My Heritage Chronicles

When we talk about an ancient Shiva temple in Mumbai then the first thought reaches to Ambreshwar Shiva temple of Ambarnath which is one of the most beautiful 11th-century temple around Mumbai. But not many are aware of yet another Shiva temple in Atgaon valley which though lies in a very dilapidated state could have been yet another very beautiful temple in its heydays, remnants of the temple prove the point. The Shiva temple as per some information available in the Thane gazetteer shows that it was built in the 12th or 13th century. The temple is well known as Pandav temple. Having seen some posts about the temple visited by heritage enthusiasts on social media and the fact that there were some hero stones lying in the vicinity evinced my interest in this ancient site. The temple stands some 1.2 km southwest of the Atgaon station on a small hill and the path that crisscrosses the rice fields and the teak forest at the mouth of Atgaon valley. The setting of the temple is such that it ...

Ranakpur - located in western Rajasthan between Udaipur and Jodhpur cities is famous for its magnanimous Jain temples from the 15th century carved in marble stone. The set of three Jain temples stands like a white pearl surrounded by dense forest and hills of the Aravalli mountain range. The Jain temples draw devout Jain pilgrims from across India and abroad including architecture and heritage enthusiasts. But apart from the Jain temple complex, there lies a lone temple just 350 meters from Jain temple complex which is much older and was built by the Maharana Mokalji - father of Rana Kumbha. This temple stands in the shadow of the grandeur of the Jain temples and is dedicated to Sun God - known as Lord Surya Narayan. The Surya Narayan temple is one of the few temples in India dedicated to the Sun god built in white limestone in Nagara style of architecture with a delicate ornamental work. The 13th-century temple built on a raised stone platform with no boundaries is managed by Eklingji...