Kakanmaṭh is a ruined 11th century

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 ...

temple located at

Sihoniya Sihoniya is a town in Morena district, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The town is sometimes referred to as Suhania; in medieval times it was called Siṃhapānīya. The settlement has a long history and a number of notable monuments, o ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It was built by the

Kachchhapaghata The Kachchhapaghatas (IAST: Kacchapaghāta) were a Rajput dynasty that ruled between 10th and 12th centuries. Their territory included north-western parts of Central India (present-day Madhya Pradesh). The Kachhwaha Rajputs of Amber were from ...

ruler Kirttiraja. Only a part of the original temple complex now survives. Some of the sculptures from the site are now located at

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

History

The Kakanmath temple was commissioned by

ruler Kirttiraja (r. c. 1015-1035 CE). This can be inferred from a Kachchhapaghata inscription found at the

Sas-Bahu Temple __NOTOC__ Sasbahu Temple, also called the Sas-Bahu Mandir, Sas-Bahu Temples, Sahasrabahu Temple or Harisadanam temple, is an 11th-century twin temple in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. Near the Gwalior Fort and dedicated to Vishnu in his Padmana ...

. The inscription states that Kirttiraja built an extraordinary temple devoted to

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

's lord (Shiva) at Siṁhapānīya (modern Sihoniya). According to a folk legend, the temple was named "Kakanmadh" after Kakanavati or Kakanade, who was the queen of one Surajpala. The historicity of this legend is doubtful. One possibility is that the name of the temple derives from the ''kanak'' (gold) and '' maṭha'' (shrine). Originally, the site had a temple complex, with a central temple surrounded by four subsidiary shrines. Only the ruins of the central temple stand now: its outer walls, balconies and a part of its

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

have fallen. This damage probably happened during an earthquake. A

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 northwest in the late ...

-language pillar inscription dated 1 0 VS (1393-94 CE) records the renovation of the Mahadeva temple (that is, Kakanmath) by one Durgaprasada. A 1497 VS (1440-41 CE) pillar inscription records the visit of a pilgrim named Dekhana during the reign of Dungara (a Tomara ruler of

). It states that Dekhana was the son of Kakaka, and a resident of Nalapuragaḍha. Now, the temple has been classified as a

Monument of National Importance This article contains lists of Monuments of National Importance in India. An Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" as follows: A "Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey o ...

by the

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 ...

(ASI).

Architecture

Mythological statue guarding Gujari Mahal

The temple stands on an ornate base (''pitha''). The building includes a sanctum, a

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

, and two halls (''gudha-mandapa'' and ''mukha-mandapa''). The sanctum has a

circumambulatory Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in S ...

path with three

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

s. The ''gudha-mandapa'' has lateral transepts, and four clusters of pillars; each cluster contains four pillars. The vestibule has four pillars in a row, which are aligned with the four clusters of the ''gudha-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'' chamber ...

(tower) of the shrine makes it around 30 m high. The steps at the entrance had two large lion statues, which are now located at the entrance of the Archaeological Museum, Gwalior. Many other sculptures have also been taken to Gwalior.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{ref end Tourist attractions in Morena district Shiva temples in Madhya Pradesh 11th-century Hindu temples