VYAS BADAURA : HAMPY OF CENTRAL INDIA
Vyas Badaura is a forgotten village of Chandela the builder of great temple of Khajuraho.
Once, I was searching some unknown sites of M.P. and find a website www.mptourism.com. It has a pdf file with many unknown destinations of different districts of M.P.
I saw a place with some ancient temple and I become mad with ruins and ancient temples. So I planned to visit in this village, which is completely unknown and unexplained by anyone.
We didn't have any idea about this village and don't know anything about direction and location. I had an idea about a village with same name Baduara, which is known in that area for a temple of goddess Kali called Bhadra Kali.
I started my first trip from Khajuraho, when we crossed Rajnagar we saw a sign board with the name of Vyas Badaura 48 Kms. So we got an assurance of name and direction of the village. We reached at Chandla and started to inquire about Vyas Badaura but no one know this village with this name. Someone told us there is a village called Bansiya Badaura. So we decided to take a look of Bansiya Badaura. We moved to Bansiya and on the way we got a right person, who told us about these temples as archaeological site and Chandeli temples.
We turned from Bansiay to Badaura, after 15 minutes I saw a glimpse of a ruined temple, which I saw on a photograph. I was excited with new monument. when we reached in this village it was a time of evening and many girls were standing and laughing on the water hand pump and us. I approached to them and asked for an approachable road for that temple.
I turned on left side and reached to temple, which was standing on the bank of local water reservoir inside a field. Many dices of martial was built by local people.
This temple is constructed through local granite stone. It is north facing, It is 10 meter in height and length and width will be about 5 meter. l noticed all blocks are nicely shaped and placed in an order. It has a plinth of granite rocks then there are three layers of decorative elements of temple architecture.Every wall is divided in two equal portions by a dividing strip. It's top portion shikhar is fallen down. On the main gate, it has a broken platform. It had two beautiful decorated columns on sides of the door, which were decorated with kalash and diamond patterns.Now right side column is remained only. Door lintel and door jamb are very simple and plain. But the door sill has a decorated pattern with a pot in center.
There are proper steps to reach inside the sanctum. Inner part of sanctum is very plain but there are more steps are on side walls. Which were used for coronation of main image. It gives an idea about the size of image. There should be some standing image of Hindu or Jain god.
After finishing these temple, we got the glimpse of main complex of temples in side the village. When i was reached there, I was lost to see this huge complex with so many temples spread over in 2 acre on the bank of a band. Main temples are placed on a huge granite rock and many are on different directions.
Decorated material is spread everywhere and all temples are in state of ignorance. Sometime some shepherds take rest here with their cattle.
First approached to main temples, i took some photographs from a distance. But I was very eager to know
Again these temples are made by granite rocks but every inch of these temples are curved with architectural designs and motifs. These are Nagar style temple with shikhar style. In general, temples are remained east facing. But the main entrance of these temples are towards south with two entrances on east and west sides.
These temples are dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva.
Both temples have entrance porch( Mukh Mandap), short hall (Mandap), Assembly hall (Maha Mandap) which has nice transepts or Kakshasana for siting. Both assembly halls are inter-connected with passage and in the ceiling there are brackets in the corners, which had many beautiful salabhanjikas(Damsels standing under a tree). Still two broken figures are remained in the brackets to show the art of that period.
At the end there is sanctum- sanctorum and in both temples there is no figure inside the sanctum.
On the door gate, the door lintel is decorated with trinity(Brhama-Vishnu and Shiva) and nine plants in human form. Door jambs have couples in two niches with goblins and river goddesses are placed on sides with their vehicles Crocodile for Ganga and Tortoise for Yamuna. There is depiction of Shiva and Vishnu door keepers on side.
Door sill is nicely curved with goddess earth sitting on lotus with dadhi kumars (gods riding on crocodile). In left side lord ganesh is sitting with his wife and Saraswati on right side at the end there is depiction of Kuber.
It has a special uncommon feature, first time there is depiction of Chandela King and Queen, who are offering garland to the god.
The wall of temples can be divided in three different portion. First, the plinth of the temple, which is nicely divided with different architectural decorations like, jadyakumbha, kalash, kumbhak, gagarak with kapotpali. Second the wall of the temple is divided in two labels. In the ordinal directions, it has two niches, which were placed with some figures of god and goddesses. The most attractive feature of this temple is placing of crocodile faced drainage. There are two crocodile from two different temples and has common pot to clear the water.
The shikhar of these temples were dismantled and now restored by ASI by old remains of temples.
As per the art of these temple, it is very similar with 13th century AD temples of Chandela rulers.
I didn't get any story and historical evidence from this village. So it is difficult to predict about the name of king.
But this village is very close to Chandla town and the name of Chandela king Parmal was Chandla, so it can be developed by King Parmal in 12th cent. A.D.
Far from these two temples there are many ruins, one temple has more than 52 niches on wall. Which can be a temple of 64 yoginis.
