Vishnu Temple, Deogarh

Vishnu Temple is located at Deogarh in Central India built in c.500 A.D.Dehejia, Vidya. Indian Art. New York, NY: Phaidon Press Limited, 1997, p. 143] . The temple is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples to still survive today. Built in the Gupta Period (320 A.D. to c. 600 A.D.), Vishnu Temple shows the ornate and beauty seen in Gupta style architecture. [Rowland, Benjamin. The Art and Architecture of India. Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press, Inc., 1953 p. 224] This temple is also a good resource for examining Gupta style sculptures and art. [Mitter, Partha. Indian Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. p. 42 ]

Many of these early Hindu stone temples were dedicated to a single Hindu deity. The temple at Deogarh is dedicated to the Vishnu. These temples made in the early part of the 6th century of the Gupta Period housed images and symbols of Hindu gods Dye, Joseph. The Arts of India. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 2001. p. 112] . These temples allowed people to make contact with the gods they were worshiping. The Temple was built out of stone and brick consisting of a single cubical sanctum that sheltered the images within. Statuaries of the Vishnu were both sculpted in the interior and exterior walls of the temple. The temple’s affiliation with the deity Vishnu can be seen by looking at the statuary of the deity seated on a coiled serpent seat that decorates the carved doorway into the temple. There are also many sculpted panels showing the myths and tales connected with Vishnu.

Vishnu Temple is a great example of early Gupta architecture. The style and organization of the structure was the method for the decoration of many Hindu temples seen around India at the time. Though it is in poor condition, having a damaged tower, the temple still exudes the ornate decorations and structural complexity created back in the early 6th century.

Bibliography: