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INTRODUCTION
Founded by the Legendary Parmar
king of Dhar, Raja Bhoj (1010-1053) and named after
him. Bhojpur, 28 km from Bhopal, is renowned for the
remains of its magnificent Shiva Temple and Cyclopean
dam.
The temple, which has earned the
nomenclature of the Somnath of East, is known as the
Bhojeshwar Temple. In plan a simple square, with an
exterior dimension of 6 feet, it is devoid of the
re-entrant angles usual in such buildings. The richly
carved dome, though incomplete, has a magnificent,
soaring strength of line and is supported by four
pillars. These, like the dome, have been conceived on a
massie scale, yet retain a remarkable sections, the
lowest is an octagon with factes of 2.12 feet, from
which springs a 24-faced section.
Richly carved above, the doorway
is plain below, throwing into sharp relief the two
exquisitely sculpted figures that stand on either side.
On the other three sides of the structures are
balconies, each supported by massive brackets and four
intricately carved pillars. The lingam in the sanctum
rises to an awe-inspiring height of 7.5 feet with a
circumference of 17.8 feet. Set upon a massive
limestone blocks, the architectural harmony of lingam
and platform 21.5 feet. square, and composed of three
superimposed limestone blocks. The architectural
harmony of lingam and platform creates a superb
synthesis of solidity and lightness.
The temple was never completed,
and the carthern tamp used to raise it to dome level
still stands. Had it is, even with the ravages of time,
it remains one of the best examples of temple
architecture of the 12th and 13th centuries.
Also incomplete and with a similar
stone-raising ramp, is a Jain shrine that stands close
to the bhojeshwar temple three figures of the
tirthankars are contained within, one being a colossal
statue of Mahavira 20 feet high, and the other two of
Parsvanath. Rectangular in plan, this temple probably
belongs to the same period as the Bhojeshwar.
West of Bhojpur once lay a vast
lake, but nothing remains except the ruins of the
magnificent old dams by which its water were contained.
The site was chosen with great skill, as a natural wall
of hills enclosed the whole area except for two gaps,
100 yards and 500 yards in width respectively. These
were closed by gigantic earthern dams, faced on both
sides with enormous blocks of |
General Section
