33-631: The Lakshmana Temple is a 10th-century Hindu temple built by Yashovarman during the Chandela dynasty located in Khajuraho , India. It is dedicated to Vaikuntha Vishnu - an aspect of Vishnu . As part of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments , and owing to its architecture and religious importance, the temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. This temple is located in
66-494: A long battle, they were able to annex the fort. The British seizure of Kalinjar proved to be a great watershed, transferring the legacy of the old aristocracy into the hands of the new bureaucracy of officials, who showed their loyalty to British imperialism by damaging the captured fort. The damages caused to the fort can still be seen on its walls and open spaces. The nearest airport is at Khajuraho , 100 km (62 mi) away but has limited connectivity. Kanpur Airport which
99-672: A rivalry between the two kingdoms. The Chandelas acknowledged the suzerainty of the Pratiharas, who were the rivals of the Rashtrakutas. The Kalachuris, on the other hand, had forged matrimonial alliances with the Rashtrakutas, and probably aided them in their anti-Pratihara campaigns. The identity of the Kalachuri king defeated by Yashovarman is not certain, because three Kalachuri kings ruled in quick succession as his contemporaries: Bala-Harsha, Yuva-Raja and Lakshmana-Raja. S. K. Mitra theorizes that
132-748: A scorching fire to the Gurjaras. These claims appear to be exaggerated, as similar claims of extensive conquests in northern India are also found in the records of the other contemporary kings such as the Kalachuri king Yuva-Raja and the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III. The ruler of the Gauda region (in present-day West Bengal ) is believed to be a Pala king, possibly Rajyapala or his successor Gopala III . The Palas attempted to resurrect their power through westward expansion, which might have resulted in their conflict with
165-744: A water tank, which can be identified with one of the tanks in Khajuraho. Kalanjara Kalinjar ( Hindi : कालिंजर ) is a fortress-city in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh , in India . It was ruled by several dynasties including the Guptas , the Vardhana dynasty , the Chandelas , Solankis of Rewa , Mughal and the Marathas . The fortress has several temples dating back to
198-431: Is Pancharatha on plan (top-view). Its shikhara is clustered with minor urushringas (refer images of temple top i.e. shikhara). The wall portion is studded with balconied windows with ornate balustrades . It has two rows of sculptures (refer images of temple's outer wall) including divine figures, couples and erotic scenes. The sanctum doorway is of seven sakhas (vertical panels). The central one being decorated with
231-565: Is said that after the Samudra manthan , when Shiva consumed poison that turned his throat blue, he came to Kalinjar and defeated the kaal i.e. achieved victory over death. This is the reason why Shiva temple at Kalinjar is called Neelkanth (blue-throated). Since then, the hill has been considered a holy site. Kalinjar has also been mentioned in Buddhist literature, particularly in the travelogues of Buddha . The Chedi dynasty ruled here during
264-573: The Gupta dynasty of the 3rd–5th centuries. It is strategically located on an isolated rocky hill at the end of the Vindhya Range , overlooking the plains of Bundelkhand . Kalinjar is a portmanteau of the Sanskrit words Kaala, meaning time, and jara, meaning destruction, translating to destroyer of time . Kalinjar finds its mention in ancient Hindu mythological texts. According to Hindu legends, it
297-655: The Lakshmana Temple at Khajuraho . Yashovarman was born to the Chandela ruler Harsha , who was a feudatory of the Gurjara-Pratiharas of Kanyakubja (Kannauj). His mother was Kanchuka, who came from a Chahamana family. By the time Yashovarman's ascension, the Pratiharas depended on their feudatories to a large extent. The Rashtrakutas , who were the main rival of the Patiharas, were busy in dynastic feuds. This offered
330-620: The Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon , Peshwa Bajirao II ceded Bundelkhand to the East India Company after his defeat in the Second Anglo-Maratha war. The fort came under the management of the East India Company in 1805-06. The Old Bhatt royalty was expatriated and was granted separate sanads of Kirwi, Attra, Chitrakut Mathond, and Khurand. The fort was placed under the pre-Maratha constitution of Bundela - Jhijhotiya Chubes. However, during
363-531: The Chandelas an opportunity to increase their own power. Yashovarman did not formally give up the allegiance to the Pratiharas, but he was practically independent. Yashovarman conquered the important fortress of Kalanjara , although the identity of his enemy in this campaign is not certain. One theory is that he conquered Kalanjara from his overlords, the Gurjara-Pratiharas. Another theory is that he defeated
