Since the eleventh century, Bhoj temple played a major role as a
centre of devotion, culture and tradition in the area. Apart from the
regular rituals conducted by the Brahmins that include ‘Rudrabhishek’ and
‘Aartis’ everyday, this temple is the venue for rural fairs on festivals like Shivratri
and Makar Sankranti. This fanfare has been consistent since ancient times
and even today attracts thousands of visitors. Raja Bhoj is greatly revered
by the Gonds and according to a local Gond belief, a massive boat shaped formation of three
stones near the Bhoj temple was a boat in which their great King sailed
between Bhojpur and Bhimbetka.
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The plan of the temple is a simple square, with an exterior
dimension of 66 feet. The richly carved dome has a magnificent, soaring
strength of line and is supported by four pillars. These pillars too have
been conceived on a massive scale, yet retain a remarkable elegance.
Richly carved above, the
doorway is plain below, with exquisitely sculpted figures that stand on
either side. On the other three sides of the structure are balconies, each
supported by massive brackets and four intricately carved pillars. Two
small ‘Chatri’ temples are built in front of the main temple, where
devotees offer their offerings and rituals as the main Shivlingam is too
high to be reachable to them. ‘Nandi’, the Lord’s obedient bull sits here
facing the main temple.
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The biggest gathering is however in the month of Hindu month of
‘Shravan’ (usually mid July to mid August).
The month long festivities are in celebration of the glory of Lord
Shiv, as this auspicious month is dedicated to him. These gatherings are
special as they have both rural and urban participation. They act as
a common sharing platform where make
shift stalls sell things like utensils, clothes, brassware and even
cosmetics. They are a great place to
buy rural Indian stuff and to taste a few traditional Indian delicacies.
Indian customs are essentially linked to agriculture. The traditional
offerings include ‘bilb patra’ leaves, coconuts, berries, wheat plants,
flowers and garlands. However, the availability in stalls depend upon the
time of the year in which you visit the temple.
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The Bhoj temple was built by Raja Bhoj (1010-1053) of the Parmar dynasty in the eleventh century. The temple was
not a standalone but was complementary to the great Bhoj Reservoir also
built by Raja Bhoj. Located on on a hill on the southern end of the
reservoir, the huge temple stood facing west overlooking the massive lake of 648 sq.
kms. area. The temple is dedicated
to Lord Shiv and has a Shivlingam 7.5 feet in height and 17.8 feet in
diameter. Mounted on a base of ten feet height and twenty five square feet
in area, the total height of the Shiv lingam is eighteen feet from the
ground.
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