History of Bhojpur
The temple construction was commenced in the 11th century under King Bhoja's reign. According to historical records, Bhoja had constructed numerous temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, including Kedareshvara, Rameshwara, Somanatha, Kala, and Rudra. He built a total of 104 temples in his capital city of Dhara alone. However, the Bhojpur temple is the lone, surviving shrine which can be attributed to Bhoja with some certainty.
Originally, the temple stood on the banks of a reservoir which was formed as a result of the construction of three earth and stone dams during Bhoja's reign. The first dam was built on the Betwa river which trapped the waters in a depression surrounded by the hills, the second, over a gap between the hills, near present-day Mendua village while a third dam, located in present-day Bhopal, diverted more water from the smaller Kaliasot river into the Betwa dam reservoir.
The reason behind the abrupt halting of Bhojpur Temple's construction has been subjected to many speculations. The most popular theories suggest that a sudden war, natural disaster or simply the lack of funds led to the shutting down of the project. Before it was restored in 2006-07, the building lacked a roof which led to archaeologist KK Muhammed theorizing that a mathematical error led to the sudden collapse of the temple after which the project was not pursued further. Detailed plans for the finished temple indicate that Bhojpur was to be a massive temple with many more temples, which would have made it one of the largest temple complexes in India.
Architecture of Bhojpur
The temple is positioned on a ground of 115 feet long, 82 feet wide and 13 feet high where lays a sanctum consisting of a large Shivalingam. The entrance depicts sculptures of apsaras, ganas and river goddesses, while the temple walls have faux-balconies which are purely ornamental and made of large sandstone blocks. The northern wall has a Makara shaped spout for the drainage of liquids used to bathe the lingam.
The four brackets backing up the cornerstones features the carvings of the four divine couples- Shiva-Parvati, Brahma-Shakti, Rama-Sita, and Vishnu-Lakshmi on their surface. The intricately carved shikhara (dome tower) is supported by four octagonal pillars, each aligned with three pilasters. One can also see the remains of a sloping ramp on the north-eastern corner of the building, which is covered with soil and sand. It stands at a height of 40 feet an is 300 feet long. Originally, the ramp reached up to the temple wall, but currently, a gap exists between the two.
Bhojeshwar Temple Museum
Just 200 meters away lies a small museum dedicated to the Bhojeshwar Temple which showcases the history of the temple. The temple illustrates Bhoja's reign via posters and sketches and also has some of the important books written by him on display. The museum is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and has no entry fee.
How to Reach Bhojpur
You can hop aboard a bus fromBhopalthat goes ton Mandideep and get down at the diversion to Bhojpur temple. From there, you can take one of the many shared autos to reach the temple.
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