Loni Bhapkar Mallikarjun Temple –Maharashtra

Address

Loni Bhapkar Mallikarjun Temple –

Morgaon Baramati Road, Loni Bhapkar,

Maharashtra 412204

Moolavar

Mallikarjun

Introduction

The Mallikarjun Temple in the sleepy village of Loni Bhapkar, in Maharashtra is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Is Situated on the right bank of the river Karha, a tributary of the river Nira about 80 km south-east of Pune. monuments of Loni Bhapkar are certainly no exception.

Puranic Significance

The temple complex here consists of three primary structures, the Mallikarjuna Temple presently dedicated to Shiva, the Sri Datta Maharaj Mandir dedicated to Dattatreya (a form of Vishnu), both facing a elegant small step-well known locally as Puskarni. The Puskarni is beautifully proportioned and extremely clean, surrounded by a stone wall with 24 niches (devkoshatas) facing the tank. Each one of these niches probably once contained one of 24 images of Vyuhantara Vishnu’s. The symmetry of the Puskarni is amplified by the wonderfully carved pavillion directly in front of the white Sri Datta Maharaj Mandir, which may be contemporary with the adjacent Mallikarjun temple.

All of this is just the start of what is quite a special little temple complex literally in the middle of nowhere. Currently located near the roadside and likely to be very close to where you park the car is an isolated Varaha (Yadnyavaraha) statue, sadly now missing his nose. Below the legs of the boar are a conch (shankh), lotus (padma), mace (gada) and disk (chakra), all items associated with Vishnu. Lying beneath appears to be a demon begging for mercy, but this part of the carving is also quite badly damaged now.

Covering the body of the Varaha are repetitive images of Lord Vishnu, a local told me in the village that there are over 140 instances of his image on the boar. It’s striking image and much larger scale at sites like Eran and of course the famous Varaha temple at Khajuraho. This carving was discovered in a field behind the Dattatreya temple in 1999. News of the discovery caused sudden interest in the temple complex. A number of Nandi carvings face the Mallikarjun Temple, in front of which appears to be the footprint of a Varahamandap which has since disappeared.

Special Features

The front facade of the Mallikarjun Temple is probably one of the more colorful examples across in Maharashtra for an ancient temple. Every inch of this facade has been painted.

The temple construction, and potentially some of the associated structures, are believed to date back to the 13th century and attributed to Hemadpant (also known as Hemādri Paṇḍit). As well as a scholar, theologian, poet and architect, Hemdapant was prime minister from 1259 to 1274 A.D. during the reigns of King Mahādev (1259–1271) and King Ramachandra (1271–1309), both of the Seuna Yādav Dynasty of Devagiri who ruled over western and southern India.

The Yadav’s completely embraced the bhumija style of temple architecture, the example here clearly shows motifs that have been borrowed from the Gujarat region, with Jalis (perforated stone or latticed screens) at the front, but here there is a significant change of form. The front elevation of the temple is tripartite, divided into three parts separated by columns. This three bay configuration facilitates the placement of diagonal beams, forming octagons that underpin the building of the corbelled central dome above the sabhamandapa.

Another interesting feature is the difference in construction materials. The lower part of the temple has been built from stone, whereas the upper part and the shikhara have been built from brick. Perhaps by using brick it was easier to achieve some of the smaller decorative elements and architectural details compared to carving them out from solid rock? I suspect originally this upper part of the temple would have been plastered to render a smooth and fine finish which was already present in the lower stone built portion of the temple.

Inside the temple are some nicely carved pillars crowned with yakshas. Panels on the columns depict a number of varied carved scenes, including musicians playing various instruments, an elephant being chased by a beast, dancing apsaras, a woman dressing up with a mirror and helped by her attendants, plus many more. Above the four central pillars is unquestionably the highlight of this temple. On square beams supported by these columns are narrative panels, artistically carved in bold relief. The scenes depict important incidents from the childhood of Krishna; the narration begins on the north-facing panel and continues in sequence on the west-facing, south-facing and east-facing panels. These scenes are well described in texts like the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsha Purana, but these carved panels in the Mallikarjun temple they have only been documented by scholars in the last couple of decades.