Palari is a tehsil town in the Balodabazar-Bhatpara district of Chhattisgarh. A. E. Nelson first reported the town’s antiquities in 1909. He mentions a legend behind the tank’s name, Bal Samudra, that it was called because a child (bal in Hindi) was offered it when it was dug. For the adjacent brick temple, Nelson says that it had beautifully carved figures removed from some ancient untraceable ruin.1 The first descriptive study on the temple was conducted by Donald Stadtner in 1976. He says the part of the temple was restored, and the entire temple was given a coat of red paint in 1960-61 at the expense of a resident.2 In 1988, Krishna Deva described this temple in the Encyclopedia of Indian Temple Architecture.3 Recently, the temple has been studied in various Ph.D. theses. The first such study was from Jeevan Kumar Patnaik, who submitted his thesis on the stellate temple architecture in the South Kosala region in 1998.4 Susmita Basu Majumdar included the temple in her study on the cultural history of South Kosala in 2000. As her study was focused on cultural material, the reference to the temple appears as a short description mostly borrowed from the previous accounts.5 The last major study was conducted by Rajeev Kumar Minj, who submitted his Ph.D. thesis in 2015. While he describes the temple in detail, one interesting fact he brings out is Odisha’s sculptural influence on Palari. The presence of the Lakulisa image over the doorway lintel has led Stadtner to suggest Odishan (Kalinga) influence, as the earliest Lakulisa image in the region is found at the Parashuramaeshvara Temple, Bhubaneswar. Minj says that Lakulisa images from the 5th century CE to the 7th century CE, earlier than that of the Parashurameshvara Temple, have been found at Sirpur and Arang. This proves that the cult of Lakulisa was present in the region around Palari; therefore,e it does not warrant Odishan influence.6
Siddheshvara Temple – The temple is built east of a large tank, Bal Samund. Local traditions ascribe the construction of the tank to the Panduvamshi king Maha-Shivagupta Balarjuna.7 The temple faces west and is built on a high stone jagati, about 1 meter high. It consists of a garbhagrha, antarala, and a pillared mandapa. The antarala and mandapa have not survived, and the present porch is a modern restoration. The temple is constructed of brick except for its doorway and pillars. The temple follows a semi-stellar pancharatha plan with its bhadra and karna parallel to the central axis, with three oblique divisions inserted between them. The adhishthana comprises multiple moldings: khura, kumbha, kalasha, antarapatta, and kapotavali. The kalasha molding is decorated with a leaf pattern. The kapotavali is decorated with chandrashala motifs. These chandrashalas are decorated with pendant heart motifs.
The jangha has six vertical components. In the center is a flat bhadra. On either side are oblique, triangular pallavi divisions. Next to the pallavi is another oblique pratiratha division. Another oblique pallavi division and a flat corner karna division follow it at the corners. The jangha is divided into two tiers separated by a bandhana molding. The lower tiers have chandrashalas (circular windows) on all their rathas. The chandrashalas of the bhadra are the largest and enclosed within two pairs of recessed pilasters. Inside the bhadra chandrashalas are Ganesha in the south, Surya in the east, and Gaja-Lakshmi in the north. A large grasamukha (lion head) surmounts the bhadra chandrashalas. A crouching lion rests over the grasamukha.
The oblique pallavi division on either side of the bhadra has pilasters, with its base composed of a vyala with a rider resting over an addorsed elephant. The pratiratha division has multiple chandrashalas; the largest chandrashalas have human heads inside. The pratiratha is followed by a narrow oblique division decorated with a single pilaster, with its base composed of a lion over an elephant. The corner karna divisions received treatment similar to the bhadras; the only difference is that these divisions are devoid of lions over the grasamukha. The chandrashalas of the karna have Kartikeya in the south, an unidentified figure and a seated figure with one leg raised and bearing a yoga-patta in the east, and a male figure in the north. Krishna Deva identifies the male figure in the north-east karna as Kubera.8 The upper tier has chandrashalas only on the pratiratha; the rest of the rathas have pilasters. The images are primarily carved in stucco, depicting the skills of the artisans.
