Sargaon is a village in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh. This otherwise nondescript village is known for its Dhumeshvari Temple. S N Manwani first described the temple in his study of the Kalachuri temples.1 Later, Mangalanand Jha reattempted the study of the temple and corrected a few observations made by Manwani earlier.2
Dhumeshvari Temple — The temple faces east and consists of a garbhagrha and a shikhara. As the temple is not erected over a platform, the structure’s overall height is stunted, reaching about 25 feet high. The garbhagrha doorway is raised by a few feet and is reached by three flights of steps. The vimana follows the tri-ratha pattern. The adhishthana comprises multiple moldings: khura, kumuda, pattika, padma, kapota, and manchika. The jangha is divided into two tiers separated by a pattika molding. Sculptures within niches are provided on the bhadra-ratha; the other projections only have sculptures. The kapili also has sculptures within niches.
The exterior walls of the temple are embellished with sculptures on each projection. In each direction, the niches over the bhadra carry sculptures depicting the main divinities. The other rathas, karna and pratiratha, have sculptures of dancers, romantic couples, and semi-divine divinities. The kapili niches on the south have Ganesha on the lower tier and Kartikeya on the upper tier. Bhadra niches in the south have Natesha in the lower tier and Brahma in the upper tier. The bhadra niches in the west have standing Vishnu in the lower tier and Hariharabhaskara in the upper tier. The kapili niches on the north have Chamunda in the lower tier and Mahishasuramardini in the upper tier.
The garbhagrha doorway is dvi-shakha (two jambs). Shiva is present on the lalata-bimba. Brahma and Vishnu occupy the terminals of the lintel. The Navagrhas take the recessed space. Shaiva dvarapalas are present on the bottom of the jambs. The river goddesses, Ganga and Yamuna, are on the inner jamb, standing over their respective mounts. The temple was dedicated to Shiva; however, at some later time, an image was installed inside the garbhagrha. The deity is worshipped as Dhumeshvari Mata. The temple was dedJha assigns the temple to 1350-1400 CE.
1 Manwani, S N (1984). Temple Art of the Kalachuris of Ratanpur, Ph.D. thesis submitted to Dr. Harsingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar. pp. 107-112
2 झा, मंगलानन्द (2008). दक्षिण कोसल के कलचुरी कालीन मंदिर. संचालनालय संस्कृति एवं पुरातत्त्व विभाग. रायपुर. pp. 170-171
Acknowledgment: 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.