File:7th century CE Dharmrajeshwar Vishnu temples complex, Chandwasa Madhya Pradesh.jpg

English: This is a JPEG format plan and architectural drawing of a historic Indian temple or monument. An alternate SVG format (scalable vector graphics) version of this file – for web graphics, design studies, print, dynamic and interactive applications – has also been uploaded to wikimedia commons.

The drawing and location of the monument:

• The temple is to the east of the Chandwasa village, about 75 kilometers northeast from Mandsaur city, Madhya Pradesh. It is about 200 feet north of the Dhamnar Buddhist caves.

• The Dharmrajeshwar temples, also called the Dhamnar Brahmanical rock-cut temple, is a monolithic rock-cut temple created in a manner similar to the famour Kailasha temple at Ellora Caves, Maharashtra. The style and iconography suggests that these were built about the same time as the Ellora Caves, c. 7th-century. However, unlike the Dravida architecture Shiva temple that is Kailasha, the architects and artisans dedicated this to Chaturbhuja Vishnu (four armed Vishnu) and used the Nagara architecture.

• The rock is laterite, and was cut out to reveal the Dharmarajeshwar temple. The entire cut out pit is about 67 feet by 104 feet. The temple itself fits within 48 feet by 33 feet. This consists of the main central temple surrounded by seven small shrines. The small shrines are about 10 feet by 10 feet.

• The main temple is Vaishnava, but like numerous major Hindu temples complexes, Shaivism and Shaktism appear here reverentially. Statues include Ganehsa, Bhairava, Durga, avatars of Vishnu, and various goddesses.

• The sanctums of most sanctums were empty when rediscovered. One has both a Vishnu statue and Shiva linga. It is likely that just like the Dhamnar caves, this entire site and this temple was abandoned at some stage, and then reclaimed by a Shaiva community for active worship, while leaving the original iconography of Hindus and Buddhists as they found it.

• The temple's architectural plan follows the square and circle principle found in historic Sanskrit texts.

• GPS location of the monument:

24° 11′ 40.2″ N, 75° 29′ 53.7″ E

View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap

24.194500; 75.498250

• The relative scale and relative dimensions in this architectural drawing are close to the actual but neither exact nor complete. The plan illustrates the design and layout, but some intricate details or parts of the temple may not be shown. In cases where exact measurements were not feasible, the drawing uses best approximations and rounds the best measurements feasible.

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