The baranda separated the jangha from the shikhara. The bhadra division has chandrashalas decorated with pilasters and couchant lions at the corners. The chandrashalas of the lowest tier have a standing lion over the top. The adjoining pallavi division on either side has addorsed lions with bhumi-amalakas above it. The pratiratha division has a series of chandrashalas decorated with pilasters or pendant heart motifs. The subsequent pallavi division has pilasters over a lion. The corner karna divisions have large chandrashalas topped with a couchant lion at the bottom tier. The other three tiers have bhumi-amalakas. The shikhara has undergone repairs at various points and lost its original form. The portion above the griva has been lost, and the present structure is a modern restoration.
The doorframe has two jambs (dvi-shakha). It is dominated by life-size river goddesses, Ganga and Yamuna, carved over its outer shakha. Another set of smaller-sized river goddesses are present on the inner shakha. Eight dikpalas are distributed over the left and right jambs, four on each jamb above the river goddesses. Above Ganga are Vayu upon a stag-driven chariot, Nrrtti upon a bull, Varuna on a geese-driven chariot on the outer jamb, and Yama over a buffalo on the inner jamb. Above Yamuna are Agni over a parrot-driven chariot, Ishana over an elephant, Kubera over a ram over the outer jam,b and Indra over an elephant on the inner jamb. The innermost shakha is decorated with a patravali (floral band) on its front face and lotus flowers on its side face. The lower lintel has Lakulisa accompanied by his four disciples: Kushika, Garga, Mitra, and Kaurusya. Brahma and Vishnu are placed on either side of the group. The upper lintel has Shiva-Kalyanasundara depicting the marriage scene of Shiva and Parvati with Brahma as the officiating priest. Shiva-lilas are on either side of this scene: Shiva as Gajantaka on the left and Shiva as Andhakantaka on the right.
The dating of the temple is attempted based on its sculpture and architectural style, as no foundation inscription has been found. The early temple architecture of Chhattisgarh (or South Kosala) is relatively dated, considering Lakshmana Temple, Sirpur, as the latter is firmly dated based on its foundation inscription. Various elements and components of the Siddheshvara temple show advancements over the Lakshmana Temple and closely resemble the Indal Deul at Kharod. The stellate plan of the Siddheshvara temple is advanced from Indal Deul as it introduces more oblique divisions. The bandhana molding separating the two tiers of jangha in Siddheshvara temple is a new feature that is absent in the Lakshmana Temple. It is present in its partial form in the Andal Deul. The presence of ashta-dikpalas on the door jambs is a new form introduced here. Based on these various aspects, Stadtner dates this temple to 675-85 CE, and many scholars generally accept this.
1 Nelson, A E (ed.) (1909). Central Provinces District Gazetteer – Raipur District, volume A, Descriptive. British India Press. Bombay. pp. 317-318
2 Stadtner, Donald M (1976). From Sirpur to Rajim: The Art of Kosala during the Seventh Century, Ph.D. thesis submitted to the University of California, Berkley. pp. 112-130
3 Deva Krishna (1988). Panduvamsis of Sripura and Nalas in the Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, North India, Foundation of Northern Style, vol. II, part 1. ISBN 0691040532. PP. 243-246
4 Patnaik, Jeevan Kumar (1998). Temples of South Kosala: (6th Century A.D. – 11th Century A.D.) – A Case Study of Stellate Temples, Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Sambalpur University. pp. 111-122
5 Majumdar, Susmita Basu (2000). A Cultural History of South Kosala (from the 4th Century A.D. to the 8th Century A.D.), Ph.D. thesis submitted to the University of Calcutta. pp. 196-198
6 Minj, Rajeev John (2015). Art and Architecture of the Brick Temples of Chhattisgarh, Ph. D. thesis submitted to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur. pp. 134-141
7 Patnaik, Jeevan Kumar (1998). Temples of South Kosala: (6th Century A.D. – 11th Century A.D.) – A Case Study of Stellate Temples, Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Sambalpur University. p. 112
8 Deva Krishna (1988). Panduvamsis of Sripura and Nalas in the Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, North India, Foundation of Northern Style, vol. II, part 1. ISBN 0691040532. p. 244
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Acknowledgement: Some of the photos above are in CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain from the collection released by the Tapesh Yadav Foundation for Indian Heritage.