Rock Temples of Himalaya, Masroor
Rock Temple of Himalaya
Himachal Pradesh is called
Dev-Bhoomee which means land of Gods. True to its name, the beautiful landscape
of snow peaks and apple flowers is also dotted with several temples ,
monasteries and places of worship. But in a secluded corner of this pine
scented state, stands tall a surprise, not known to many and away from
tourist's gaze.
In the vicinity of
Maharana Pratap Sagar dam, which confines the blue green waters of Beas,
nestled in Shivalik hills, is a tiny town of Masroor.
The Kangra valley enfolds
in front of you as you travel through un-ending hillocks and humble forests of
Pine and other trees interspersed with small villages. The vista is not as
majestic as seen in higher Himalayas, with tall and strong Devdar trees on the
steep climbs and deep valleys laced with snow capped ranges, but this region
has its own charm! The brown dwarf hills
and fresh green pine leaves all swathed in warm afternoon sun, the litchi and
mango orchards, the terraced fields of wheat and occasional mustard, the
twisted turns and bends, the large expanse of golden valley, all adds to the magic called Himalaya !
Masroor , our destination
is little off the normal tourist circuit but no doubt it is far more rewarding
!
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| Masroor Rock cut temples |
As you take a final turn,
right in front of you stands the massive stone sculpture called Masroor Rock
Temples, in its full
glory. This is a monument cluster of 15 temples, four large temples in last row
and smaller five temples and front row and some more around it. Point to note,
all are carved in one single stone! A monolithic sculpture indeed, of a grand
scale and beauty!
India has very few fully
rock carved temples standing. The
biggest and most celebrated being the Kailash temple at Verul in Sahyadri
ranges. Monolithic architecture requires
strong stone boulders, which are in turn carved to perfection by those artisans
of lost era and then we get the magnificent
Monuments like
Mahabalipuram or Kailash Temple at Verul.
Nothing less than a
marvel, these Masroor temples in the lap of Himalaya are unique since the rock
required to carve out such intricacies is not easily available in Himalayan
ranges. Himalaya being the young mountains informative stage have tendency for
landslides. However this particular stone has been rock steady for years and
has allowed the sculptors hands to adorn it with chisel. The Masroor Shiva
Temple stands erect here under the shadow of mighty Dhauladhar ranges and has
its gaze beyond the fertile valley of
Beas.
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| Pillar Base |
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| Rock and Temple |
The imposing shikhars of
larger temples are carved in 'Nagar' style with fine high reaching lines and
intricate carvings. Although it is a
temple cluster, the temples are all integrated from inside. The main shrine has
staircases to reach the middle level. The very impressive door frame with a large
door opening of main temple takes you to a peaceful and serene sanctum. The
main sanctum currently has idols of Ram, Sita and Laxman probably brought in at
a later period.
In reality this is a Shaivite temple complex
depicting 'Kalyan Sundar' manifestation of Shiv which implies Shiv-Parvati marriage.
The massive pillars with very ornately carved pot bases, the interwoven designs
on the high rising pinnacles and the beautiful floral designs combined with geometric
designs on the walls , weave magic for the viewers.
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| Carvings on the wall |
The sculptures on
pinnacles include the ‘trimutri’ face carved in centre of the Shikhar. This is
observed in several Himalayan temples. Experts think it is the depiction of
three faces of Shiva. The figures carved on the temple walls are those of Shiv,Parvati and
Kartikey.
The rectangular tank in
the front of these temples is filled with serene water and this water presence
gives a dreamy look to these magnificent and artful stone structures.
Since the architectural
and sculptural style of these temples matches that of Elephanta (Gharapuri) caves near Mumbai, the temples might have been sculpted between 8'Th
to 10'Th century AD.
Not much information about
the patrons of this wonderful temple is known. There are few inscriptions in
the temple but they are not been deciphered. However this could be creation of
Lalitaditya , the contemporary king of
Kashmir or Yashovarman, the king of central India. Recent research also tells
us about similarities between this temple complex and the celebrated temples in
Cambodia.
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| Shikhar |
Sadly, part of the left
side temple has fallen very badly and this could be due to 1905 massive
earthquake in this area. Also the structure is unfinished and one wonders why
it was abandoned. Even with the imperfections, the beauty and scale is as
impressive as ever.
Leaving Masroor is
difficult! Nestled in Himachal, away
from rest of the world, stood here such a unique piece of architecture totally
off the radar for the usual tourist who does not even know what they are
missing.
But then again, the sheer
importance of this place in ancient Indian architecture can never be forgotten.
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