Hi,
In the post about my earlier visit to Sujanpur fort I expressed my confusion of the names ('Narvdeshwar' with 'Nandikeshwar,' ) of two temples in the small town of the Sujanpur. It would be another fine day, when I again visit the Sujanpur fort and then Narvdeshwar temple too.
This time I was accompanied by four of my friends, and therefore it resulted in a exploratory day. We also visited other small temples and streets of Sujanpur. Narvdeshwar temple is located on the bank of the river Beas, however at an elevated spot, almost with same elevation as that of the Sujanpur town.
A short, solitary, paved but narrow path,diverges from the street road of the town sneaking through the woods and small fields towards the temple. It starts at the Nandikeshwar temple itself, and ends at the Narvdeshwar temple. The temple's first look itself, gives the evidence of its historicity. It is some what secluded from the town, and the perennial water of the river Beas adds to the sanctity and beauty of the temple.
There is a heavy, thick masonry wall with a single entrance gate which faces the river Beas. You need to have the knowledge of the temple architecture to understand the built. As per the various articles on the related websites, what I concluded is that the temple was constructed by the chief queen(might be Prasanna Devi) of late king Sansar Chand Katoch(1765- 1823), the most famous king of the Katoch dynasty, who ruled from
This wall is also the boundary of the Jagati(the elevated platform on which the main temple stands), which provides elevation to the main temple. The main wall is more than six feet high on three sides, so the outside view is obstructed once you are inside the temple.
But on the rear side, it is low enough and has the holes to give you the view of the greenery on back side. The images of Hindu gods and goddesses are carved out of the stones and erected inside the grooves of the wall on its outer face.
After the entrance, there is a large courtyard, without a roof, the main sanctuary is constructed at centre with a roof, which is surrounded by a mandapa(the empty space around the sanctum) supported on pillars.
It has a flat slab roof, unlike the others which are generally covered by Shikharas or the rising towers. The paintings on the walls are said to be made in Bhitti-Chitra Style, which depicts the stories from Mahabharta, Ramayana and Bhagvata Puran etcetera and perhaps the times of the queen herself.
The small temples of Sun, Durga, Ganesha and Lakshminarayana are located in the open rectangular courtyard that surrounds the main temple. The Shiva-linga is enshrined at the Sanctum, and therefore, the temple is dedicated to lord Shiva, 'Narvdeshwar' is another title of him. When we reached the temple, the sky has starting to sprinkle and it added to the comfort and romance of the day.
The temple priest was having the company of another six to eight persons, together they were performing the Paath(some kind of the remedial ritual in Hinduism.) Finally one of them spoke to us and offered the prasad. When the sprinkle seemed turning into quite a rain, the five of us started back towards the hired cab.
In the post about my earlier visit to Sujanpur fort I expressed my confusion of the names ('Narvdeshwar' with 'Nandikeshwar,' ) of two temples in the small town of the Sujanpur. It would be another fine day, when I again visit the Sujanpur fort and then Narvdeshwar temple too.
This time I was accompanied by four of my friends, and therefore it resulted in a exploratory day. We also visited other small temples and streets of Sujanpur. Narvdeshwar temple is located on the bank of the river Beas, however at an elevated spot, almost with same elevation as that of the Sujanpur town.
A short, solitary, paved but narrow path,diverges from the street road of the town sneaking through the woods and small fields towards the temple. It starts at the Nandikeshwar temple itself, and ends at the Narvdeshwar temple. The temple's first look itself, gives the evidence of its historicity. It is some what secluded from the town, and the perennial water of the river Beas adds to the sanctity and beauty of the temple.
 |
| Narvdeshwar temple, Sujanpur, Himachal |
There is a heavy, thick masonry wall with a single entrance gate which faces the river Beas. You need to have the knowledge of the temple architecture to understand the built. As per the various articles on the related websites, what I concluded is that the temple was constructed by the chief queen(might be Prasanna Devi) of late king Sansar Chand Katoch(1765- 1823), the most famous king of the Katoch dynasty, who ruled from
This wall is also the boundary of the Jagati(the elevated platform on which the main temple stands), which provides elevation to the main temple. The main wall is more than six feet high on three sides, so the outside view is obstructed once you are inside the temple.
But on the rear side, it is low enough and has the holes to give you the view of the greenery on back side. The images of Hindu gods and goddesses are carved out of the stones and erected inside the grooves of the wall on its outer face.
After the entrance, there is a large courtyard, without a roof, the main sanctuary is constructed at centre with a roof, which is surrounded by a mandapa(the empty space around the sanctum) supported on pillars.
 |
| Mural paintings in Bhitti style at Narvdeshwar Temple, Sujanpur, Himachal |
The small temples of Sun, Durga, Ganesha and Lakshminarayana are located in the open rectangular courtyard that surrounds the main temple. The Shiva-linga is enshrined at the Sanctum, and therefore, the temple is dedicated to lord Shiva, 'Narvdeshwar' is another title of him. When we reached the temple, the sky has starting to sprinkle and it added to the comfort and romance of the day.
The temple priest was having the company of another six to eight persons, together they were performing the Paath(some kind of the remedial ritual in Hinduism.) Finally one of them spoke to us and offered the prasad. When the sprinkle seemed turning into quite a rain, the five of us started back towards the hired cab.
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