Category:Bajramath Temple

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This is a category about ASI monument number
N-MP-280.
<nowiki>Bajramath Temple, Gyaraspur; Bajramath temple; 10th century Hindu temple converted into Jain temple in Madhya Pradesh; tempel in Vidisha, India; Bajra Matha mandir</nowiki>
Bajramath Temple, Gyaraspur 
10th century Hindu temple converted into Jain temple in Madhya Pradesh
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LocationGyaraspur, Vidisha district, Bhopal division, Madhya Pradesh, India
Heritage designation
Map23° 39′ 45.36″ N, 78° 06′ 42.19″ E
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The Bajra Matha (monastery) is a 9th to 10th-century monument found in the south of Gyaraspur town. It was once a large Shaiva Hindu monastery with temples. It survives as a three-sanctum Hindu temple with Jain statues inside each of the sanctum. Thus this monument is one of several notable examples where a historic Hindu temple was at some point converted into a Jain temple.

The temple stands on a platform and faces east. It has three side-by-side shrines with shared fourteen pillar mandapa. Only one spire partially survives, it is latina-style Nagara architecture.

Based on the artwork on the doorway, the lalitabimba, these Hindu sanctums were dedicated to Vishnu, Surya and Shiva – likely reflecting the Hindu traditions studied and revered at this monastery-college. The temple and artwork are damaged, much is mutilated (beheaded, chopped limbs, faces gouged out, etc). However enough survives to appreciate the elegant work of the shilpins, as well identify the panels. The most notable panels include Varaha-Vishnu, Narasimha-Vishnu, Nataraja and other forms of Shiva, Durga Mahisasuramardini, Surya, Vedic deities, scenes from Mahabharata and Ramayana.

The central shrine is in pancharatha style and dedicated to Surya, who is seen with his (damaged) seven horses. The door-jambs have Ganga and Yamuna, plus dvarapalas. Twelve additional panels celebrate the Hindu Surya-tradition, which likely correspond to the twelve Adityas. The artwork outside of this Surya shrine are entirely Hindu. However, inside the sanctum is a statue of Jain Tirthankara Neminath, with ad hoc stone blocks added for support that are different than anything at this site.

The southern shrine is similarly for Shiva, with twelve panels of Shiva. This likely correspond to the twelve Rudras. The northern shrine is for Vishnu, with twelve panels of Vishnu. Thus likely correspond to the twelve Keshavas. There is some uncertainty because of the damage to some the panels. Inside the southern and northern sanctums are also Jain statues.

There are two theories as to how this Hindu temple became a Jain temple. One states that the Jains forcibly converted this Hindu temple into a Jain temple – a theory that is not supported by any evidence in texts or inscriptions. The other theory is by Deglurkar and Cunningham. This states that the Hindu temple was desecrated during the Islamic conquest of Malwa-Bundelkhand region, abandoned by Hindus for many generations, and sometime after the 17th-century, the abandoned temple was recovered, cleaned up and appropriated by local Jains for their religious services.

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