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#1732855742783396-621: The Chandelas. The Chandelas did not occupy Gauda, but their invasion further weakened the Pala power, possibly paving way for the subsequent usurpation of the power by the Kambojas . The Chedis in the Khajuraho inscription denote the Kalachuris of Tripuri. Although the Chandela-Kalachuri relations were friendly in the preceding years, it appears that the Kalachuri alliance with the Rashtrakutas led to
429-459: The Gurjara-Pratiharas after their occupation of Kalanjara. The Khajuraho inscription also states that Yashovarman turned the rivers Ganga and Yamuna into his "pleasure-lakes", and that the waters of these rivers became muddy when his might elephants bathed in them. This suggests that Yashovarman controlled the area around present-day Allahabad . Yashovarman married Puppa, who was the mother of his successor Dhanga . Krishnapa, his other son,
462-613: The Marathas conquered the nearby territories and expanded to the Bengal frontiers. They inflicted a crushing defeat on Awadh ally Nawab of Rampur and Ala Vardi Khan. The fort was used to levy chauth to nearby territories like Benares , Mirzapur , Pratapgarh , Kunda, and Bundela . In 1803, the Peshwa was involved in direct skirmishes with the East India Company in which he was defeated. In
495-766: The Pratihara king became apprehensive about losing control over them. K. A. Nilakanta Sastri speculated that Yashovarman captured Kalanjara after allying with the Rashtrakutas and the Chedis ( Kalachuris of Tripuri ). However, there is no historical evidence attesting the formation of such an alliance. Despite these uncertainties, Yashovarman's conquest of Kalanjara is undisputed: his successors, including his son Dhanga , titled themselves Kalanjaradhipati ("Lord of Kalanjara"). A Khajuraho inscription dated 1011 VS (953-954 CE) credits Yashovarman with several other military successes. It declares: ...the illustrious king Yashovarman, who
528-459: The Pratiharas. Yashovarman may have captured the fort from the Rashtrakutas, which may explain why he continued to recognize the Pratihara sovereignty even after conquering Kalanjara. However, there is no definitive evidence of Yashovarman's victory over the Rashtrakutas. R. K. Dikshit points out that the Rashtrakuta claim is part of a possibly exaggerated poetic eulogy. It may not imply an actual conquest of these two fortresses, and may only mean that
561-674: The Rashtrakuta feudatories in Malava region at that time. The Koshalas might have been the rulers of the Dakshin Koshala region, possibly the Somavamshi allies of the Kalachuris. Yashovarman probably raided their territory. The claim of Yashovarman's successes against the Kashmiris seems to be a poetic exaggeration. L. F. Kielhorn translated the verse about the Khasas ( tulita Khasabalah ) as "equalled
594-536: The Rashtrakutas, who had captured Kalanjara from the Pratiharas. The Karhad copper-plate inscription of the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III states that "the hope about Kalanjara and Gurjara vanished from the heart of the Gurjara"; that is, the Gurjara-Pratihara king gave up all hopes of retaining control of Kalanjara and Chitrakuta . Based on this, H. C. Ray theorized that Krishna managed to capture these two forts from
627-670: The Western Temple complex in Khajuraho . Khajuraho is a small village in the Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh , India It is a Sandhara Temple of the Panchayatana Variety. The entire temple complex stands on a high platform ( Jagati ), as seen in image. The structure consists of all the elements of Hindu temple architecture . It has entrance porch (ardh-mandapa), Mandapa , Maha-Mandapa, Antarala and Garbhagriha . Unlike other temples in Khajuraho , its sanctum
660-559: The defeated king might have been Bala-Harsha, who ruled for a very short period, and whose name has been omitted from some of the records of his successors. Yashovarman's achievements in Mithila are not certain; he possibly defeated a tributary ruler who occupied a small territory on the Pratihara-Pala border. The Malavas referred to in the inscription might have been the Paramaras , who were
693-545: The first War of Independence in 1857, The Old Bhatta Aristocracy recaptured the fort driving Bundela back to Ajaygarh. In 1858, the British attacked the fort but the people at large resisted and fought a tough battle with Major Hugh Rose. A long drawn siege ensued in which almost 800 British and 3000 Indians were killed. This proved to be the toughest battlefield in Bundelkhand where English suffered maximum casualties. The English with
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#1732855742783726-749: The foot of the hill, are of interest to the antiquary on account of the remains of temples, sculptures, inscriptions, and caves. In the early 18th century, the fort was captured by the Peshwa Bajirao after defeating the Mughal general Bangash Khan of Allahabad. In order to stop the Mughals from entering Bundelkhand again, he established a Maratha light infantry huzurat of 5000 under the command of Sardar Ram Singh Bhatt, Yashwantrao Bhatt, Parshuram Bhau Bundela, Bhaskar Pandit, and Sheshrao Pant Bundela, all veterans of war and Maratha class one generals. In due course of time,
