Category:Karpur Baoli, Ramtek

Karpur Baoli, Ramtek 

Ancient colonnaded water tank with three Hindu temple ruins
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Instance of	monument
Location	Nagpur district, Nagpur division, Maharashtra, India
21° 24′ 03.73″ N, 79° 20′ 07.34″ E
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The Karpur Baoli, also referred to as the Karpuravapi complex, is a water tank and temples complex on the northern side of the Ramagiri hill Hindu pilgrimage site. Set midst a forested area, the Karpur vapi has a colonnade around the tank, and three badly damaged stone temples at the western end of the complex.

Karpur (कर्पूर) is a Sanskrit word, which means camphor or chamomile depending of the context. The historic name likely reflects either the tradition of bathing and burning camphor at this water tank by pilgrims, or alternatively being a water tank midst a chamomile garden.

The Karpur vapi is to north of the Trivikrama temple ruins of the Vakataka era. Further, the grey stone square pillars of the colonnade are in the same style and material of construction as those found from Vakataka era in Ramtek. This evidence suggests that the tank was likely a part of many other temples from pre-6th century. Of the originals, the Karpur Baoli ruins have survived. They are significant because this makes this vapi (pushkarini) one of the oldest in central and Deccan region of India.

Two of the three shrines at the western end of this ancient public water tank are now empty. One has a elongated slab ashtamatrika sculpture – eight mother goddesses – who are all beheaded and show evidence of deliberate mutilation. The slab does not fit the shrine. The desecrated slab was recovered from top of the Ramagiri hill, and placed here in the modern era.

From architectural perspective, the three shrines are notable for combining a north Indian style Nagara temple with two south Indian style phamsana temples – possibly a symbol of flow of ideas and a sign of inclusiveness in the pre-12th century period.