Bheema Devi: "Goddess in Exile"

[Guest guest]

Pinjore, INDIA (July 11, 2004) - Nestling in the sylvan surroundings

of the Shivalik range, 20 km from Chandigarh, on the Chandigarh-

Shimla National Highway, is the township of Pinjore, which is

steeped in history. The town, besides being a retreat for tourists,

has remained the centre of attraction for art lovers and

archaeologists who come here to see these rare archaeological

findings dating back to the times of The Mahabharata.

 

Besides its rich cultural and historical base, the town is known for

the Yadavindra Mughal gardens, which remain a piece de resistance,

with the distant awe-inspiring hills adding to the ambience.

 

Known as a temple town, it was dotted with nearly 360 temples and

shrines and almost an equal number of traditional bawris (water

tanks), some of which became victims of the vagaries of time and

iconoclast Mughal marauders who razed these relics to rubble.

 

The Bheema Devi temple, a rare architectural marvel, now in ruins,

is a grim reminder of the bygone era of the wanton loot and

bloodletting India has gone through.

 

Close to the Yadavindra Mughal gardens, the Bheema Devi temple, a

winsome blend of medieval art and architecture, has been witness to

trying times. The defaced stone images of the Hindu gods that once

adorned the walls of the sanctum sanctorum are scattered amid weeds.

 

Devotees from distant parts of the country have to offer obeisance

to the "goddess in exile" at a temple-like structure housing the

stone images of the goddess, with the sky as the roof. Nearby is a

bawri, which has been reduced to a mere puddle of slush. A Herculean

effort on part of the Archaeological Survey of India, in tandem with

the state, has saved this treasure-trove from slipping into

obscurity.

 

A huge Shivalinga and many a disfigured image of Shiva-Parvati found

from the site give credence to the belief that the temple was

devoted to Shiva. A minuscule replica of the temple has also been

placed here for public viewing. The outer walls of the temple were

adorned with beautifully carved stone images of Shiva, Brahma and

Vishnu, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Bhairon, and some local deities.

 

It is said that Pinjore, also known as Bheema Nagar, drew its name

from Bheema, one of the Pandavas, who chanced upon this place

towards the end of agyatvas. According to the scriptures, it was

named Panchpur.

 

Till 1974, the temple remained unnoticed. It was only when the

Archaeological Survey of India started excavating it that a rich

haul of rare stone icons of the contemporary Panchayatan genre, from

the 9th and 11th centuries, was discovered.

 

The engravings found during the excavations testify that the temple

was built during the reign of King Ramdev circa 606 AD. However, the

images and manuscripts found from the site date back to 1199 A.D.

Documented in chaste Devanagri script and Sanskrit, these engravings

provide significant inputs regarding the raising of the temple.

 

Since the medieval times and the beginning of the 13th century,

Pinjore became a spiritual and cultural hub. This is corroborated by

the account of travels of Al Beruni (1030 AD) in his memoirs. The

rare collection of these relics lies safe with the Department of

Archaeological Survey of India and Haryana's Museum of Art Gallery

at Chandigarh and the Department of Ancient History, Culture and

Archaeology, Kurukshetra University at Kurukshetra.

 

The state government is trying to preserve these findings. A museum,

in a typical Panchayatan tradition, is being constructed in the

vicinity of these wonders in stone— which would showcase these

relics. It has also drawn up an ambitious plan to give the entire

area a facelift and connect it with Yadavindra Gardens to exploit

the tourism potential of the area.

 

Source: Spectrum (Sunday Magazine), The Tribune, Chandigarh,

India, "Heritage in ruins" by Ramesh K. Dhiman

 

URL: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040711/spectrum/main3.htm