Harshnath Temple (
Sanskrit: हर्षनाथ् ''Harṣanātha'') is an ancient
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva which is situated in the
Sikar district of the
Indian state of
Rajasthan. It is located 14 km from district headquarters
Sikar.
History
This
Shiva temple, according to an inscription dated 973 CE, was built by the Shiv ascetic Bhavarakta, during the reign of
Chahamana king
Vigraharaja I
Vigraharāja I (r. c. 734-759 CE ) was an Indian king from the Chahamana dynasty. He ruled parts of present-day Rajasthan in north-western India. He is also known as Vigrahanṛpa.
Vigraharaja succeeded his father Ajayaraja I as the Chahamana r ...
. It is surrounded by various shrines which lie in ruins.
The original temple was later destroyed by Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
in 1679. In 1718 Rao Shivsingh constructed a new temple adjacent to the old temple using the ruins of the old temple.
Exactly same type of temple also situated at Harsh Village,
Bilara Harsh Deval Temple, Dist
Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Harsh Deval Temple at Bilara was also built in 10th century.
Architecture
The temple and its surrounding shrines are now in ruins. The main temple faces east. Its pillars are intricately carved. On the inside west wall is carved a figure of standing
Parvati abelled Vikatain ''panchagnitap'' along with her female attendants.
File:Harshnath Temple Sikar outer view.JPG, Outer view
File:Harshnath Temple View from Sunset Point.jpg, Temple View from Sunset Point
File:View of Destroyed section of Harshnath Temple.jpg, Destroyed section
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 3.JPG, Sculptures
File:Harshnath Temple 11.JPG, Broken pieces
File:Harshnath Temple 5.JPG, Sculptures
File:Harshnath Temple 6.JPG, Sculptures
File:Harshnath Temple 9.JPG, Sculptures
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 21.JPG, Sculptures
File:Old Ruins at Harshnath Temple 4.jpg, Sculptures
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 14.JPG, Nandi
Nandi may refer to:
People
* Nandy (surname), Indian surname
* Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe
* Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi
* Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...
sculpture
File:Harshnath Temple 7.JPG, Pillar
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 8.JPG, Pillar
File:Harshnath Temple 12.JPG, Pillar
File:Harshnath Temple Sikar info 1.JPG, Information board
File:Harshnath Temple Sikar 6.JPG, Information board
File:View from top of Harshnath Temple.jpg, View from top
File:20130818 152917 (2014 07 20 13 08 51 UTC).jpg, View from top
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 15.JPG, Sculpture of a musician playing an eka-tantri vina
The ''eka-tantrī vīṇā'' was a medieval tube-zither veena in India, with a single string and one or more gourd resonators. The instrument became prominent in Indian music in about the 10th century C.E. as instruments of court music. Alongsid ...
.
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 16.JPG, Sculpture of musicians playing eka-tantri vina, flute and drum
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 23.JPG, Musicians, an attendant ace a seated figure, possibly a nobleman
File:Harshnath Temple sculptures 6.JPG, Sculpture showing musicians and a couple
See also
*
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 now dedicated to a goddess called Harshat Mata, although some art histor ...
constructed during the Chahamana period
References
External links
*
{{Hindu temples in Rajasthan
Hindu temples in Rajasthan
Characters in the Mahabharata
Tourist attractions in Sikar district
10th-century Hindu temples
Shiva temples in Rajasthan