History Ensemble of Dhamnar

Context: Recently, six sites from Madhya Pradesh have been added to the Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

These sites are:

• Historic Ensemble of Dhamnar
• Khooni Bhandara, Burhanpur
• Rock Art Sites of the Chambal Valley
• Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhojpura
• Gond monuments of Ramnagar, Mandla
• Gwalior Fort

Difference between a World Heritage Site and Tentative list

• A World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by UNESCO for its special cultural or physical significance.
• The list of World Heritage Sites is maintained by the international ‘World Heritage Programme’, administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
• To get its heritage site considered for inscription on the World Heritage List, the country makes an inventory of important natural and cultural heritage sites located within its boundaries.
• This ‘inventory’ is known as the Tentative List.
• Making it to the tentative list thus is the first step for any site which seeks final nomination for becoming a World Heritage site. 

(Picture: Dhamnar Caves site)

About Historic Ensemble of Dhamnar: 

• Location: Mandsaur district (formerly Dasapura), Madhya Pradesh. 
• Modern Account of the site: 
  • Earliest reference to these monuments comes from James Tod who visited in 1821. 
  • James Furgusson visited the site in 1845 and Alexander Cunningham visited the site between 1864-1865. 
  • Dating of the caves is difficult due to absence of inscriptions, therefore, these monuments can be dated to the 7^th century CE on the basis of few similarities with caves at other sites, such as Ajanta and Ellora.  
  • The name ‘Dhamnar’ is not known from any historical or literary sources.
  • Buddhist establishment here was known as Chandananagari-mahavihara as evidenced by a clay seal discovered by Historian A.H. Khan.
    • Scholar K.C Jain opined that the present name Dhamnar is a derived from the Shaivite epithet ‘Dharmanatha’
    • Dharmanath: Name of the Linga setup in the rock-cut Vaishnava temple during the medieval period.

About Dhamnar Caves: 

• Series of 51 rock-cut caves, stupas, chaityas, passages and compact dwellings. These caves were cut out from a hill of coarse laterite stone. 
• These monolithic spaces were further carved to form grand doors with carvings, columns, and religious sculptural symbols.
• Built around 1123 years ago: 5^th, 6^th and 7^th century CE (7^th century CE was the second wave of cave construction in India). 
• These caves contain structures belonging to: Buddhism (both Hinayana and Mahayana) and Hinduism (presence of the Dharmarajeshwara/Dharmanatha temple). 
• Secluded spaces for monks, also known as Viharas are found. These are fairly simple volumes with a lack of ornamentation.
• Representation of Buddha by motifs and sculptures as a form of religious symbolic art.
• Some caves found with no iconic ornamentation indicate that these possibly belong to the Hinayana Sect of Buddhism.
• Archaeological Survey of India, restored the structures here, as the porous laterite rocks which got weathered over the centuries, destabilised and weakened the structures. 

(Picture: Seated Buddha, Cave No.11)

Some special features: 

• Rani ka Makan/Kamaniya Mahal cave (Cave no. 10)
• Bhim Bazar Chaitya (Cave no. 11):
  • Most extensive of all the excavations.
  • Stupa: Buddha is sculpted in seated posture.
  • Stupa with three-tier chhatravali and circumambulatory passage.
• Chota Bazar/Child’s cave (Cave no. 13):
  • Chaitya-griha
  • Nirvana image of Buddha depicted on the east wall.
  • Depiction of Buddha, as seated upon a throne, in the teaching attitude.
  • Buddha is known to locals as Bhima. 
  • Principal shrine with Pradakshinapath (circumambulation).
    • On the back wall of the shrine, are five images, three seated and two standing.
    • Three seated figures are known by locals as: Pandu with his two sons, Arjuna and Nakula.
• Bari Kacheri/Big courthouse (Cave no. 6): includes stupas and chaityas; stone railing with the wooden architecture. 
• Hathi-ka-mekh/Elephant’s stable/Hathi-bandhi (Cave No 12): simple chaitya cave where the stupa is placed to support the roof. 

(Picture: Dharmanatha Temple) 

About Dharmanatha Temple at the site: 

• The temple is situated north of Cave No. 12 of the Buddhist cave group.
• Rock-cut temple is excavated in a rectangular pit within the hill.
• The courtyard can also be accessed from the top of the hill by the rock-cut stairs provided. 
• The sculpture on the south is that of Bhairava and on the north is of Kali. The latter carries an inscription dating to the 8^th-9^th century CE.
• Garbha-griha, Antarala, Mandapa and Mukha-mandapa.
• It is surrounded by seven subsidiary shrines.
  • Thus, the temple falls under the sapta-parivara (family of seven) category, that is generally seen in Southern India for Shiva temples.
  • Among the seven subsidiary shrines, the ones located in the corners are with Latina-Nagara shikhara.
  • The ones opposite the garbha-griha are of the Phamsana shikhara.
• The temple is known as Chaturbhuj temple by the locals due to the image of a four-arm Sheshasayi-Vishnu installed inside the Garbha-girha. Vishnu is holding Shankha, Chakra and a Lotus flower. 
• Main temple is Pancharatha:
  • Consisting of one bhadra, two prati-ratha, and two karna projections.
  • Prati-ratha is decorated with ‘ghata-pallava’ motif.
  • The vertical elevation has shikhara.
  • The shikhara is Latina style of the Nagara type, consisting of six bhumis (tiers) marked by bhumi-amalakas at the Karna. 
• Inside the garbha-griha is a Shivalinga known as Dharmanatha.
• The southern shrine has a panel depicting dancing Shiva surrounded by four Matrakas. On the right of Shiva are Maheshwari and Vaishvani while on his left are Indrani and Brahmi.
• An interesting feature is the omission of Buddha who is replaced by a figure of Vishnu instead.
• There is an inscription and its palaeography helped in dating the temple to the latter half of the 9^th century CE.