"India is an AMAZING
Land"
With a mix of caution and thrill I took the left
turn from Thekari after Morena, from here route is fairly simple; go straight
for around 15 km. to finally see a direction signal to Mitawali. Though the
road is narrow, but it is in fairly good condition, except for a few stretches
which are being re-laid. Excitement of getting closer to Mitawali had ensured
that the road condition was the last thing on my mind.
There is very less habitation on this way. Enthusiasm of exploring a new
place was enough to keep me in good spirits. After driving for 5 hours, I
finally reached “Mitawali” site and it was the time to climb 100 ft. upstairs
to embrace the beautiful Shiva temple, situated at top of a hill.
Circular
architecture of this temple is an absolute cynosure to the eyes. A circular
central hall (Main temple) surrounded by small temples is a unique
construction. At first glance it didn't look like a temple at all; it seemed
like a university or an ancient seat of administration.
Mitawali temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and consists of 64 Yogini small temples surrounding the main Central temple of Lord Shiva.
It was the time to thank the Gods for such a wonderful drive to Mitawali
and also praying to God his for benevolence to continue my life like this.
While I was thanking the GOD's, the perforated base of the central temple
caught my attention. The caretaker told me that it was built as a passage for
rainwater to go into a huge reservoir below. I tried locating it but failed. It
must have been built with precision so as not to obstruct the beauty of the
monument in any way and serve its purpose secretly. Even the pipe-like pieces
on the roofs, constructed to drain the rainwater, made me hail the
architectural prowess of those times. It was perhaps these smart engineering
techniques, apart from the limited number of visitors, which has contributed in
keeping the temple in a comparatively good state.
Environment inside the temple is utmost peaceful, walking around in the lonely corridors is a rare delicacy. Each small temple has an image of Lord Shiva, also known as "SHIVLING - शिवलिंग". Sit back and enjoy the silence.
Outer wall of the temple is decorated with numerous images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
Apart from appreciating the temple, you can also have an astonishing pigeon eye view of the surrounding areas.
Vast tracts of land, scattered habitation, not so easy life in
the villages will surely take you much closer to real India, very
different from India existing in big cities. As told by locales and
caretaker this temple was built in around 9th century AD and
used to be a seat of education of astrology and mathematics with the use
of the rays and shades of the Sun. My first guess about this place was almost
bang on target. Very recently a caretaker has been appointed by MP tourism
department for this temple who is doing an excellent housekeeping of this
temple premises. He is also maintaining a register and regularly taking
feedback from occasional visitors on how to popularise this place.
You call it a sheer
coincidence or strange coincidence that structure of Indian Parliament house
(Sansad Bhawan) has a close resemblance with this temple. To be honest Indian
parliament house looks like hugely inspired from the architecture of this
temple.
This place has been lying hidden/ forgotten since ages, so very
less information is available about this place. No one can deny the fact that
it must have been very majestic during its prime. Despite being situated
in the vicinity of vibrant Chambal River, there is meagre
inhabitation in this region. This is a significant departure from the Indian
perspective; all the ancient monuments situated near to the rivers have ensured
settlement of the civilizations and flourishing cities. All the ancient temples
and monuments are testimony to this piece of evidence. Elderly locales told
with wet eyes that "गोरे आये थे तोप लेके इस मंदिर को तोड़ने, पर तोप के गोले ऊपर तक नहीं
पहुंचे। आस पास के सब गाँव तहस नहस कर दिए।" Didn't asked more, looks
like some vital facts are still lying buried deep inside the soil, waiting to
come out with the passage of time.
To be frank my
expectations from this place were not so high but the experience I got of this
place was beyond expectations. Whether it was the road to Mitawali, contrasting
village life, un-inhabited lands and above all the Temple on top of the hill – it
was proud moment for cherishing the Grand Indian panorama. Also, I was
rejoicing at my decision to explore this place by driving. As I prepared to
return and was putting my shoes, I gave one last glance to this historical
marvel and silently I wondered what had kept generations of Indians ignorant of
this architectural gem.
So whenever you plan an excursion to Agra or a Get away to Gwalior, make sure you keep
some time for a visit to Mitawali, believe me you will come back with more
than just memories. There are no fuel stations after left turn from Thekari,
make sure your vehicle does not run out of fuel...
Please find this article published in national newspaper, The Pioneer:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/agenda/travel/history-hunting.html
There are other monuments also
close to Mitawali, worth exploring:
1. Padawali: 3-4 Km. from Mitawali this
fabulous temple monument waiting is considered as superior of Khajuraho temple.
2. Kakan Math Temple: 23 km. from Mitawali,
this 115 ft. high ancient Shiva temple is assembled in stones without any
adhesive.
3. Batesara temples: 4-5 km. is a huge comples of
temples dated back to 6th -9th century. Around 350 temples are estimated to
exist here. Work is ongoing to restore the glory of the temples.
4. Shanichara Mandir: 12-13 km. is the place where Shani Dev has fallen when Hanumanji had thrown him before torching Lanka.
Keep travelling Guys.
