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Abhaneri, also spelled Abaneri, is a village in the
Dausa district Dausa district is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Jaipur division–one of the ten List of districts of Rajasthan#Divisions, administrative divisions of Rajasthan. The city of Dausa is the district headquarters. ...
of the Indian state of
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
, situated on the Jaipur-Agra Highway. Modern day Abhaneri contains the ruins of an ancient city, Abhangari, as well as the popular tourist sites of the Chand Baori
step well Step(s) or STEP may refer to: Common meanings * Steps, making a staircase * Walking * Dance move * Military step, or march ** Marching Arts Films and television * ''Steps'' (TV series), Hong Kong * ''Step'' (film), US, 2017 Literature * ' ...
and the
Harshat Mata Temple The Harshat Mata Temple (IAST: ''Harṣat Mātā kā Mandir'') is a Hindu temple in the Abhaneri (or "Abaneri") village of Rajasthan, in north-western India. The temple is dedicated to a goddess named Harshat Mata, although some art historians ...
. The site was first reported by B L Dhama in 1903 when he published a ''List of Objects of Antiquarian Interest in the States of Rajputana.'' Beside the step well and the temple, it has many examples of early (circa 8th-9th century CE) Pratihara art. Many sculptures from the area have been removed and are now contained in the collections of museums around India such as the Government Museum,
Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
; the
Albert Hall Museum The Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur is the oldest museum of the state and functions as the state museum of Rajasthan, India. The building is situated in Ram Niwas Garden, Ram Niwas garden outside the city wall opposite New gate and is a fine examp ...
, Jaipur; the Hawamahal City Palace; and the
Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
. The Indian Government issued a postal stamp depicting the Chand Baori in 2017.


History

Abhaneri was originally named Abha Nagari, ("City of Brightness"), but over time the name evolved to its present form. Originally ruled by the
Chahamanas of Shakambhari The Chahamanas of Shakambhari (IAST: Cāhamāna), colloquially known as the Chauhans of Sambhar or Chauhans of Ajmer, were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Rajasthan and neighbouring areas between the sixth and twelfth centuri ...
, the area was later conquered by Muslim invasions under
Mahmud of Ghazni Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...
and later ruled by the
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
s. Later the
Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...
conquered the area and it became a part of
Jaipur State The Kingdom of Amber, later the Kingdom of Jaipur or the Jaipur State, was located in the north-eastern historic Dhundhar region of Rajputana and was ruled by the Kachwaha Rajput dynasty. The kingdom was established by Dulha Rai, possibly t ...
until independence. Abhaneri is small in size, but attracts tourists from across the globe. The site has attracted some scholarly attention. In 1955, Pupul Jayakar and R C Agrawal published two articles in Marg Magazine, followed by an exhaustive catalogue of sculptural art found in the region by Rajendra Yadav that was published in 2006. This research points to the emergence of a new school of sculptural art that integrates the beliefs of Gurjara-Pratihara rulers into Classical Gupta art. Symbols of worship, such as the Sun shown as energy, Durga as Mahishasuramardini, and Shiva as destroyer and generator, are typical of the school. Secular elements such as references to music, depictions of various hairstyles, and natural scenes are also depicted in the carvings.


Geography

Abhanari is located between the city of Bandikui and the town of Sikandra on the Jaipur-Agra highway, close to State Highway 25. To the right of the villiage flows the river Banganga. It is about 210 km south of Delhi, about 95 km from
Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
, 90 km east of Jaipur, 40 km east-northeast of Dausa, and 5 km from Bandikui.


Landmarks

In 1951, the
Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
(ASI) described an ancient mound in the vicinity of Abhaneri that yielded numerous objects of arcaheological interest including many examples of red and grey
slipware Slipware is pottery identified by its primary decorating process where slip is placed onto the leather-hard (semi-hardened) clay body surface before firing by dipping, painting or splashing. Slip is an aqueous suspension of a clay body, whi ...
. There were also a large number of Jain artefacts found in the mound. Jain pattavalis (spiritual genealogies) mention many Jain temples with high shikharas (spires) in the region, and attribute their existence to the charitable work of a rich merchant named Deshal along with his son. The artifacts indicate that Jainism flourished at Abhaneri between the 8th and 10th centuries CE. Abhaneri is famous for two important historical sites: the Chand Baori and the
Harshat Mata Temple The Harshat Mata Temple (IAST: ''Harṣat Mātā kā Mandir'') is a Hindu temple in the Abhaneri (or "Abaneri") village of Rajasthan, in north-western India. The temple is dedicated to a goddess named Harshat Mata, although some art historians ...
(the Harshatmata Mandir). Both are splendid examples of ancient Indian architecture. The Chand Baori is one of the most ancient, deepest and largest ''baoris'' (stepwells) in Rajasthan. The oldest parts of the structure date back to the 8th century, with significant additions made in the 18th century. The stepwell consists of three flight of stairs descending into the earth with a subterranean palace on one side. The flights of stairs and the palace are arranged in a square pattern with the well lying at the bottom. The flights of steps descends thirteen stories beneath ground level. The Harshat Mata Temple is located near the Chand Baori. It was a ritual for pilgrims to wash their hands and feet at the Chand Baori before visiting the temple. The Temple is dedicated to Harshat Mata, the goddess of joy and happiness. It was constructed in the 8th century CE. Though it was substantially destroyed by Islamic invaders in the 10th century, the remains of the temple still include architectural and sculptural elements dating from the 8th-century. The temple is on a raised platform from allowing unrestricted views of nearby fertile regions. A small village nearby houses many artisans. The public's attention was drawn to Abhaneri and its step well during the early 2000's when the film ''Paheli'' was shot there. The film is based on a story written by Bijji (Vijaydan Detha). Environmental concerns about excessive water harvesting have also raised the public profile of Abhaneri and its step well. File:Abhaneri-02-Aussenborder-2018-gje.jpg, Bugga in Abhaneri File:Abhaneri-Chand Baori-10-Stufenbrunnen-2018-gje.jpg, Chand Baori stepwell File:Harṣat Mata ka Mandir 2019 (10).jpg, Carved stone sculptures of the Harshat Mata Temple


References


External links

{{Commons category-inline Villages in Dausa district