The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
We caught our first glimpse of the temple when Samhith stopped to play in a canal cutting across the road.
We sat on the steps, enjoying the feel of the flowing water on our feet, staring into the distance, where the single hillock rose, and the circular walls of the temple rose above it. This was our first sight of the Chausath Yogini temple at Mitavali. (Also spelled as Mitawali, Mitaoli or Mitauli).
Little is known about Yoginis and their temples. They are usually considered to be
64 in number, but there are also instances of temples being constructed to 42
or even 81 yoginis. They are usually depicted as beautiful women, but with
heads of birds or animals, adding to the mystery surrounding them. Dr. Vidya Dehejia,
who has done extensive research on the Yoginis, says
“…the Yoginīs formed a group of
goddesses closely connected with the Kaula cult, and more specially with that
branch of the Kaula path known as Yoginī Kaula. Visualized generally as
sixty four in number, the Yoginīs were divided into eight kulas, or groupings
of eight, and pictured as forming a circle around Siva as Bhairava. They were
invoked by Kaula sādhakas to protect followers of the Kaula path
and worshipped in order to gain a variety of magical abilities. Temples of the
Yoginīs must have been constructed by such Kaula believers.”*
The temple at Mitavali is believed to have been built by
the Kacchapaghata ruler, Devapala (1055 to 1075 A.D.), though the inscriptions
at the temple are from much later, suggesting that the temple was restored, or
re-embellished, or donations were made during that period. The latest dated
inscription is from A.D.1503, the period when Man Singh Tomar ruled over
Gwalior, suggesting that the temple was in use even then.
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| A smoothened circular stone structure outside the temple, with inscriptions. |
The temple’s location, atop the hillock in the middle of
nowhere seems to be typical of most Yogini shrines. These Yogini cults were
tantric in nature, and had their roots in tribal worship, well outside the
orthodox Brahminical tradition of the period. The cult seems to have been
popular from the 9th to the 12th centuries, and it has
been suggested that the constant threat of war, and attack by foreign invaders
would have aided their popularity, with the powerful deities being invoked for
protection and victory in war. The king would have patronized such temples for
these purposes alone, keeping them away from the cities, while building
traditional Brahminical shrines within the city.
Climbing up the hill, we were more than aware of our
solitude. Our driver had stopped by the car, uninterested in climbing up to see
an empty temple no one visited, and there wasn’t another soul around.
I walked slowly, admiring the beautiful patterns in
the dendritic sandstone, which was such a common feature here. They added a
touch of nature even to monuments, reminding us that the stones were here long
before humans arrived to use them!
Samhith of course, had already reached the top, and
stood waiting impatiently, as I paused to catch my breath. The temple stood
before us, its doorway and the steps leading up to it the only break in the
perfect circle of the exterior.
Almost all Yogini temples are circular in shape, and open to
the skies, with a central shrine for Shiva or Bhairava. The Yoginis themselves
are in niches or smaller shrines on the inner walls of the temple. They also
stand out in their simplicity, in sharp contrast to the Brahminical shrines
which are elaborately and intricately carved, with human as well as divine
figures.
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| One of the few sculptures on the outer wall of the temple, depicting a couple, probably Shiva and Parvati |
It was an eerie experience, to be up here, all alone. Our sole
companion here was a dog, fast asleep by the door. The door itself appeared to
be closed, and I hesitated, wondering if I should disturb the perfect isolation
of the site. Even as I hesitated, Samhith walked up and tried the door, which
opened at once. As for the dog, it woke up and walked away, leaving us free to
enter. Having come so far, we didn’t hesitate any more, but walked in.
The temple is magnificent in its simplicity. The shrines of
the 64 Yoginis, plus one extra shrine (probably for the main goddess) stand in
a perfect circle, with a row of pillars forming a walkway, on a raised
platform, which runs along the niches.
The niches must have originally housed the Yoginis, but sadly none
of them remain today. Instead, the shrines house lingams, without their yonis.
These are believed to have been added in more recent times, after the temple
lost its importance and the Yogini images disappeared.
At the centre is a circular pavilion, with two concentric rings of
pillars. Originally, this shrine must have housed an image of Shiva, but now, it
is empty.
A Shiva linga stands alone, just outside this shrine today.
It is very interesting to see that there are clear channels for
water to flow, and outlets are provided from all the raised platforms, and
these channels all lead outside. It is clear that this must have been provided
for a dual purpose – to deal with rainwater, since it’s an open shrine, and
also to channel water from ritualistic oblations to the deities.
In that absolute silence, where even Samhith was quiet,
unlike his usual boisterous self, it felt as if our every sense was heightened.
I could almost hear my heart beating louder, and it was a disconcerting
feeling. Though there wasn’t a single person around, and the niches were empty
of the deities they were made for, it almost felt like I was intruding. Calling
to Samhith, I walked out, and he followed, for once, without an argument.
Outside, he found his voice again, asking why we were rushing out, when we had
just come. And for once, I had no reply.
As we began our descent, I looked back one last time, and
there was the dog, sitting by the door, looking at us leave. Call it a flight
of fancy if you will, but at that moment, I wondered if it was the dog I was
seeing, or Bhairava himself**, the natural guardian of the temple!
* Dr. Vidya Dehejia,
Yogini Cult and Temples, A Tantric Tradition, National Museum, New Delhi, 1986
** Bhairava is usually
accompanied by a dog
Information:
- Location: Mitavali / Mitawali / Mitaoli is located about 40 Km from Gwalior.
- How to Reach: Take a car from Gwalior. Combine with Padhavali and Batesar.
- Further Reading:
- Dr. Vidya Dehejia’s book on Yoginis, published by the National Museum Delhi, and is available at the museum, when in stock.
One can only wonder how the temple would have looked when all the statues were there. Would they all look similar or all of them would be different? Did these 64 yoginis have a special characteristic of their own.
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling about Dr Dehejia's book - will try to pick a copy when I visit Delhi next.
It must have been absolutely spellbinding with all those Yoginis in their niches. Yes, they must have had their own characteristics, just like they have in the other temples which still have the idols. Dr. Dehejia's book is just superb, but sadly not available right now, even at the National Museum. When i visited, they said it was out of print. I hope they print again soon. I borrowed it from a friend to read, but would love to buy it too, if its available, let me know if you get it.
ReplyDeleteStunning temple and the architecture is simply awesome. I will soon plan to visit this temple.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a great post about Gwalior
ReplyDeleteIt's really beautiful the way you have written this post. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great information. I really like this temple you mention. I like the architecture of the temple and I love to visit the temple.
ReplyDeleteLovely post. I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts and time into the stuff you post!!
ReplyDeleteGreat Place! a historical sight! I hope some day I can go there. Thanks for sharing.. Keep posting.
ReplyDelete