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Rudra Mahalaya Temple
Rudra Mahalaya Temple | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Ruins of main portal, Toran, of Rudra Mahalaya, 1874 | |||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() Rudra Mahalaya Location in Gujarat | |||||||||||||||
Alternative names | Rudra Mala | ||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||
Status | ruined | ||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Māru-Gurjara architecture | ||||||||||||||
Location | Siddhpur, Patan district, Gujarat | ||||||||||||||
Country | India | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 23°55′09″N 72°22′45″E / 23.91917°N 72.37917°ECoordinates: 23°55′09″N 72°22′45″E / 23.91917°N 72.37917°E | ||||||||||||||
Construction started | 943 AD | ||||||||||||||
Opened | 1140 AD | ||||||||||||||
Destroyed | 1296 AD and 1414 AD | ||||||||||||||
Technical details | |||||||||||||||
Material | sandstone | ||||||||||||||
Floor count | 2 | ||||||||||||||
Designations | ASI Monument of National Importance (N-GJ-164 for temple/163 for mosque) | ||||||||||||||
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The Rudra Mahalaya Temple, also known as Rudramal, is a destroyed/desecrated temple complex at Siddhpur in the Patan district of Gujarat, India. Its construction was started in 943 AD by Mularaja and completed in 1140 AD by Jayasimha Siddharaja, a ruler of the Chaulukya dynasty. The Hindu temple was destroyed by the Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin Khalji, and later the Sultan of Gujarat, Ahmed Shah I (1410–1444) desecrated and substantially demolished the temple, and also converted part of it into the congregational mosque (Jami Masjid) of the city. Two torans (porches) and four pillars of the former central structure still stand along with the western part of the complex used as a congregational mosque.
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Four_great_pillars_and_architrave_of_the_ruined_Rudra_Mahalaya_Temple%2C_Siddhapur.jpg/220px-Four_great_pillars_and_architrave_of_the_ruined_Rudra_Mahalaya_Temple%2C_Siddhapur.jpg)
Sidhpur, under the rulers of Chaulukya dynasty, was a prominent town in the 10th century. In the tenth century (943 AD) Mularaja, the founder of the Chaulukya dynasty of Gujarat, started the erection of the Rudra Mahalay temple. In his youth, Muladev had slain his maternal uncle, usurped his throne, and murdered the whole of his mother's kindred; and in old age his crimes hung heavily on his mind. He made pilgrimages and courted the favour of Brahmins from far and near. To a band of them he gave Sristhal, and committing the kingdom to his son Chamundaraja, he retired there to end his days in their company (996 AD). But the Rudra Mahalay was still incomplete, nor was it finished till 1140 AD.[1][2][3]
Consecration[]
It was during the 12th century, in 1140 AD, that Jayasimha Siddharaja (1094–1144) consecrated the temple complex in worship of Shiva.[1][a][b] This act continued the long-running patronage of the city by the Chalukyas.[4]
Dismantling[]
The temple was dismantled during the siege of the city by Ahmed Shah I (1410–44) of Muzaffarid dynasty; parts of it were reused in setting up a new congregational mosque.[4] Mirat-I-Sikandiri, the earliest extant chronicle in Persian documenting Shah's campaigns, attributes the dismantling/destruction to religious zealotry.[4]
Architecture[]
Elevation of Kirti Torana
Carving of the lintel
Drawing of sculptures
One of the surviving porches
Rudramahal
Surviving western part
Surviving torana
The temple was built in Māru-Gurjara architecture style.
The original temple, completed in 1140 to lavish proportions with extensive ornamentation, consisted of a roof measuring 32 feet (9.8 m), much larger than the Abu temple. Its overall dimensions were 300 by 230 feet (91 m × 70 m) with the central building 150 feet (46 m) in length.[5] It was a triple storied temple with 1,600 pillars, 12 entrance doors, and 11 shrines of Rudra positioned around it.[2] The sanctum was located on the west and there was also a mandapa or hall which had porches on the eastern, northern, and southern wings. Today only a few remnants of this complex are seen, such as two "toranas" (porches) and four pillars. One "torana" is elaborately ornamented; the eastern gate which leads to the Saraswati river still stands; the remaining pillars have highly ornamented carvings. Kirti Torana of North has survived. The western part of complex converted into the congregation mosque is also there.[2][6][7][8]
See also[]
Notes[]
- ^ According to one legend, two Parmars from Malwa, named Govinddas and Madhavdas, took up their haunt among the rush grass that covered the neighbourhood of the Rudra Mahalaya, and lived by plunder. There they found the foundations of a temple and Shiva linga, and said that in the night they had seen heavenly beings. This was told to Siddharaj and led to the erection or completion of the temple.[1]
- ^ In Mirat-i-Ahmadi, Ali Muhammad Khan writes, "The king on signifying his intention of building the temple, requested the astrologers, it is said, to appoint a fortunate hour; and they at this time predicted the destruction of the building." Then Siddha Raja caused images of "horse lords" and other great kings to be placed in the temple, and "near them a representation of himself in the attitude of supplication, with an inscription praying that, even if the land was laid waste, this temple might not be destroyed."[1]
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References[]
- ^ a b c d Burgess; Murray (1874). "The Rudra Mala at Siddhpur". Photographs of Architecture and Scenery in Gujarat and Rajputana. Bourne and Shepherd. p. 19. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ a b c "Sidhpur". Official website of Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Rudra Mahalaya Temple Sidhpur Patan District Gujarat". Official website of Gujarat Tourism. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ a b c Patel, Alka (2004). "Architectural Histories Entwined: The Rudra-Mahalaya/Congregational Mosque of Siddhpur, Gujarat". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 63 (2): 144–163. doi:10.2307/4127950. JSTOR 4127950.
- ^ Sastri & Congress 1907, p. 525-26.
- ^ Alexander Kinloch Forbes (1856). Râs Mâlâ: Or, Hindoo Annals of the Province of Goozerat, in Western India. Richardson Bros. p. 195.
- ^ "Ruined Rudra Mahalaya Temple, Siddhapur". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Figure sculpture from the Rudra Mala at Siddhapur". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
Bibliography
- Sastri, Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta; Congress, Indian History (1907). A Comprehensive History of India. Orient Longmans. ISBN 978-81-7304-561-5.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Burgess; Murray (1874). "The Rudra Mala at Siddhpur". Photographs of Architecture and Scenery in Gujarat and Rajputana. Bourne and Shepherd. p. 19. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- Hindu temples in Gujarat
- Shiva temples in Gujarat
- Destroyed temples
- Religious buildings and structures converted into mosques
- Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat
- Māru-Gurjara architecture
- Siddhpur