The Shiv Mandir of Ambarnath is a historic 11th-century

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...

, still in use, at

Ambarnath Ambernath (Marathi pronunciation: �mbəɾnaːt̪ʰ is an eastern suburban city in Mumbai and is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Notable people * Merwyn Fernandes, former Indian hockey player * Farukh Choudhary, Indian footballer * ...

near

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, in Maharashtra, India. It is also known as the Ambreshwar Shiva Temple, and known locally as Puratana Shivalaya. It is situated on the bank of Vadavan (Waldhuni) river, 2 km away from

Ambarnath railway station Ambarnath (also spelled Ambernath) is a railway station on the Central Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It is an important terminus for local commuters. Ambarnath is famous for its namesake ''Ambreshwar mandir,'' a temple dedicat ...

(East). The temple was built in 1060 AD beautifully carved in stone. It was probably built by

Shilahara The Shilahara Kingdom (IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra ( Kolhapur) ...

king

Chhittaraja Chhittaraja was Shilahara ruler of north Konkan branch from 1022 CE – 1035 CE. Chhittaraja succeeded his uncle Arikesarin some time before 1026 CE, when he issued his Bhandup plates. Chhittaraja was a patron of art and literature. He built t ...

, it may also have been rebuilt by his son Mummuni. Unusually, the sanctuary or

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the '' sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ...

is below ground, reached by some 20 steps down from the

mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples ...

, and is open to the sky as the

shikhara ''Shikhara'' ( IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the '' garbhagriha'' cham ...

tower above stops abruptly at a little above the height of the mandapa, and was apparently never completed. It is in

bhumija Bhumija is a variety of north Indian temple architecture marked by how the rotating square-circle principle is applied to construct the '' shikhara'' (superstructure or spire) on top of the sanctum. Invented about the 10th-century in the Malwa re ...

form, and if completed would have been close in form to the Udayesvara Temple also known as Neelkantheshwara temple in

Udaipur, Madhya Pradesh Udaipur is a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh near Ganj Basoda. It is the site of a well-preserved Śiva temple, a monument of national importance protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. History Udaipur's history reaches back to ...

, begun in 1059, and the

Gondeshwar Temple The Gondeshwar temple ( IAST: Gondeśvara) is an 11th-12th century Hindu temple located in Sinnar, a town in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India. It features a panchayatana plan; with a main shrine dedicated to Shiva; and four subsidiary ...

at Sinnar. It is clear from what was built that the shikhara would have followed these in having four corner bands of

gavaksha In Indian architecture, gavaksha or chandrashala (''kudu'' in Tamil, also nāsī) are the terms most often used to describe the motif centred on an ogee, circular or horseshoe arch that decorates many examples of Indian rock-cut architecture and l ...

-honeycomb sweeping uninterrupted up the full height of the tower, while in between each face has rows of five spirelets on individual podia, reducing in size up the tower. There's also a possibility that the shikhar here represents of Sky as the name suggests Ambarnath which means the Sky. अंबर in sanskrit is sky. So the shikhar here is sky and thus the tower might have not stopped abruptly. The mandapa has three porches. Much of the exterior figure carving is damaged, but some female and divine figures remain.Michell, 346

References

External links

Sun News feature, quoting full description
by

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 Alexand ...

ambernath shiv mandir
{{Coord, 19.1986, 73.1766, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Buildings and structures in Maharashtra Shiva temples in Maharashtra Rebuilt buildings and structures in India Ambarnath

References

Further reading

External links