Bhitargaon

Bhitargaon Temple

The Bhitargaon Temple is a terraced brick building fronted with a terracotta panel. Built in the 5th century during the Gupta period, it is the oldest remaining brick/terracotta Hindu shrine with a roof and a high shikhara, though its upper chamber did sustain some damage in the 18th century.

The temple is built on a square plan with double-recessed corners and faces east. There is a tall pyramidal spire over the garbhagriha. The walls are decorated with terracotta panels depicting Shiva and Vishnu etc. When Alexander Cunningham first visited the site, the remains of the porch and of the ardhamandapa were still visible, which later collapsed.

Description of the architecture and layout of Bhitargaon temple

The construction material is bricks and terracotta. The brick size is 18" x 9" x 3" and the other salient features are following:

• The size of platform on which the temple is built is 36 feet x 47 feet.
• The sanctum is 15 feet x 15 feet internally.
• The sanctum is double story.
• The wall thickness is 8 feet.
• The total height from ground to top is 68.25 feet.
• There is no window.
• The terracotta sculpture depicts both secular and religious theme such as deities like Ganesha and Durga Mahishasuramardini. Myths and stories representing abduction of Sita and the penance of Nara-Narayana.
• Shikara is a stepped pyramid and got damaged by thunder in 1894.
• The first story of sanctum fell in 1850.