Monsoons 2024
Mostly, it is the
destruction that moves you when you go visiting temples – Ashapuri, Thubon and
Bijamandal. Except Bijamandal where a small mosque was erected, Ashapuri and
Thubon were just ruthlessly broken up. The Ghurid template mosques – Qutb,
Mandu, Dhar, Ajmer, Kaman - do let you imagine the temples from the surviving
pillars and roof elements. In Ashapuri and Thubon the destruction is so
overpowering that you fail to conjure up images of what has been lost forever.
Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Tehla in Alwar Rajasthan
On the Wonder Trail - Gadh Neelkanth, Alwar
Neelkanth is like the
long-lost cool breeze of monsoons in this part of the world after a tough day
of search in the sweltering heat. You get a little careless on the new
Delhi-Mumbai expressway and then Google maps decide that you need a tour of the
entire Alwar district to bring back all those memories beginning from 2002.
Alwar is a huge district and quite unlike Rajasthan or UP; and so are the
neighbouring Karauli and Dholpur districts – too far from anywhere. Administrators
in the past had merged these three districts into Matsya, a throwback to the Mahabharat times. You have made several trips to Alwar and still it seems
largely unexplored leaving you unsatiated every time. On every trip you find
something new and, on every trip, you miss a lot. Alwar continues to be a work
in progress and that is how you like it – let there be many new reasons to keep
coming back. Next time, you will come during Holi time to see the Palash blooming
in the woods and hills.
This time you will take a new route to Alwar - the not so new KMP and the new Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway
The interchange from KMP to Delhi-Vadodara Expwy
Meel patharon se meri dosti hai
chaal meri kya hai, raah jaanti hai, rozaana
You like two types of stones - ones those lead to ruins and the stones that make up those ruins
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| The Mewat area of Nuh and Firozpur Jhirka remains unexplored |
After spending good part of the day in forcedly revisiting memories all over Alwar you finally arrive in the elusive Tehla (Tahla in the Gazetteer). Tehla is the launching pad for Neelkanth Mahadeo Temple – the Sapphire on the Hill. Powlett says, 'Nilkanth is one of the most interesting places archeologically in the State. The place would be worth a visit from a competent archaeologist.' Cunningham would soon oblige him. You took your own time fulfilling Powlett's wish. A small track leads you into the hills radiant in the rains. Rains have been good this year. There are reports of flooding in Eastern Rajasthan. Streams on the way show their happiness as they gurgle in these few days of rain.
At the foothill is the village Dabkan where Alexander Cunningham
had spent some time while exploring the hill above. From here a newly installed
concrete strip launches you to the top of the hill through a series of rapidly
rising tight bends. A high gateway delivers you into this world that you have
been wanting to visit for the longest time. This ruined fort according to
Alexander Cunningham is Paranagar (how did he come upon this name needs to be investigated), the fortified old capital of Bargujar Rajas,
feudatories of Imperial Pratihars (730-1018 AD). Was it earlier called Rajyapur
or Rajor or Rajawar or Rajauri? Cunningham does not think so. The gate is
probably named after Jay Singh, a Bargujar Raja.
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| The Wonder of Rains - so Rajasthan now gets above normal rains now while North-East is going dry |
First sign of the hill with the fortified Capital of Bargujar Rajas
First real test of the new ride - the lunar landscape around Ajabgarh was the toughest but don't ask how you ended up there!
Zooming into Google maps reveal broken fort walls, sometimes forking into double layer extending on both sides of the gate into the forested land along with defensive structures. The track descends and then levels out into a plateau with bountiful fields of maize ready for harvest. An ASI board directs you to turn left into this small settlement. Now the village is called Gadh Neelkanth. In these saavan months the village is attracting sizeable number of pilgrims including large groups of women attired in their bright coloured odhnis.
Gadh Neelkanth Map
Tehla to Neelkanth - Alwar, Rajasthan
Sitting pretty is a small
temple in the company of a kund, several ruins and maize fields. On the first
glance the temple seems intact and almost unmolested – or is it? It will need a
closer look. On the north east corner is the old tank Lachoro on whose banks
were built many temples.
