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Brahma Temple is a ninth or early tenth century temple and is located at
The Brahma temple is one of the various surviving temples in the Khajuraho temple complex. Unlike most of the other temples, which are made of grainstone, this temple is made of granite. The plan of this temple is similar to that of the Lalguan Mahadeva temple. These temples were built during a period in which a transition was occurring from granite to sandstone.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the plan of this temple is simpler compared to the other temples of Khajuraho. The '' shikhara'' (the tower over the chamber in which the deity is kept) is made of sandstone. The temple originally consisted of a porch and a ''garbhagriha''. The porch has been destroyed and only the ''garbhagriha'' remains which is crowned by the ''shikhara''. Externally, the ''garbhagriha'' is cruciform in shape and contains projections in each side. Internally, it is square in shape and rests on 12 pilasters of granite. The eastern projection contains the main doorway, and the western projection contains a smaller doorway. Latticed windows are present on the remaining two lateral projections.
The main doorway is largely unornamented. It only contains a sculpture of the '' trimurti'' on the lintel and
Chhatarpur
Chhatarpur is a city and a municipality in Chhatarpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chhatarpur District. Chhatarpur is a city and a municipality in Chhatarpur district in the state of ...
in Madhya Pradesh, India. Although titled after the Hindu god Brahma, the temple is dedicated to Shiva. This temple, along with many others built during the Chandela
The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti was an Indian dynasty in Central India. The Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region (then called ''Jejakabhukti'') between the 9th and the 13th centuries. They belonged to the Chandel clan of the Rajputs.
...
dynasty, form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Khajuraho Group of Monuments.
Background
The temple is located on the banks of Khajuraho Sagar lake. It is incorrectly called Brahma Temple; the '' garbhagriha'' (sanctum) of the temple contains a four faced ''lingam'', the symbol of Shiva, and local worshippers mistook this for a sculpture of Brahma, who has four faces. The western windows and the central positions of the lintels of the ''garbhagriha'' contain figures of Vishnu. However, the stones from which they are made are different from the stones which are used to build the temple. The temple was built in either ninth and earlier half of the tenth century.Architecture
The Brahma temple is one of the various surviving temples in the Khajuraho temple complex. Unlike most of the other temples, which are made of grainstone, this temple is made of granite. The plan of this temple is similar to that of the Lalguan Mahadeva temple. These temples were built during a period in which a transition was occurring from granite to sandstone.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the plan of this temple is simpler compared to the other temples of Khajuraho. The '' shikhara'' (the tower over the chamber in which the deity is kept) is made of sandstone. The temple originally consisted of a porch and a ''garbhagriha''. The porch has been destroyed and only the ''garbhagriha'' remains which is crowned by the ''shikhara''. Externally, the ''garbhagriha'' is cruciform in shape and contains projections in each side. Internally, it is square in shape and rests on 12 pilasters of granite. The eastern projection contains the main doorway, and the western projection contains a smaller doorway. Latticed windows are present on the remaining two lateral projections.
The main doorway is largely unornamented. It only contains a sculpture of the '' trimurti'' on the lintel and Ganga
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
and Yamuna at the base.
References
Bibliography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brahma Temple Hindu temples in Khajuraho 10th-century Hindu temples Monuments and memorials in Madhya Pradesh World Heritage Sites in Madhya Pradesh Shiva temples in Madhya Pradesh