Category:Beejamandal, Khajuraho

Beejamandal, Khajuraho 

Ruins of an 11th century Hindu temple, archaeological site
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Instance of	ruins Hindu temple archaeological site
Part of	Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Location	Khajuraho, Chhatarpur district, Sagar division, Madhya Pradesh, India
24° 49′ 45.98″ N, 79° 56′ 04.27″ E
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Beejamandal site of Khajuraho is also referred to as Bijamandal temple of Khajuraho. It was one of 18 mounds identified as likely sites for lost temples within a 10 kilometer radius of Khajuraho Western Group of temples.

The Bijamandal temple site is located to the southeast of Khajuraho in Jatkari village. It was excavated between 1998–2000 for the first time, and again 2002–2003 (after the successful Satdhara mound excavations between 1981–1986). The Bijamandal site excavations yielded evidence of one of the largest temple complexes in Khajuraho area. It is dated to late 10th to early 11th century. It was destroyed and torn down into a jumble of ruins and temple parts after the 12th century. Soil and vegetation overtook the destroyed temple, creating a mound.

The Bijamandal ruins survive as a large jagati (platform), remnants of pillars and structures towards its sanctum. It had several mandapas and likely a big sikhara. The artwork, temple parts and fragments of inscribed sections found midst the ruins confirm that it was a Hindu temple, likely Shiva with smaller shrines.

The surviving jagati has bands of reliefs. These depict secular scenes as well as legends from Indian epics. The panels discovered in the ruins are of considerable significance as some of them show scenes of temple construction. In one notable panel, a shilpin (craftsman) is carrying a stone, he is accompanied by a lipikara (scribe) and a bearded acharya (teacher) with a manuscript. This panel suggests the texts guided the process of Indian temples construction (Source: D Desai, Relevance of Textual Sources in the Study of Temple Art, p. 186). Scholars suggest that the Bijamandal site of Khajuraho must have been a part of an urban setting and an important temple of its time given it is one of the largest temples discovered in this region so far.