759-470: The forces of the Khasas". However, according to R. C. Majumdar , in this context, the word tulita means "treated with contempt", not "equalled". The Khasas were the neighbours of the Kashmiris, and this too, seems to be poetic embellishment. The Kuru region was a part of the Pratihara territory, so the claim about the Kurus also seems to be an exaggeration. However, it is possible that the Chandelas clashed with
792-422: The fort was built by a Chandela ruler. The Chandela rulers used the title Kalanjaradhipati ("Lord of Kalanjara"), which shows their importance to the fort. In 1023, Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and received a tribute from Kalinjar, Mughal emperor Babur captured the fort in 1526, when his forces drove away Raja Hasan Khan Mewatpatti. It was also the place where Sher Shah Suri met his death in 1545, when he
825-418: The help of the states of Panna and Rewa captured this fort on 4 May 1858. The Last Bhatta Peshwas surrendered and were sent to Rewa as prisoners. Kalinjar subah was distributed in between Bundela, Rewa Solanki and Chaubes of Rajaula. The fort was decommissioned and its buildings were demolished, to prevent any further maratha garrisoning at Kalinjar, thus ending the legacy of this fort. The total chauth collection
858-436: The rule of Nagabhatta II . Chandela rulers used to be their Mandalik kings. The mention of Kalinjar is found in almost every text or inscription of that time. According to the 16th century Persian historian Firishta , the town of Kalinjar was established by one Kedar Raja in the 7th century. Rastrakutas later seized the fortress. The fort came to prominence during the Chandela rule. According to Chandela-era legends,
891-562: The ten incarnation of Vishnu. The Lintel depicts goddess Lakshmi in the centre flanked by Brahma and Vishnu. The sanctum contains four-armed sculpture of Vishnu. One of the niches has the image of the sculptor and his disciples at work. Main image is of three-headed & four-armed sculpture of Vaikuntha Vishnu . The central head is of human, and two sides of boar (depicting Varaha ) and lion (depicting Narashima ). Yashovarman (Chandela dynasty) Yashovarman ( IAST : Yaśovarman; reigned c. 925–950 CE), also known as Lakshavarman,
924-744: The time of Gautama Buddha (563–480 BC). Following this, it was absorbed into the Maurya Empire and came to be known as Vindhya-Atavi. The fort eventually came under the rule of the Shunga dynasty and the Pandu dynasty. In the Prayag Prasathi inscription of the Allahabad Pillar this region is mentioned by the name Vindhya Atavi . The Fort was in the control of the Gurjara Pratiharas , and remained until
957-468: Was a king of the Chandela dynasty of India. He ruled in the Jejakabhukti region ( Bundelkhand in present-day Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh ). He practically established the Chandelas as a sovereign power, although he formally acknowledged suzerainty of the Gurjara-Pratiharas . His major military achievement was the conquest of Kalanjara (modern Kalinjar). He is also notable for having commissioned
990-652: Was a sword to (cut down) the Gaudas as if they were pleasure-creepers; equalled (or treated with contempt) the forces of the Khasas; (and) carried off the treasure of the Kosalas; before whom perished the Kashmiri warriors; who weakened the Mithilas; (and) was as it were a god of death to the Malavas; who brought distress on the shameful Chedis; who was to the Kurus what a storm is to trees; (and)
1023-483: Was estimated at 40 lakh shahi mohars. The Naukahai campaign of Rewa and Chunar Fort, was launched directly from Kalinjar in which the Sohagpur Amarkantak and Shahdol paragana were attached to Peshwa territories. Almost all the occupants of the fort were moon worshipers and are called Chandravanshi clans of Kshatriya, Brahmanas, Kalchuries and Yadavas. In 1812, the British troops marched into Bundelkhand, and after
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1056-453: Was mortally wounded by a gunpowder explosion from one of his own cannons, with his soldiers capturing the fort before his death. In 1569, Akbar captured the fort and it was under Mughal rule until its capture by the Marathas. Kalinjar played a prominent part in history down to the time of the Revolt of 1857 , when it was held by a small British garrison. Both the fort and the town, which stands at
1089-476: Was probably deputed to oversee the territory on the Chandela-Parmara frontier. Yashovarman's reign marked the beginning of the famous Chandela-era art and architecture. He acquired a prestigious statue of Vaikuntha Vishnu from his overlord Devapala, and commissioned the Lakshmana Temple at Khajuraho . This is the earliest example of Nagara architecture at Khajuraho. He is also said to have commissioned
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