Bateshwar Temple complex is located in Morena district in Madhya Pradesh. Temple also known as Batesara or Batesvar and is situated on a hilly range about 30 km from Gwalior city near the village of
Padavali. It is believed that there are almost 200 temples dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti within an area of 25 acres. The name Bateshwar is believed to have been derived from Bhooteshwar, another name for Bhagwan Shiva.
At Batesvar site you find some Ruins and Restored temples, which were built between the 8th and 10th centuries. The temples as they now appear are in many cases reconstructed with ruins of stones, in a project commissioned by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2005.
Bateshwar Temple History
The temples are said to have been built during the 8th to 10th century AD by the
Gurjara – Pratihara dynasty that ruled a large part of northern India from the mid-eighth century to the 11th century. The Pratihars considered themselves as Suryavanshis and are said to be the descendants of Lakshman from the epic Ramayan.
It is believed that the complex had 400 small and big temples but no one knows exactly how these temples became ruins. The current theory is that an earthquake sometime after the 13th century completely destroyed the complex.
Note: Do not confuse these temples with Bateshwar, the birthplace of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee, which is situated on the banks of Yamuna river in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. Baba Bateshwar Nath Temple is a chain of 108 temples of different forms of Bhagwan Shiva.
How to reach Bateshwar Temple Complex
The Bateshwar Temple Complex is located near Padavali village in Morena district. The place is about 35 km from Gwalior and 30 km from Morena Railway Station. It is best to hire a car from Gwalior and visit the Bateshwar Temple Complex, Padavali and Mitawali together. If time permits you can visit Kakanmath and the Chausath Yogini Temple at Mitaoli as well.
Inscriptions by Archaeological Survey of India:
The ruins of the temples at
Batesar, located to the south of
Padawali village in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, are spread over a wide area on the western foothills of a hill.
The remains of these stone-built temples are mainly gates, tiered ponds, parts of temple architecture, statues of Hindu gods and goddesses and remains of pillars, which can be placed between the later Gupta period and Pratihar period in terms of architecture. Whose time period is from 6th to 6th century AD to 9th century AD.
These ruins of temples located in Batesar are important from the point of view of the gradual development of temple art. In ancient temples only one sanctum and roof are flat. Whereas over a period of time a peak was also being constructed on top of the sanctum. The
Bhuteshwar Mahadev temple located here displays all the features of the Pratihar period temple building art.
With the tireless efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India, recently some temples have been reconstructed and given their original form.
Popular Name: Bateshwar Group of Temple, Bateshwar Temple