The Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple

Context: The Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhojpur, in Madhya Pradesh, has been included into UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. 

Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple

Introduction: 

• Situated: along the Betwa and Kaliasot Rivers, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
• Constructed: during the 11th century
• Patronage of: Raja Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty
• Dedicated to: Lord Shiva
• Paramara dynasty:
  • Reigned over the Malwa region and adjacent territories from the 9th to the 14th century.
  • Raja Bhoj emerged as a celebrated monarch.
  • He was renowned for his architectural treatise, the “Samaranganasutradhara”.
  • Inscriptions and literary works attribute King Bhoj with an extensive temple building initiative, dedicated to various aspects of Shiva. 
  • However, the Bhojpur temple remains the sole surviving shrine definitively linked to Bhoja. 
• The temple has been designated as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Architectural features of the temple: 

• Architectural style reflects the evolution of temple design during the Paramara period. 
• Elements of the Bhumija style emerged in the 9th century and flourished until the 13th century.
• Bhumija style is an evolved form of the Nagara temples.
• The main structure and the shikhara in this style harmoniously blend influences from the Dravidian style of temple architecture.
• The temple does not have a mandapa, which have led researchers to propose the hypothesis of it being a funerary monument.
• The unfinished shikhara is decorated with small sub-shrines or kuta-stambhas and corner bands known as Lata. 
• The temple has a square plan and it is built on a raised plinth with ornate carvings and sculptures in its exterior.
• In the centre, the garbhagriha is constructed which houses a massive lingam, carved from a single stone.
• Projecting balconies are built on three sides of the temple.
• The northern wall features a makara-pranala, which provided a drainage outlet for the liquid used to bathe the lingam. 
• The four brackets supporting the cornerstones feature four different divine couples: Shiva-Parvati, Brahma-Shakti, Rama-Sita, and Vishnu-Lakshmi.

About Paramara Dynasty (9th-14th Century): 

Introduction: 

• Exerted dominion over Malwa and adjacent territories in west-central India. 
• Originated from the Parmara clan of Rajputs.
• Initially served as vassals to the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta.
• They rose to sovereign power around 972 CE when Siyaka, one of the rulers, sacked Manyakheta and established Paramaras as an independent authority.
• Capital: Dhara (modern-day Dhar)
• The dynasty faced repeated conflicts with neighbouring kingdoms such as the Chaulukyas of Gujarat, the Chalukyas of Kalyani, the Kalachuris of Tripuri, and the Chandelas of Jejakabhukti.
• Due to the challenges, the capital was shifted to Mandapa-Durga (now Mandu).
• Religion:
  • Predominantly followers of the Shaivite tradition.
  • Also supported Jain scholars

Rulers: 

• Earliest known king Siyaka:
  • Harsola copper plate inscription (949 CE), mentions him as vassal to the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna III.
  • As a Rashtrakuta vassal, Siyaka engaged in military campaigns against the Pratiharas and Hunas. 
  • He secured victory over Krishna III's successor, Khottiga, in 972 CE.
• Munja (Siyaka's successor):
  • Munja attained victory over various neighbouring kingdoms, such as Chahamanas, Guhilas, Hunas, and Kalachuris.
  • He was defeated by Western Chalukya king Tailapa II. This resulted in loss of southern territories to the Chalukyas.
• Sindhuraja (Munja’s successor):
  • He reclaimed the lost territories by defeating the Western Chalukya king Satyashraya.
  • He expanded the dominion by defeating Shilaharas, Somvanshi, and rulers of Lata (now South Gujarat). 
  • His court poet, Padma Gupta, wrote his biography, Nava-Sahasanka- Charita.
• King Bhoja (Sindhuraja’s son and successor): 
  • Reigned from 1010–1055 CE. 
  • The dynasty reached its zenith during his reign.
  • Bhoja's inscriptions mention his titles as Parama Bhattaraka, Maharajadhiraja and Parameshvara. 
  • Extended control from Chittor in the north to upper Konkan in the south, and from the Sabarmati River in the west to Vidisha in the east.
  • He founded the town of Bhojpur. 

Cultural Contributions of King Bhoja: 

• Under his rule, Malwa and its capital Dhara became one of the chief intellectual centres of India.
• Chintamani-Sarnika (1055 CE) was composed by his court poet Dasabala.
• Besides the Bhojeshwar Temple, he also construction of three dams in Bhojpur. 
  • The first dam, built on Betwa River. 
  • A second dam was constructed in a gap between the hills.
  • A third dam diverted more water from the smaller Kaliasot river. 
• Bhoja established the Bhoj Shala which was a centre for Sanskrit studies and a temple of Saraswati in Dhar.
• Bhoja was renowned as a scholar king, and several books are attributed to him. He was an expert on poetry, and the treatise Shringara-Prakasha was authored by him. 
• Some of his surviving works in Sanskrit language:
  • Bhujabala-bhima, a work on astrology
  • Champu-Ramayana or Bhoja-Champu, a re-telling of the Ramayana in mixture of prose and poetry (champu genre)
  • Govinda-vilasa, poem
  • Raja-Martaṅda or Patanjali Yogasutra Bhashya, a major commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
  • Raja Mriganka Karana, a treatise on chemistry, dealing with the extraction of metals from ores, and production of various drugs.
  • Samarangana-Sutradhara, a treatise on architecture and iconography.
  • Sarasvati-Kanthabharana, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar for poetic and rhetorical compositions.
  • Tattva-Prakasha, a treatise on Shaivite philosophy.
  • Vidvajjana-Vallabha, treatise on astronomy.
  • Vyavahara-Manjari, a work on dharmasastra or Hindu law
  • Yukti-Kalpataru, a work dealing with several topics including statecraft, politics, city-building etc.
• His Prakrit language poems are: Kodanda-Kavya and Kurma-Sataka.
  • The Kodanda-Kavya was found inscribed on stone slab fragments at Mandu.
  • The Kurma-Sataka was found inscribed at the BhojShala in Dhar.

The Paramara Dynasty experienced a decline in their power, ultimately leading to the defeat and death of the final recorded ruler, Mahalakadeva, by the forces of Alauddin Khilji of Delhi in 1305 CE. However, despite this, inscriptions indicate that Paramara authority persisted for some time following Mahalakadeva's downfall.