Dudhai Varhaavtaar – An Unknown Gem from Chandela

"During the end of twelfth century and start of thirteenth century, two brothers Devpat and Khovpat were residing at Devgadh. As per legends, they had access to the philosopher’s stone (paras mani), which made them very rich. They constructed various temples in and around Devgadh, including Dudhai. As per a legend, the Badi and Choti Barat temples at Dudhai were constructed by them. The old name of Dudhai was Maholi (as mentioned in “Bharat ke Digambar Jain Tirth”) & Dugdhakupya (as mentioned in “Epigraphia Indica vol I, page 214”)"

- Ruchira Shrivastava

The definitive history of the town can be traced from the Mughal period when it attained certain importance. Abul Fazl mentions that Lalitpur and Dudhai were parganas under the Chanderi Sarkar which in turn was one of the Sarkar under the Malwa suba. The first scholarly reference of Dudhai comes from Alexander Cunningham in his survey reports. He visited the town in 1874-75 and described its monuments in details. He tells that the village was situated on the ridge to the north of the Ram Sagar, a large artificial lake. He further tells that with construction of roads connecting with other villages, the people of Dudhai who earlier emigrated had started to return. He also touched upon the legends and traditions on the history of the place. The next reference is from A Fuhrer however he merely repeated what was mentioned in Cunningham’s reports. In 1889, Keilhorn, in Indian Antiquary vol. XVIIII, edited the inscriptions at a temple in Dudhai. However he remained silent on the monuments of the place. 1889 also sees an attempt from P C Mukherji who described the antiquities of Lalitpur in great details. This was an important work from the scholar as it contained a good number of plates providing plans and sketchings of the monuments and ruins. The Imperial Gazetteer of India for United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, prepared in 1905, refers Dudhai as a ruined town standing on the bank of an artificial tank. The same position is taken in the Jhansi Gazetteer, prepared in 1909, where Dudhai is referred as a decayed village. The Gazetteer of the North-Western Provinces ascribed these monuments to the ancient Gonds however the people were unanimous in referring them to Raja Jalandhar Chandel.

The ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) website mentions thirteen protected monuments at Dudhai village. These can be put into three different regions around the village. The first region is where we find larger and lesser Surang with few other temples including Jain temples. The second region is where rock-cut Narasimha is found and the third region is where are found Bania ki Barat and few other ruins. Larger and Lesser Surang

Lesser Surang (Choti Sarai) – It is called lesser surang as its spire does not reach very high in comparison to the other temple, known as larger surang. However in plan and dimensions, it would be a larger temple than the latter. Cunningham mentions that this was a Brahma temple however it is a tri-kuta (triple shrines) temple consisting of three cells, dedicated to Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Only two cells have survived, the one dedicated to Vishnu is no more intact. The temple would have been dedicated to Shiva in most probability as evident from its design and orientation.

Larger Surang (Badi Sarai) – This temple is built on a jagati (platform) and is a twin temple consisting of two back to back shrines. These shrines face opposite directions, east and west. Both these shrines share a common tower which is now in very bad state of preservation. The temple can be entered through its two entrances, from east and west. The temple is consisted of a mandapa, maha-mandapa and garbha-grhas.

Lintel of Shiva Cell

Shiva The three cells (garbha-grhas) were connected to a common mandapa, roof of which has not survived the toll of time. There is no antarala (vestibule) in front of these cells as these all open directly to the common mandapa. The lintel of the garbha-grha doorways are adorned with various images including Nava-grhas (nine planets) and Sapta-matrikas (seven mothers) along with the images of dedicatory deity. The lintel of the grabha-grha of Brahma shows Brahma on the lalata-bimba while Gayatri and Savitri on its terminals. The lintel of the Shiva cell shows dancing Shiva at lalata-bimba with Vishnu and Brahma on its terminals.

Lintel of Brahma Cell

Brahma A Shivalinga is placed inside the cell dedicated to Shiva while the cell dedicated to Brahma is empty. There would have been individual towers above three individual cells however only the tower above the Brahma cell has survived but in very bad shape of preservation. The temple would have been raised above a high rising jagati (platform) which was approached through a flight of steps. Six inscriptions are found in this temple and from these it can be fairly stated that the temple was constructed during the Chandela period of first decade of the eleventh century, under the reign of prince Devalabdhi, nephew of the Chandela king Yashoverman.

North-west view The central portion consists of two rooms with a doorway between them, so that there is no back wall against which a statue could be placed. In the absence of any large figure or any other distinguishing feature, it is very hard to determine to whom this elegant temple was dedicated. Also this peculiar plan of back to back shrines is indeed a rare design.

Shiva Temple Linga or Mahadev Temple – Only the garbha-grha of this temple remains now. It houses a Shivalinga inside.

Varaha

Varaha with serpent in front

Varaha Back This large Varaha is installed near the large and lesser Surang. This Varaha is carved on the very similar lines as of the famous Varaha image at Khajuraho. All the body of the animal is carved with multitude of images. Among the other images, we find the dashavatara (ten incarnations) of Vishnu on its back.