The Terracota Temple of Bhitargaon
My trip in the hinterlands of UP continues. After the enigmatic monsoon temple of Behta Buzurg village, I headed to another gem, the ancient terracota brick temple of the Gupta dynasty.
The terracota temple stands not very far from the monsoon temple, about 4- 5 kms down, in the village of Bhitargaon. Unlike the monsoon temple which was located in an open area, among fields, the terracota temple suddenly appeared on a side of a busy village road in a market area.
One of the oldest existing brick temples built in the 5th century, it is surprisingly well maintained by ASI in a small enclosed garden. A picture taken in 1878 shows the crumbling state the temple was in, with the roof struck by lightning. It was thanks to Alexander Cunnigham, first DG of ASI, that this temple was restored and a heritage saved. Though much of the original temple is lost somewhere in the restoration and masonry work done in 1905, the top of the Shikhara has been left as it was. What makes this temple special, is that while rock cut and stone temples have survived the vagaries of time, brick temples could not, and this is one of the few terracota brick temples which still exists.
One of the oldest of its kind, it has a Shikhara roof built in the Nagara style of architecture. The exterior is interspersed with beautiful carved brick work and moulded terracota panels. Some of the best specimens of terracota art can be seen – figure of Varah avtar of Vishnu, four armed Durga, four armed Ganesha, Shiv Parvati and more. Alexander Cunnigham attributed it to be a Vishnu temple based on the Varaha Avtar at the back of the temple.
The temple is built in a square plan in a triratha style. The sanctum is a hall of about 4.5 sq m and does not contain an idol as this is not an active temple any more. In the sanctum, while the bricks on the walls seem to be a later restoration, as one looks up the Shikhara roof , the original bricks become visible. They are much narrower and vertically laid. On the outer facade, its only the tapering top of the temple , left as it is, untouched by restoration which gives a glimpse of the original structure. Pigeons now find it the best place to rest.
The entire area is dotted with temples, each holding its own mystery, a secret of the past. The list ready in my hand..I await another day..
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