Oldest Shiva temple in Kansua, Kota

In the ancient Shiva temple of Kansua, along with the figure of Shivling, there are also statues of many gods, in which one can see a wonderful view of sculpture.

The oldest Shiva temple at Kansua in Kota is a living example of this. Here, the glory of the penance of Rishi Kanva resides, while the childhood of the great Bharat, who counted the teeth of lions, born from the love of Dushyant-Shakuntala, is spent here. Whereas Bharat, by whose name our country is known as India in the whole world.

India, known as the world’s largest democratic country, was the birthplace of Bharat, after whom it was named ‘Kanva Suva’, which later became Kansua. Where the sound of praises of Lord Bholenath echoes, while today, on Monday of Sawan, an influx of devotees come here and worship Lord Shiva by offering vine leaves, Akshat, Doob, sweets and seasonal fruits.

The birthplace of Bharat, after whom India was named, is ‘Kanva Suva’ which later became Kansua.

The ancient Shiva temple of Kansua in Kota is the place of Bharat and the ashram of Rishi Kanva.

It is said that the ashram of sage Kanva was in Kansua. Where Shivgan had built a Shiva temple 1250 years ago. Shakuntala, daughter of Apsara Menaka, lived in the ashram of the same sage Kanva. When Prince Dushyant came to this area on his visit to India, he found Shakuntala in the forest area of ​​Kansua. There he fell in love with her. When Prince Dushyant was leaving from there, he promised to marry Shakuntala and gave her a ring as a sign. A sage became angry with Shakuntala and cursed her that Dushyant would forget her. After that Shakuntala’s ring fell in the river and after a few years when she went to Hastinapura with Dushyant, Dushyant refused to recognize her. Bharat was born from the love of Dushyant-Shakuntala, who grew up in the ashram of sage Kanva and used to play with the great boy lions.

Vision of its glorious past in the inscription

The inscriptions in the 1250 year old temple reflect its glorious past. The main Shivalinga built by cutting rocks houses the oldest Shivalinga along with other rare sculptures of Bholenath in the complex. Along with this, there are other ancient Shivalingas and other idols of gods including Chaturmurkhi Shivalinga. There is an ancient pond outside this Shiva temple, which is the main center of Shaiva worship, and at a short distance there is a Sahastra Shivalinga carved on a stone.

The temple is towards the east in plan with the Pancharatha sanctum, antarala and mandapam. The pillars at the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum are also ornate. Along with the entrance of the temple, there is a rare inscription in the southern part, on which the temple is said to have been constructed in Vikram Samvat 795 (738 AD). This inscription is considered one of the best inscriptions in the country written in codex script. The great Hindi poet Jaishankar Prasad has also mentioned this inscription in the preface of his play Chandragupta. According to historians, about 1250 years have passed since the construction of the temple.

amazing view of sculpture

Sometimes due to some reason this temple got ruined and its shikhara was broken. It was renovated and the shikhara was rebuilt keeping the original temple intact. Understanding the religious importance of this place, the feudal king of Chittorgarh Dhaval Maurya built this temple here in Vikrami Samvat 795. Shivgan was a Brahmin and he provided immortality to the ashram of Vedic period Maharishi Kanva by building a grand Shiva temple here.

This temple was also renovated from time to time by the Hada dynasty rulers of Kota. Rishi Kanva was a great ascetic during the time of Dushyant, the ruler of Hastinapur, the ancestor of Kaurava-Pandavas before the Mahabharata period. There is a unique example of sculpture in the eighth century temple, which is a unique example of our Indian architecture. Here, along with the figure of Shivalinga, there are also statues of many gods, in which a wonderful view of the sculpture can be seen. The premises here are full of Shivalingas. It seems that in every period prominent devotees would have established Shivalinga here. There are 999 small Shivalingas on the main Shivalinga.