The Dharmarajeshwara temple is a rock-cut temple site 100kms from

Mandsaur Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Temple is l ...

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 ...

. The complex features well-preserved Hindu shrine and bears some resemblance to the rock-cut heritage sites at Ellora, Maharashtra. The temple complex dates to the 8th century and initially featured a shrine dedicated to

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" withi ...

but was later remodelled as a Shiva temple. Consequently, the

sanctum sanctorum The Latin phrase ''sanctum sanctorum'' is a translation of the Hebrew term ''קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים'' (Qṓḏeš HaQŏḏāšîm), literally meaning Holy of Holies, which generally refers in Latin texts to the holiest place of th ...

features both an icon of

Harihara Harihara (Sanskrit: हरिहर) is the fused sattvika characterisation of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara) from Hindu theology. Hari is the form of Vishnu, and Hara is the form of Shiva. Harihara is also known as Shankaranarayana ("Shankara" ...

as well as a

Shivalinga 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 ...

. The Mahashivaratri is the primary festival celebrated at Dharmarajeshwara.

Picture gallery

Image:Dharmrajeshwar5.JPG, Dharmarajeshwara temple Image:Dharmrajeshwar3.JPG, Shivalinga Image:Dharmrajeshwar2.JPG, Dharmarajeshwara temple Image:Dharmrajeshwar1.JPG, Dharmarajeshwara temple File:Stone Wheel for Mortar making.JPG, A Stone Wheel for Mortar making at Dharmrajeshwar

References

{{Indian Buddhist Caves Temples in Madhya Pradesh Tourist attractions in Mandsaur district Caves of Madhya Pradesh Buddhist temples in India History of Madhya Pradesh 5th century in India Buddhist caves in India