The Lachoro kund or tank - Neelkanth Mahadev, Alwar
The temple is fenced as you walk from the east to its west facing entrance. The west frontage with ghastly modern modifications is uninspiring. First it was the invaders now it is the friendly-fire called ASI. ASI is in dire need of inculcating aesthetics in its working. This will have to wait. The east looks promising.
View from North-East Corner - each corner has these ruined shrines and therefore a Panchayatana temple Source - wiki
Eastern Wall - never seen before Hari-Hara-Pitamaha-Arka image - composite of Vishnu Shiv Surya Brahm - all iconography identification from A Wandering Mind blog by Anuradha Shankar - link below Varah with swagger Lover with Bharat Bhushan hairstyle
Northern wall with Narasimha, Sursundaris, Lovers and Dikpals - Vayu on extreme right NW, Ishan (?) on extreme left NE
There is definitely something jarring with the arms and eyes in some images - Do the missing arms have prosthetics fixed by ASI as part of restoration? Eyes on some images are either not carved fully or is there some other reason?
At the rear of the panchayatana temple complex where the shikhar rises that you are moved. Few preliminary glances and you know it was all worth it getting here. The work on the images is joyous, creative and exemplary. Whether it is the major images in the northern, eastern and southern niches (bhadras), or the minor ones straddling the shikar, or the small sized images of the subsidiary shrines, every image has you open mouthed. The never seen before Bharat Bhushan hair-style of the male lover, the lanky handsome Varaha, the totally befuddling composite image that is a smorgasbord of all iconographic elements, the jewellery laden sursundaris or the merrily dancing Ganesh. These creations seem to be floating in the air – untethered to the stone stele. It is quite possible when darkness falls over the hill, the images come back to rest on their steles. Yes, some magic continues to happen here on this Aravalli hill. Cunningham writes about a twenty-two line inscription found here but has since then gone missing. The inscription says the temple was built in 953 AD.
View from South-East - Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
Tripurantaka - Shiv destroying the three cities of demons - South Bhadra niche South Wall - Nilkanth Mahadeo Temple, Alwar
And now you are going back
a century and wondering about this band of sculptors with magic hands and
chisels who found their way on top of this hill in these dense woods filled
with tigers and other predators where they will literally instil life in these
pieces of stones. You wonder how and where they got this training from and their
motivation and passion - was it this idyllic location? was it the love for
temples of the local rulers? It just seems everything came perfectly together
here which made the sculptors and their creation this special here.
Plan - Nilkanth Temple by Alexander Cunningham with Three Open Porches - N, S, W
The brief reverie is broken
as you step into the courtyard area. ASI has built store rooms on either side –
like the ones you saw at Bijamandal – filled with broken temple parts. Apparently, there
is more to what eye can see. Did this still standing temple survive the mayhem?
More investigation is needed.
The West facing drab facade and courtyard of the fenced complex with screened store rooms filled with broken temple images - Neelkanth Mahadev, Alwar, Rajasthan Garbhgriha with Shivling
The mahamandap or rangmandap - richly carved elements, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Alwar
Two lalat bimbas to the lateral shrines - they were reported to be open porticoes by Cunningham
Looking west - this is where you are headed to next
You are at the west facing front. Here, all you can see are the shabby modern add-ons. It does not look like an ancient temple. It is actually sorry looking. The mandap area has been rebuilt. The ASI website notes that the temple has three shrines – main shrine dedicated to Shiv and two subsidiary shrines. While the main shrine has survived, the lateral shrines have only the original platform surviving. ASI or the later rulers have erected square structures over the lateral shrines’ platforms. Wait a minute - Cunningham saw open porticoes on three sides. And he does not mention any lateral shrines. Also, while the central shrine has a single door-frame, the lateral ones surprisingly have two door frames!
