Nachana Kuthara
| Author: Laxman Burdak IFS (R) |
Nachana Kuthara is a historical site in Gunour Tehsil of Panna District of Madhya Pradesh, India. Nachna-Kuthara are some of the earliest surviving stone temples. The temple site is near the Ganj village.
Variants
- Nachanakuthara (नचनाकुठारा) (म.प्र.) (AS, p.477)
- Nachna-Kuthara
- Nachana (नचना)
Location
The temple site is near the Ganj village. It gets it name from the first publication in 1885 by Cunningham that brought it to the attention of western archaeologists during the British colonial era. Cunningham called it the Nachna-Kuthara temples in Volume 21 report of the Archaeological Survey of India, deriving it from the name of the district and another village in the region. The site is about 60 kms southwest of Satna, 100 kms southeast of Khajuraho, 100 kms north of Katni, and about 400 kms northeast of Bhopal. The nearest railway station is located in the city of Satna, while the closest major airport with daily services is Khajuraho.[1]
The site is deep inside a forest territory, at the entrance of a difficult to traverse valley within the Vindhya mountains. This, speculated Cunningham, may have contributed to the temple's survival during the Muslim invasion of this region.[2]
Jat clans
History
Nachna-Kuthara,[3][4] are some of the earliest surviving stone temples in central India along with those at Bhumara and Deogarh. Their dating is uncertain, but comparing their style to structures that can be dated, some of the Nachna temples are variously dated to the 5th or 6th century Gupta Empire era. The Chaturmukha temple is dated to the 9th-century.[4] These temples illustrate a North Indian style of Hindu temple architecture.[5][6]
Most of the temples in the area are in ruins. The best preserved and most studied monument is the Parvati temple at Nachna. The temples are built on a raised and moulded plinth, a square plan, a square sanctum that is surrounded by a circumambulation passage with perforated screen stone windows. The entrance into the sanctum is flanked by goddess Ganga and Yamuna. The Parvati temple has an upper storey with a doorway. The temple includes both religious motifs and secular scenes such as amorous mithuna couples.[7][8]The temples are notable for some of the earliest known stone friezes narrating several scenes from the Hindu epic Ramayana.[9][10][11]
The temples are near the Panna National Forest, are now a pilgrimage site, which is also referred to as Chaumukhnath.
Nearby Sites
Several smaller archaeological sites are found in a 15 km radius of Nachna: Pipariya, Khoh Satna, Bhumara, and others. These are also attributed to the Gupta period, but are much less known and explored. In 1979 the Shiva temple of Bhumara was restored; it is one of the best preserved. The Gupta Temple of Tigawa is located about 80 km south-west, with another Gupta temple in Sanchi. The ruins of Bharhut Buddhist stupas are 12 km east. Dashavatara Temple is in Deogarh.
नचना कुठारा
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[12] ने लिखा है....नचना कुठारा भूतपूर्व अजयगढ़ रियासत (मध्य प्रदेश) में भुमरा से 10 मील की दूरी पर स्थित है। यह अपने मंदिर के लिए विशिष्ट रूप से जाना जाता है। भुमरा तथा नचना कुठारा के मंदिर पूर्व गुप्त कालीन वास्तुकला का प्रतिनिधित्व करते हैं।[1]
मंदिर की वास्तुकला: जनरल कनिंघम ने यहाँ के मंदिर को देवी पार्वती का मंदिर बताया है। यह मंदिर पूर्व गुप्त कालीन जान पड़ता है। भुमरा के प्रसिद्ध मंदिर से इसका बहुत सादृश्य है। मंदिर का गर्भगृह 15½ फुट बाहर और 8 फुट अंदर से है। गर्भगृह के चारों ओर पटा हुआ प्रदक्षिणा मार्ग 33 फुट बाहर और 26 फुट अंदर से है। मंडप 26 फुट × 12 फुट है। नचना कुठारा के मंदिर की तक्षण कला भुमरा के शिल्प के समान ही सूक्ष्म और सुकुमार नहीं है। इसमें गर्भगृह के ऊपर एक कोष्ठ भी है, जो कि भुमरा में नहीं है। भुमरा तथा नचना कुठारा के मंदिर पूर्व गुप्त कालीन वास्तुकला का उदाहरण प्रस्तुत करते हैं।
External links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Monuments_of_National_Importance_in_Madhya_Pradesh/West
References
- ↑ Swati Mitra. Temples of Madhya Pradesh. Goodearth. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-93-80262-49-9.
- ↑ Cunningham, Bundelkhand and Rewa, ASI Report Vol. 21, pages 95-99
- ↑ Hardy, Adam (2014). "Nagara Temple Forms: Reconstructing Lost Origins". Journal of History and Social Sciences. 5. ISSN 2229-5798
- ↑ Paul Nietupski; Joan O'Mara (2011). Reading Asian Art and Artifacts: Windows to Asia on American College Campuses. Lehigh University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-61146-072-8.
- ↑ Radhakumud Mookerji (1959). The Gupta Empire. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 146. ISBN 978-81-208-0440-1.
- ↑ George Michell (1977). The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. University of Chicago Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1.
- ↑ George Michell (1977). The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms. University of Chicago Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-226-53230-1.
- ↑ Ulrich Wiesner (1978). Nepalese Temple Architecture: Its Characteristics and Its Relations to Indian Development. BRILL. pp. 45–51. ISBN 90-04-05666-1.
- ↑ B.C. Shukla (1990), The Earliest Inscription of Rama-Worship, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 51, pp. 838-841
- ↑ B.C. Shukla (1990), The Earliest Inscription of Rama-Worship, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 51, pp. 838-841
- ↑ Mandakranta Bose (2004). The Ramayana Revisited. Oxford University Press. pp. 337, 355. ISBN 978-0-19-516832-7.
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.477