Laxminarayan Temple, the 17th century painterly temple in Orchha
The temple was built by Bir Singh Deo in the year 1622, and was dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and is a beautiful blend of temple and fort architecture coming together.
NewsBharati 22-Apr-2022 16:25:29 PM
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Built in the 17th century, the Lakshmi Narayan Temple stands tall after all these years, a delight to those who still visit this attraction while touring around Orchha. Dedicated to the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi and her consort, Narayan, the structure is a mix of temple and fort moulds. The Lakshmi Narayan Temple is one of the biggest structures and the 3 most important temples in Orchha. At a distance of 2 km from Orchha Fort, the Lakshmi Narayan Temple is a huge temple situated in Orchha in Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the famous historical places to visit in Orchha excluding the Orchha Fort complex.
History | The temple was built by Bir Singh Deo in the year 1622, and was dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and is a beautiful blend of temple and fort architecture coming together. Within the inner chambers of the temple, Vir Singh made arrangements for offering sacrifices for Goddess Lakshmi within the innermost chambers of this ornate temple. But owing to inadequate maintenance of the place, the condition of the temple became worse soon enough. The temple was actually reconstructed by Prithvi Singh during 1793.
Architecture | This temple depicts a pretty unique juxtaposition of temple and fort architecture. The structure of the temple is a rectangular one and has 4 multi-faced projecting bastions at its 4 different corners. The temple was constructed using lime mortar and bricks, with slots for cannons used during wars. The interiors here have the most exquisite of Orchha's wall paintings, also called as murals. Covering these walls and ceilings of the 3 halls, these murals are vibrant compositions and cover a variety of spiritual and secular subjects. They are in excellent state of preservation, with the colours retaining their vivid quality.
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The mural paintings on the walls of the temple will leave you stunned. The murals, in the interiors of the Lakshmi Narayan Temple are sure to charm the visitors, as they preach various spiritual and secular lessons and from the life incidents of Lord Rama. Paintings inside the temple appear as fresh as if painted yesterday.
The effective structure, built in a mixture of lime and mortar, is well preserved compared to some others in the country. The temple attracts many a history buff, and followers of Hinduism, as it contains religious prominence. Despite the temple being dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, there is no idol of her in the temple, and this uniqueness makes it one of the interesting places to visit in Orchha.
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The themes of this painting have been taken from Rama Charitra Manas, along with from India's first battle for Independence fought back in year 1857. Other notable aspects of the temple are the carvings on the central dome and ornately carved pillars on the corners. Visitors should also see the famous painting of the legendary 'Shungi Chirya', which is a monstrous bird that could capture elephants in its talons.
The arrangement of the carved details of the temple has been done in a geometrical form, and below that, you will find scenes from the life of Lord Krishna. These scenes have the detailing of adorned with flowers and animals. The altar of this temple has been built in the shape of a yoni or vulva. This is one place you should definitely not miss while in Orchaa, as the architecture and the murals here, will take you back in time, and are not to be missed.
Kinjal Dixit
Kinjal Dixit has a degree in bachelors in English and is currently pursuing her Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has a hand at writing about infrastructure, culture and in sharing humanitarian stories.