Theory on What Might Have Happened
Paranagar had a large number of temples built from 6th to 10th century. Most were destroyed – not by Aurangzeb but much earlier during the early Sultanate years. By some miracle Neelkanth temple’s shrine and shikhar survives. From all these toppled temples, some less damaged elements were harvested. Then ASI or somebody (post Cunningham’s visit in 1882-83) went around doing a cut-paste job with all the best intentions. The only surviving temple must look more sizeable. So, the two open porticoes had square structures raised over them, sadly though with flat roofs. Inside they would have kept images either as deities or to protect them. They got hold of few door frames – lalat bimbs. So, they fixed double door frames to these two newly created shrines or safe-rooms. On the outside, the walls were affixed with images clearly as part of remodelling to relieve the plain rubble-masonry of box-like structures.
The so called two ‘Lateral Shrines’ came much later. Of course, it is too much effort for ASI to read their founder’s Reports.
Sursundaris in the brackets who look like the Madanikas of Ramappa Temple in Warangal district, Telangana
In the mandap, the four blackstone
pillars are richly carved with sursundaris and kirtimukhs. Above, sundaris
similar to Kakatiya’s Ramappa Temple (recently inscribed as UNESCO site) in
Warangal peer down at the devotees below. Outside in the courtyard, the locked
store-rooms contain more images collected from all over this plateau. As you
step off the fenced complex a graveyard of dismembered parts leads you to more
destruction among the swaying fields. Now this is familiar. But then today is
different.
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| Looking towards Neelkanth from West |
You do wonder about the destruction process. It is highly unlikely that someone from the still few ruling class members would have come to each temple site armed with a hammer to demolish the temples. The job would have been given to regional chiefs, all eager to please the head office. The local chiefs would have been either warlords or recent converts. In that Age of Wrath, both were highly dangerous to the health of the temples. A warlord would be trying to impress his new boss by demonstrating his inculpable credentials and that they had no qualms in destroying their own places of worship. They would happily destroy something that was probably built by their ancestors so that they could hold on to their now shaky seat of power in these volatile socio-political times. Recent converts were even more dangerous - Malik Kafur, Alauddin Khilji’s lieutenant is the perfect example. The converts were trying to prove to their masters that they can be trusted and now that they have broken all ties with their old life.
What took hundreds of years to chisel and create would be totally erased in few years in the arc from Punjab to Dhaka. Malik Kafur will take his hammer south to Yadav’s Deogiri, Kakatiya’s Warangal, Kannadiga’s Hoysala and even deep down to Pandya’s Madurai.
The Baoli and Lachoro kund are quite close to each other
A ruined temple with the same layout as Neelkanth
It is almost four in the evening - time to head out into the fields. The guard says there are about thirty temple ruins here. Few yards to the west is a small baoli in good repair. Baoli provides water and hammering down dozens of temples is hard work. No sense in killing a baoli. Beyond is a battered temple platform as a flitting sun douses it in pale light. ASI has raised a few pillars. No harm in keeping the sensibilities of the lone visitors unharmed. The pillars give it a likelihood of a temple. Your remorse is growing; “Why can’t you build your own instead of destroying others.” This is the Age of Wrath - logic & reasoning is in short supply while crowbars and hammers are plentiful.
How about spending an evening in that machaan
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| The Jain shrine of Shantinath - Neelkanth Alwar |
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| The Naugaj idol of Jain Tirthankar Shantinath |
Beyond the palash lined cobbled track you can see the next set of ruins. ASI finally manages to impress you. Instead of a track in the fields, which can be encroached upon anytime by the villagers, ASI has installed a four feet high and four feet wide rubble masonry track. You are walking over a sea of swaying maize cob tassles. The track leads you to the Jain temple of Colossal Shantinath This is also called the Naugaj temple that pertains to the height of Tirthankar. You remember the Baawangaj or 84 feet high idol of Lord Rishabh cut into the Satpura hills in Barwani, MP. Here, where mayhem happened, it is simply surprising to see Him unharmed. Now this hill is turning into an enigma. Why were the Shiva shrine and now Naugaj spared?
