Famous Temples in India

Architecture

In the 1st century B.C. Hinayana Buddhists began to carve religious symbols on the granite boulders and cave walls at Surya Pahar and by the 9th century Hindus and Jains were continuing this practice. Between the 9th-12th centuries, several monasteries and temples were constructed such as the now partially excavated Hindu Panchayatana temple, which contained images of the Sun god Surya, Vishnu, the goddess Durga as Mahishasuramardini and Ganesh. It is notable that the name of the site, Sri Surya Pahar, means 'sacred hill of the sun' and the primary deity worshipped in the Panchayatana temple was Surya, the god of the Sun. Scattered around the sacred hill are many hundreds of Shiva Lingas carved upon granite boulders, this giving evidence of the importance of the site as a Hindu pilgrimage center. In the later years of the 12th century, during the final period of the Sena dynasty, the region went into decline and Surya Pahar.