Rajasthan
Pilgrimages
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Abhaneri Temple, Jaipur |
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About
Abhaneri Temple, Jaipur
Abhaneri is a small town village, situated
at a distance of 95 km from Jaipur, on Jaipur-Agra
road. The place is popular for the amazing
'Baoris' (step wells) and Harshat Mata Temple.
The village of Abhaneri is believed to be
established by the King Raja Chand. Originally
Abhaneri was named as Abha Nagri, which means
the city of brightness, but due to mispronunciation
of the term, it is changed to the present
name.
In the present day, this city of brightness
is in ruins;  still
it attracts tourists from across the globe.
Abhaneri is prominent for 'Baoris', which
are the unique invention of the natives for
harvesting rain water. Amongst the other step
wells, Chand Baori is the most popular one.
This colossal step well is located in front
of the Harshat Mata Temple. Chand Baori is
one of India's deepest and largest step wells.
The huge tank with delicate carvings is certainly
delightful to the eyes.
Step wells are the unique concept of India.
These big tanks were used as cool places of
resort and water reservoir in parched days.
It was a ritual to wash hands and feet before
visiting the temple. Adjoining the Chand Baori,
there is a temple, dedicated to Harshat Mata.
This temple serves as the other tourist attraction
of Abhaneri. Raised during the 10th century,
the wrecks of the temple still boast of the
architectural and sculptural styles of ancient
India.
Your Abhaneri tours will remain inconclusive
without paying visits to some of the popular
tourist destinations that the village boasts
of. The Harshat Mata Temple is one of the
must-visit attractions in Abhaneri. Harshat
Mata is held in great reverence as the goddess
of mirth and happiness. The locals strongly
believe that Harshat Mata, depicted in a jolly
mood, imparts her mirth and happiness to the
entire village folk. The temple that dates
back to the 9th century has borne the brunt
of time and now stands in a dilapidated state.
Certain parts of the temple still remain intact
and these comprise of sanctuary walls, terrace
and the columned mandapa or forechamber. The
temple walls are graced with carved niches
that in turn decorated with the images of
other deities. The temple brilliantly exemplifies
the early medieval architecture in Rajasthan.
The columns and the temple walls are exquisitely
adorned with scenes of dance, music, love
and sports.
Main
Attractions Abhaneri Temple
Harshat Mata Temple
Today Abhaneri is mainly famous for the Harshat
Mata Temple belonging to the 9th century.
of course, only portions of this ancient shrine
remain now, like the sanctuary walls, terrace
and something of the columned mandapa (forechamber).
The sanctum, shorn of its superstructure,
is enclosed in an ambulatory and is pancharatha
(with five offsets) in structure. The walls
have carved nichés in which are images
of other deities.
These worn out images indicate that the temple
was originally dedicated to Vishnu, the Creator
of the Hindu trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer.
The architectural details of the terrace basement
is more or less complete, showing friezes
of geometric ornament and miniature nichés
with sculptures of seated deities and amorous
couples. The columns and walls are adorned
with scenes of dance, music, sport and love,
although majorly damaged now. Some of the
better panels have been shifted to the Archaeological
Museum, Amber and the Central Museum, Jaipur.
The sanctum now enshrines an image of the
four-armed deity Harasiddhi, locally called
Harshat Mata. Many images of Hindu deities
have been found around the place which are
being preserved by the Archaelogical Survey
of India. A mela (fair) is held near the temple
in the month of Chaitra (March-April) every
year.
Harshat Mata is considered to be the goddess
of joy and happiness. As per the beliefs,
the goddess is always cheerful, who imparts
her joy and happiness to the whole village.
The temple is worth visiting for its amazing
architecture and that too, which belongs to
the medieval India. Abhaneri has a glorious
past and this hoary magnetism of the place,
attracts tourists to its threshold, from all
over the world.
Chand Baoli-A Stepwell
Near the Harshat Mata Temple is the stepwell
Chand Baoli, belonging to the 11th century
AD. The desert kingdom of Rajasthan has many
such tanks which served as community centres,
and constructing them was considered an act
of great generosity and benevolence. These
baolis or stepwells were no ordinary structures;
they were marvels of architecture. The Chand
Baoli has beautifully carved panels inserted
into the sides. The steps, in sets of 4 or
5, are in the shape of an inverted 'V'. The
carved stone pillars, which are somewhat damaged
now, were once strong enough for supporting
pulleys to draw water. Several storeyed verandahs
surround this beautiful stepwell. |
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