Treasure trove in temple town
Better known as the ancestral village of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bateshwar near Agra was once home to over a 100 temples. But today, a few remain with most of them getting destroyed due to floods. Vijay Upadhyay reports on a town that lives and draws from its rich past
Once known as the village of 101 temples, Bateshwar in Agra has lost this identity to time. Now, better known as the ancestral village of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, out of the 400-year-old series of 101 temples, barely 48 remain standing owing to the three great floods that wrecked majority of these temples. The rest of the temples are likely to have disastrous effects if yet another flood hits the Yamuna in the near future.
Situated on the bank of the river Yamuna, about 75 km away from Agra, Bateshwar also marks the important site of the conjunction of the Yamuna with the Chambal, filling up the Yamuna yet again with water which then carries on to Allahabad, finally merging into the Ganga.
Built in the late 1600s, the series of 101 temples is dedicated to Lord Shiva and a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. This pilgrim town has been referred to in old scriptures like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Matsya Puran etc. From 8th century to 17th century, it remained an important town under the Gurjar, Chandela and Bhadawar kings. The illustrious Prince Badan Singh of Bhadawar dynasty shifted his capital to Bateshwar, then an independent province of central India, about 400 years ago. The present temples are said to be constructed by him.
It is also known as the dominion of Lord Krishna's grandfather Sursen and the birthplace of Krishna's father Vasudev. Also, a fabled land of Maharishi Chyavan and the birthplace of Bhagawan Neminath, the 20th of the 24 Tirthankaras of the Jains. In addition to that, this was also the birthplace of Karna, the first born of the Pandavas, making it a place of high religious importance to both the Hindus and the Jains.
High rising ravines surround the temples and are home to a number of Naga sadhus (holy men) who have carved out little caves and temples within the mud walls. In early November, the open areas around the temple complex play host to an annual animal fair, the origins of which are believed to stretch into antiquity. The fair coincides with the most auspicious period for praying at Bateshwar and is an important fixture for saints, tradesmen and villagers.
Despite its importance in both archaeological and religious aspects, the present state of the temples in Bateshwar is nothing to write home about.
Having lost a majority of its temples to the floods in the Yamuna in 1967, 1978 and 1984, the remaining 48 temples of this complex too, are in a dilapidated condition, with only the primary temple of Vateshwarnath, dedicated to Lord Shiva in a condition to greet the pilgrims with some ambience. It draws annual donations worth Rs 40 lakh, most of which goes towards the sustenance of the large assemblage of temple priests and the maintenance of a select few of the temples located close to the main temple. Some of the temple's ceilings still retain their beautiful original frescoes painted with traditional vegetable paints.
The long river front of Yamuna has a fascinating row of temples. The principal attractions in this row are temples like Bhimeshwar, Narmadeshwar, Moteshwar, Jageshwar, Panchmukhi Yati, Gaurishankar, Pataleshwar, Mandal and the one at Bihariraj.
For the conservation of the remaining temples, the Archaeological Survey of India claims to have appointed one employee on site, which, the villagers claim, was not sufficient to protect these temples from bounty-hunters and the slow degradation of the temple stones under the constant abrasion of the sand-laden winds and the water.
The ASI, they claim, had undertaken these temples as "protected monuments" but hardly any protection was provided by the single ASI employee posted in the vast area encompassing the 48 remaining temples.
In the monsoon, they claimed, the villagers themselves prevented the rapidly climbing river water from entering the temples but the banks of Yamuna, which had been bound with stones and wire-mesh by the irrigation department in 1990, have begun eroding again, endangering the temples each rainy season and if steps were not taken to prevent this erosion of the river banks, the remaining temples too, could slide away into the river, taking a big chunk of the history of this region with them.
Once known as the village of 101 temples, Bateshwar in Agra has lost this identity to time. Now, better known as the ancestral village of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, out of the 400-year-old series of 101 temples, barely 48 remain standing owing to the three great floods that wrecked majority of these temples. The rest of the temples are likely to have disastrous effects if yet another flood hits the Yamuna in the near future.
Situated on the bank of the river Yamuna, about 75 km away from Agra, Bateshwar also marks the important site of the conjunction of the Yamuna with the Chambal, filling up the Yamuna yet again with water which then carries on to Allahabad, finally merging into the Ganga.
Built in the late 1600s, the series of 101 temples is dedicated to Lord Shiva and a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. This pilgrim town has been referred to in old scriptures like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Matsya Puran etc. From 8th century to 17th century, it remained an important town under the Gurjar, Chandela and Bhadawar kings. The illustrious Prince Badan Singh of Bhadawar dynasty shifted his capital to Bateshwar, then an independent province of central India, about 400 years ago. The present temples are said to be constructed by him.
It is also known as the dominion of Lord Krishna's grandfather Sursen and the birthplace of Krishna's father Vasudev. Also, a fabled land of Maharishi Chyavan and the birthplace of Bhagawan Neminath, the 20th of the 24 Tirthankaras of the Jains. In addition to that, this was also the birthplace of Karna, the first born of the Pandavas, making it a place of high religious importance to both the Hindus and the Jains.
High rising ravines surround the temples and are home to a number of Naga sadhus (holy men) who have carved out little caves and temples within the mud walls. In early November, the open areas around the temple complex play host to an annual animal fair, the origins of which are believed to stretch into antiquity. The fair coincides with the most auspicious period for praying at Bateshwar and is an important fixture for saints, tradesmen and villagers.
Despite its importance in both archaeological and religious aspects, the present state of the temples in Bateshwar is nothing to write home about.
Having lost a majority of its temples to the floods in the Yamuna in 1967, 1978 and 1984, the remaining 48 temples of this complex too, are in a dilapidated condition, with only the primary temple of Vateshwarnath, dedicated to Lord Shiva in a condition to greet the pilgrims with some ambience. It draws annual donations worth Rs 40 lakh, most of which goes towards the sustenance of the large assemblage of temple priests and the maintenance of a select few of the temples located close to the main temple. Some of the temple's ceilings still retain their beautiful original frescoes painted with traditional vegetable paints.
The long river front of Yamuna has a fascinating row of temples. The principal attractions in this row are temples like Bhimeshwar, Narmadeshwar, Moteshwar, Jageshwar, Panchmukhi Yati, Gaurishankar, Pataleshwar, Mandal and the one at Bihariraj.
For the conservation of the remaining temples, the Archaeological Survey of India claims to have appointed one employee on site, which, the villagers claim, was not sufficient to protect these temples from bounty-hunters and the slow degradation of the temple stones under the constant abrasion of the sand-laden winds and the water.
The ASI, they claim, had undertaken these temples as "protected monuments" but hardly any protection was provided by the single ASI employee posted in the vast area encompassing the 48 remaining temples.
In the monsoon, they claimed, the villagers themselves prevented the rapidly climbing river water from entering the temples but the banks of Yamuna, which had been bound with stones and wire-mesh by the irrigation department in 1990, have begun eroding again, endangering the temples each rainy season and if steps were not taken to prevent this erosion of the river banks, the remaining temples too, could slide away into the river, taking a big chunk of the history of this region with them.
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