Brahma Temple or Brahmaji Mandir is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

dedicated to

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

Khedbrahma Khedbrahma () is a town and a Tehsil, taluka headquarter in Khedbrahma Taluka of Sabarkantha district, Sabarkantha district, Gujarat, India. It is situated on the banks of Harnav river. The town is connected with mythological history and has bee ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India. It is built in third quarter of the 11th century.

History

The temples dedicated to

are uncommon in India. According to M. A. Dhaky, it was built in third quarter of the 11th century during the reign of

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

king

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...

Architecture

The east facing Brahma temple is situated in the middle of the village. The spire, ''mandapa'' (dome) and doorway must have been destroyed which are rebuilt later in bricks and mortar. It is built of white sandstone and cement-covered bricks. It is 57 feet long, 30 feet broad, and 36 feet high. The sanctum is 32 feet wide which is ''navaratha'' in ''anga'' and ''hastangula'' in plan and is of fully decorated class. Its ''pitha'' (base), the ''vedibandha'' and the ''mandovara'' (middle part of the wall) is resemble to the temple at Sunak. The lower part of main shrine is intact and is filled with images of gods, goddesses and

apsara Apsaras (, , Khmer language, Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hinduism, Hindu and Culture of Buddhism, Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play ...

s. These images in ''jangha'' portion are poorly retouched. The chauri-bearers on ''nandika'' are elegantly carved which are common in 11th century temples. The ''phansana'' roof resembles Vimala Vasahi temple and is crowned with a ''ghanta''. There are images of Brahma in the niches on the three sides. The modern ''

mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

'' hall has four pillars reused from the original ''mandapa''. They are octagonal and has carvings of bells and chains with band of ''

kirtimukha Kirtimukha (Sanskrit: कीर्तिमुख ,', also ', a bahuvrihi compound translating to "glorious face") is the name of a swallowing fierce face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, very common in the iconography of Hindu temple architectu ...

'' faces on the top. The doorway can be original or the modern one. It has floral patterns and minor sculptures. The dedicatory block in the centre has

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

. The interior has no ornamental carvings. The image of three-faced and four-armed standing Brahma is high. There are goose on either sides of the image. The image seems later installation or the older image plaster with cement to merge broken parts.

Gallery

File:Brahmaji Temple of Khedbrahma8.jpg, Idol of Brahma and his two consorts

Gayatri Gayatri (Sanskrit: गायत्री, IAST: Gāyatrī) is the personified form of the Gayatri Mantra, a popular hymn from Vedic texts. She is also known as Savitri, and holds the title of ''Vedamata'' ('mother of the Vedas'). Gayatri is the ...

and Savitri File:Brahmaji Temple at Khedbrahma.jpg, Entrance File:Brahmaji Temple of Khedbrahma12.jpg, Exterior File:Brahmaji Temple in Khedbrahma.jpg, ''Mandapa'' of the temple

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brahma Temple, Khedbrahma 11th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Gujarat Khedbrahma Brahma temples Sabarkantha district Māru-Gurjara architecture

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References