Bhima Devi Temple Complex Haryana

Location
Pinjore, where the Bhimadevi temple complex is located, is approachable by road, rail and air from all parts of the country. It is well connected with Chandigarh, which is the capital region of both Haryana and Punjab states and a Union Territory administered by the Government of India, at a road distance of 20 kilometres (12 mi). It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Kalka, on the road to Shimla.
Its distance from other major cities is as follows: Panipat 57 km, Shimla 92 km, Kurukshetra 105 km, Ludhiana 123 km, Dehradun 165 km, Dharamshala 231 km, Amritsar 242 km, Hisar 240 km, Delhi 267 km, Agra 467 km and Khajuraho 886 km.
History
The temple, located in Pinjore, is dated from archaeological excavations as an ancient historical and religious place. Archaeological excavations have revealed that this region, extending from Pinjore to Nalagarh, establishes earliest habitation by man to 1.5 million years ago. This is based on tools of Paleolithic period found in quartzite formations in the region.[11][better source needed]
Also, from the rock edicts found from the temple ruins in the area during excavations, it has been conjectured that they were constructed during the reign of Raja Ram Dev.
But Muslim invasions from 13th century onwards resulted in repeated destruction of the temple complex. The first act of depredation was carried out by Nasir-u-Din Mahmood, son of Iltutmish of the Slave Dynasty rule (1206-1290 AD) in the year 1254 A.D. Timurlane who invaded India in 1399 AD destroyed the temples further. This was followed by Changez Khan’s destruction in 1507 A.D. The final total destruction of these Hindu temples was effected in 1661 by Muzzaffar Hussain, also known as Fidai Khan Koka, who was the foster brother of the infamous Mughal iconoclast badshah of Delhi Aurangzeb, Koka means foster brother to the king. Fidai Khan Koka was then Nawab (governor) of Sirhind who razed this temple and built the Pinjore gardens in the Islamic style using the ruins of Hindu temples he destroyed. Later in 1671, Fidai Khan Koka was appointed as governor of Lahore for the purpose of building Badshahi Mosque there, which was later conquered by the Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1799 who used that Badshahi Mosque built by Fidai Khan as stable for the horses.
Temple complex
The temple complex comprises the ruins of the temple, aesthetically arranged in an open-air museum (patterned on the original Panchayatana layout) housing 80 pedestals fixed with the excavated sculptures, and the Pinjore gardens with which the temple complex is fully integrated (with 150 focus lights).
Some parts of current Pinjore town are situated atop an early medieval era mound. Artifacts belonging to 9th century CE to 12th century CE, which show the development and diversity of Hinduism, were excavated from here. These include ornamental structural pieces, pillars, sculptures and inscriptions, ; two figures of Ayudha Puras, fragments of a colossal image of Vishnu, statue of Shiva, another four armed Shiva, large head of Bhairava (hindu tantric deity), Kubera, seated Ganesha, head of Surya (sun god), Shakti images of Saivi (feminine form of Shiva), Durga, Parvati, Chamunda, standing Tirthankaras, another headless Tirthankara statue and other minor sculptures. Some of these have bene displayed in the Bhima Devi Temple Site Museum.
The excavation of the ancient temple in 1974 was a historic discovery linking the antiquarian finds to the establishment of the temple to the period between 8th and 12th centuries of Gurjara-Pratihara School of Art. The excavations have revealed five ancient plinths or pedestals and over 100 beautiful sculptures. The direction of these plinths indicate that the temple was stylized to the Panchayatan group of temples, where the main shrine is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines, which is contemporaneous to the temples of Khajuraho and Bhubaneshwar. Erotic images of the Bhima Devi temple contemporary to Khajuraho temples, have earned it a nickname of Khajuraho of North India. In keeping with Hindu tradition of temple architecture, the outer walls of the temple complex are adorned with statues Ashta-Dikpalas like, Indra, Agni, Vayu, Varun & Ishan in the cardinal directions. The idols of Hindu gods and goddesses such as Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, Ganesha and Kartikeya have been unearthed and most of them are now displayed in the museum (spread over an area of 8 acres (3.2 ha)) here. From these findings, the Archaeological Department has conjectured that the main deity at the temple may have been of Lord Shiva.
Gray and green sandstone available locally in the region are the main source of material used to carve the stone sculptures. Archeologists have classified the sculptures under four categories, namely:
1. Sculptures of Hindu Gods & Goddesses,
2. Idols of Apsaras, attendants, Gandharvas and celestial musicians
3. Motifs of Animals
4. Erotic images of the contemporary times
The most outstanding sculpture displayed in the temple complex is that of Lord Shiva (see infobox), which has been described as in:
Sarma Bhanga (contraposto) bearing a high jata or juta, ear ornaments, ekavali, sacred thread, armlets, wristlets, long garland, dhoti secured by an elaborate girdle, etc, holding a trident with its upper portion damaged in the rear right hand and a snake in the back left. The proper right hand of the God is in Varadmudra, touching the head of a small human figure standing in tribhanga standing behind the bull at right of the God.
Splinters or pieces of Yama image in the form of “the head and Khajvanga in a pedimented rathika have also been deciphered and linked to an image of Yama found in Chandi Mandir, nearby.”
A beautiful image of Varuna (as per Hinduism Varuna is the lord of water and sea, and the guardian of the western quarter) has been found here in a
standing pose in dvibhanga bearing a high jata or jita adorned with jewels and wearing the usual ornaments with proper right hand in a varada pose probably also with a rosary.