Mitawali

Author: Laxman Burdak IFS (R)

Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitawali

Aerial View of Mitawali

Mitawali (मितावली) is a village and site of Jat Fort in Morena District in Madhya Pradesh. It is known for The Chausath Yogini Temple which is locally known as Ekottarso Mahadeo Temple.

Variants

• Mitavali मितावली, जिला मुरैना, म.प्र., (AS, p.744)
• Mitaoli
• Mitawli
• Mitavali
• Mitavli

Location

Location of Mitawali, Padhavli & Bateshwar on Google Map

Mitawali village is located 36 km from Gwalior and 3 km north of Padhavli. On a 100-feet high hillock to north of the village there exists a temple built by the Kachhapghatas in the 10-11th century A.D. Batesara, Padavali and Mitaoli are located within a dustance of 5 kms in Morena District in Madhya Pradesh. The Chausath Yogini Temple Mitawali is located on a hill which is about 100 feet in height and there are 100 steps to climb leading to the entrance of the temple. It is near Padaoli in Morena district. The temple is well connected by road, rail and air services. The nearest rail head is Morena which is 15 kms away. The nearest airport is at Gwalior, which is 40 kms away.

History

Mitawali Ekottarso Mahadeo Temple

The Archaeological Survey of India had started excavation works in year 2007 which are still continuing. Presently sites of Padavali or Padawli and Mitaoli being excavated, where one temple each has been discovered till now. A temple cluster at Dodamath in the same place is also being excavated. The ravages of time and earthquakes had destroyed these forgotten temples.

According to an inscription dated to 1323 AD (Vikram Samvat 1383),] the temple was built by Maharaja Devapala in 8th century. It is said that the temple was the venue of providing education in astrology and mathematics based on the transit of the Sun.

The Archaeological Survey of India has declared the temple as an ancient and historical monument under Act No. LXXI of 1951, dt.28/11/1951.

Chausath Yogini Temple

Chausath Yogini Temple: an ancient temple, also known as Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple (Hindi: एकोत्त्तरसो महादेव मंदिर), "hypetheral on plan" located at Mitawali in Morena district is one of the few such Yogini temples in the country which is in a very good condition. The temple is formed by a circular wall with 64 chambers and an open mandapa in the centre, separated by a courtyard, which is circular in shape, where Lord Shiva is deified It is believed that the Parliament House, known as Sansad Bhavan, built in Delhi in the 1920s, has been patterned on the lines of this circular-shaped Chausath Yogini Temple, dated to 1323 AD.

The temple has been declared as an ancient historical monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Architecture of Chausath Yogini Temple

The temple is externally circular in shape with a radius of 170 feet and within its interior part it has 64 small chambers, each with a mandapa which is open and a facia of pilasters and pillars. The roof of the entire structure is flat including that of another east facing circular temple within the outer circular wall. A large passage or courtyard lies between the outer enclosure and the central temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. There is an open porch entrance to this temple. The exterior surface of the outer wall has carvings of Hindu deities. Each of the 64 chambers in the outer circle has an image of Shiva deified in it. However, recent investigations have confirmed that originally these had a Yogini image deified in them and hence the temple is known as Chausath Yogini Temple ('Chausath' here means "Sixty four"). It is said that the roof over the 64 chambers and the central shrine had towers or shikharas which were probably removed during later modifications.

Within the main central shrine there are slab coverings which have perforations in them to drain rainwater to a large underground storage. The pipe lines from the roof lead the rain water to the storage are also visible. The temple needs conservation measures to preserve the ancient monument in good shape.

The design of the temple has withstood earthquake shocks, without any damage to its circular structural features, in the past several centuries. The temple is in the Seismic Zone III. This fact was cited when the issue of safety from earthquake effect of the Parliament House which is also a circular structure, similar to the Chausath Yogini Temple, was debated in the Indian Parliament.

मितावली, मुरैना

मितावली (AS, p.744) जिला मुरैना, म.प्र., में स्थित है. पढावली से 2 मील पूर्व में है. यहां पढावली की भांति ही अनेक मंदिर हैं जो मध्ययुगीन हैं. इसमें एकोत्तरसो नामक महादेव का मंदिर प्रसिद्ध है.

एकोत्तरसो महादेव मंदिर

मुरैना का चौंसठ योगिनी का मंदिर मुरैना जिले के मितावली गांव की ऊंची पहाड़ी पर स्थित है. यह मंदिर स्थानीय लोगों के बीच एकोत्तरसो महादेव मंदिर के नाम से जाना जाता हैं. इस मंदिर की भू-योजना विशिष्ट है और भारत वर्ष में निर्मित चौंसठ योगिनी मंदिरों की भू योजना के समान है जिसमे प्रायः मुख्य मंदिर के चारों ओर वृत्ताकार में देव प्रकोष्ठ होते हैं। मंदिर का प्रमुख प्रवेश द्वार पूर्व में है तथा इसके चारों ओर निर्मित प्रकोष्ठ जिनमें सामने स्तंभों पर आधारित बरामदा है। छोटे-छोटे वृत्ताकार रूप में 64 प्रकोष्ठ बनाये गए है। कुछ प्रकोष्ठों में शिवलिंग विद्यमान हैं. मध्य में एक ऊंची गोल जगती पर मुख्य मंदिर है जिसके गर्भ गृह में शिवलिंग स्थापित है। अभिलेखीय साक्ष्य के आधार पर इस मंदिर का निर्माण महाराजा देवपाल द्वारा 1323 ईस्वी में करवाया गया था। इस मंदिर की पहाड़ी की तलहटी में भारी भरकम आदमकद कुषाण कालीन पाषाण प्रतिमाएं प्राप्त हुई, जो वर्तमान में पुरातत्व संग्रहालय ग्वालियर किला, ग्वालियर में प्रदर्शित हैं।

External links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Monuments_of_National_Importance_in_Madhya_Pradesh/West

Gallery

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  Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitawali

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  Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitawali

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  Inner corridor with subsidiary shrines deified now Shiva Lingams

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  Central Sanctorum

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References

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