Beejamandal

Beejamandal is a ruined temple in Khajuraho, that has not yet been fully excaved and explored [ NEW TEMPLES UNEARTHED AT KHAJURAHO http://pib.nic.in/feature/fe0899/f1908991.html] .

Beejamandal is also the name for a ruined temple in Vidisha [विजय मंदिर / बीजामंडल मस्जिद http://tdil.mit.gov.in/CoilNet/IGNCA/mw009.htm] .

'Beejamandal' at Khajuraho not very far from the main temple-complex. In fact it is near the Chatur-bhuj temple.

In all there are supposed to be 85 temples in Khajuraho,however only 22 of them have been unearthed. Beejamandal is one of the many which are yet to be discovered.According to the local villagers this structure was under a huge mound of earth which was marked on the apex by a white stone. The villagers regularly lit the holy oil-lamp each night on this mound since time imemorial.

A visitor describes the remains:

:Now we saw how the idols of Lord Shiv and goddess Parvati were slowly,carefully being scraped and dug out of the earth.The beautiful pillars,walls,etc with intricate stone carvings emerged from underground like magic!The stone-carvings depicted human forms in various poses,along with animals and other forms of nature.We could discern some sort of Indonesian or may be some South -East Asian influence on the carvings too!

Cunnigham [Reports By Archaeological Survey of India By Archaeological Surveyof India Published 1880, Cunnigham] and Phanikanta Mishra [Desai, Devaga, and Phanikanta Mishra, "New Discoveries I, Exposition of the Bijamandala Temple in Khajuraho; II. Significance of the New Find at Khajuraho: Gahapati Kokkala'a Vaidyanatha Temple." Marg 51, Number 3 (March 2000)] regard this as the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahapati Kokkala inscription.

ee also

* Khajuraho

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