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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. |
