Bhand Deva Temple or Bhand Devara Temple, also known as ''Little Khajuraho'' as the 18th century main Hindu temple is built in the style of

Khajuraho Group of Monuments The Khajuraho Group of Monuments are a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India. They are about 46 km (28.6mi) from Chhatarpur, Chhatarpur city, the district headquarter, 283 km (177mi) from Gwalior, southea ...

, is a temple complex with one main

shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

temple and two cave temples further uphill. It is on the banks of a meteor impact crater lake inside the 4 km wide

Ramgarh crater Ramgarh crater, also known as ''Ramgarh structure'', ''Ramgarh Dome'' and ''Ramgarh astrobleme'', is a meteor impact crater of diameter in Kota plateau of Vindhya Range located adjacent to Ramgarh village, 40 km north of Baran City in ...

about 40 km from the city of

Baran, Rajasthan Baran is a city in Baran district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a municipality and the district headquarters of Baran district, famous for its 11th century Bhand Devra Temple on banks of Ramgarh crater. It is 339 km from the ...

. It is located near Ramgarh village, between Mangrol 15 km to its west and

Kuno National Park Kuno National Park is a national park and wildlife sanctuary in Gwalior Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh, India. It derives its name from the Kuno River. It was established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary with an initial area of . In 2018, it ...

to its immediate East, in Mangrol

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

Baran district Baran district is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The headquarters of the district are located at the city of Baran. History Before Indian independence in 1947, most of present-day Baran district was part of the princely stat ...

of Eastern

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 ...

Up a flight of more than 750 stairs are two related temples located in a cave on Ramgarh Hill and dedicated to the goddesses Kisnai and Annapurna (

Annapoorna devi Annapurna, Annapurneshwari, Annada or Annapoorna (Sanskrit: अन्नपूर्णा, IAST: Annapūrṇā, lit. ''filled with or possessed of food'') is a manifestation of Parvati and is known as the Hindu goddess of food and feeding. Wors ...

). The stairs are said to have been constructed by Jhala Jalim (or Zalim) Singh (a descendant of Madhu Singh

Madho Singh I Sawai Madho Singh I (20 May 1728 – 5 March 1768) was the Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Jaipur. He was the younger son of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and younger half brother of Sawai Ishwari Singh. He became ruler of Jaipur after ...

), who ruled as a regent over

Jhalawar State Jhalawar State was a Princely State in India during the British Raj. It was located in the south eastern historic Hadoti region of Rajputana .The main town in the state was Jhalawar. The state belonged to the Kotah-Jhalawar Agency which had ...

from 1771 until the British intervention in 1838. During Kartik Purnima (

Kartik Poornima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hinduism, Hindu, Sikhism, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kārtika (month), Kartika. It falls on No ...

) a fair is organised at this temple for worshipping the two goddesses. The site is now protected by the State Archaeological Department. An inscription on a plaque at the site records the history of the main Shiva temple as:

"Shiv-Temple (Bhand Devara) Ramgarh This temple, dedicated to Tantric tradition of Saivism, is a noteworthy example of Nagar style temple. As the inscriptions state, it was built in the 10th century by Raja Malaya Verma of Nag dynasty of
Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...
as a memorial of his victory over his enemies and as a tribute showing his gratitude to Lord Shiva whom he held in esteem. With the passage of time in 1162 A.D., the edifice was renovated by Raja Trisna Verma of Med dynasty. The temple has audience hall vestibule spire and base. The audience hall has eight huge pillars with images of yaksha, Kinnar Kichak Vidyachar gods and goddesses apsaras and amorous couples." :File:Bhand devra2.jpg

References

{{Hindu temples in Rajasthan Hindu temples in Rajasthan Shiva temples in Rajasthan 10th-century Hindu temples Khajuraho Shakti temples

See also

References