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| The series of Elephants - all in different poses |
The temple is built on a high platform along with several subsidiary shrines. The idol has a canopy over the head supported by two elephants. Motifs of elephants are common elements in Jain temple architecture. Here, like at Neelkanth, the sculptors have another surprise. The surviving jagati of the subsidiary shrines is lined with a series of elephants. To make matters interesting, the elephants have different poses. Yes, this was a special posse of sculptors here on this hill. Some shrines here have brick walls. So, there is entire temple historiography happening here. Are there Buddhist era mud mounds too? Some records say about 300 temples were built here.
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| More Wonders Await - Neelkanth Mahadev Alwar Rajasthan |
You walk deeper even as one temple leads to another ruined platform. You can see some more when you climb a protection wall – some in the middle of houses and some in the distant misty air of monsoons.
The ASI has named these ruined temples as Bataka-ki-Deori, Kotan-ki-Deori, Lachholava-ki-Deori, Dabar-ki-Deori, Hanuman-ki-Deori, Bagh-ki-Deori. Of course, you have no way to identify them correctly.
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| The Monsoon Wooing - Time for Romance |
Saying bye to Neelkanth to Paranagar to Pratihars and to Cunningham - will be back soon
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| Did Cunningham see these scenes in the villages from Tehla to Dabkan? Yes, he would have and they remain unchanged |
oh those colourful odhnis
This is Matsya Country
As you read Cunningham report’s chapters this area of Alwar and surroundings become even more interesting. You will have to map these locations and spend some time here from Gurgaon to Tauru to Nuh to Firozpur-Jhirka to Tijara and Alwar. This is Matsya country. The sea of offerings and sights is unfathomable. It is time to go nautical.
Post Script
It has been a few weeks now but Neelkanth is still on your mind. You are trying to make sense of it all. Why would the Badgurjars or the 'Great Gurjars' build their capital Paranagar on top of a hill in the middle of a forest? How large was their kingdom? Was Alwar a part of their kingdom? It is not quite possible that all their subjects lived on the hill. There would be villages below in the outlying area. Was Rajor their old capital, an idea which Cunningham has rejected? Was the Kankwadi Fort some distance away to the west was originally built by them? Was the timeless Viratnagar a part of their kingdom? Viratnagar has Buddhist ancestry with the oldest Buddhist shrine. Did Neelkanth also has Buddhist connections?
So what happened on the hill in those fateful months? Did Iltutmish march here after levelling Kaman and Bayana or was Balban responsible? Was the fortified capital put under a siege? How was the seemingly impregnable capital of supposedly brave Badgurjars reduced? Or was it another case of betrayal which helped the Sultanate overrun the country of all these so-called mighty and brave kingdoms?
In this destruction how did the main shrine of Neelkanth Mahadev and Jain idol of Shantinath survive? Were tributes or inducements given to spare these two shrines?
This will need more digging and you are not sure if any material is available beyond Powlett and Cunningham. But what is definite is that you will be back here soon and maybe several times. You want to see the hills and forests when palash blooms. You need to drive beyond Gadh Neelkanth to Kankwadi fort. You are sure you will see more and miss seeing some more. Hope this continues in Matsya land.
References:
Report of a Tour in Eastern
Rajputana in 1882-83 by Alexander Cuningham, pages 120-127
Gazetteer of Ulwar by Major
PW Powlett, Settlement Officer of Ulwar – Pages 164-165
https://asijaipurcircle.nic.in/Neelkanth.html
https://www.awanderingmind.in/2017/06/the-temple-of-neelkanth-at-alwar.html -
Anuradha does a good job of Iconography identification
https://www.indianrajputs.com/history/badgurjar.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bargujar
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/history-explained-the-origin-of-gurjara-pratihara/ -
reference of Rajgarh inscription and Bargujars
https://www.travel-rajasthan.com/temples/neelkanth-temple
https://www.jstor.org/stable/44144441
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