon, also protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, and has a highly unusual curving shape, with buddhist stupa(Mound) like resemblance. However a close look reveals nagara style curvilinear shape. There are significant detached ancient sculptures: Lord Jagannath idol, a

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

(sun deity) sculpture and a Lord Vishnu sculpture carved on a large block of stone depicting lord vishnu resting on seshnaga. The temple is known locally as the "Rain Temple" as the ceiling is said to drip water several days before the rain arrive, which is of great interest to local farmers.

Other historic brick temples

* Po Nagar and Po Klong Garai * Mahabodhi Temple * :id:Candi Bima Dieng Candi Bima * Sambor Prei Kuk *

Sirpur, Mahasamund Sirpur is a village in Mahasamund district in the state of Chhattisgarh 35 km from Mahasamund city and 78 km away from RaipurRajgir Maniyar Math, Vaibhar giri temples * Bishnupur, Bankura

Kherahat templeA Brick Temple of the Ninth Century, Michael D. Willis, Artibus Asiae, Vol. 52, No. 1/2 (1992), pp. 25-46, Artibus Asiae Publishers

Kalar, brick temple

Gallery

File:Bhitargaon front.jpg, Front view of the temple at Bhitargaon, 1875 File:Brick temple.jpg, The oldest remaining Hindu shrine Brick Temple File:Bhitargaon details2.jpg, Close view of façade showing the detail of mouldings and sculpture niches, 1875 File:Bhitargaon details.jpg, Close view of temple façade showing the detail of mouldings and sculpture niches, 1878 File:Behta bujurg temple complex..jpg, Behta Bujurg temple File:Bhitargaon temple .jpg, Rear view of the Bhitargaon temple.

References

External links

Bhitargaon

Heritage and Tourism
Kanpur City Development Plan * Brick temple

{{Hindu temples in Uttar Pradesh Neighbourhoods in Kanpur 5th-century Hindu temples Cities and towns in Kanpur Nagar district Hindu temples in Uttar Pradesh Gupta art