Spellbinding Pratihara
Splendour of Abhaneri

Rajasthan is a store-house of ancient art. In small teeming villages as well as in far flung areas, there are numerous historical sites of architectural beauty. At some of these sites, history speaks for itself, such as it does in Abhaneri. Abhaneri, a part of Jaipur district lies at a distance of 90 kms from Jaipur Railway Station and 6 kms from Bandi Kui Junction. By road it is 4 kms north west of Sikandra on the Jaipur-Agra highway.

Abhaneri, famous for its sculptures was once destroyed. Here an entire city and an ancient temple have been excavated. It was during these excavations that the four Parikramas, of the Harshat Mata temple were discovered. It is estimated that this temple has seven 'Parikramas' covering a vast area. The temple is a fine example of architectural brilliance of the 8th century. Even today, the ruins speak of the architectural excellence prevalent at that time. The huge 'mandap' of this temple lies in ruins and must be repaired immediately to prevent it and its history from being destroyed forever. Although the archeological department has appointed a caretaker, a lot still needs to be done.

With a view to turn this spot into a tourist attraction, a strategy needs to be worked out and requisite facilities and amenities should be provided. If the tourism and the archaeological departments work together, Abhaneri could well become a major tourist attraction and find a place among the ancient historical sites of India. Pratihara Vaishnav sculpture was widely practised here during the Gupta period. Although not even a single sculpture is in one piece, the beauty is unparalleled and reminds one of the living art of Khajuraho. It appears that the sculptor's favourite subjects were Vishnu, Ganesha, Krishna, Surya, Gajalakshmi and Balram and these have been painstakingly executed. Tales of Lord Krishna and Balram are the soul of this art. This art is indeed hard to find anywhere else. A fine piece of sculpture depicting ten-faced Ravana carrying Kailash hill, is of scholarly interest. The temple is supposed to belong to the Vaishnav community, indicated by Lord Vishnu and Balram carrying the club, the chakra and the plough, sculpted on the exterior of the temple.

Here, the statues of elephants reflect the creative genius of the sculptors. While the statues of Mahish, Naresh and Maderni Ganpati seem to talk, statues of dancers tying ghungroos on their feet are almost alive. The statue of Durga further enriches the sculpture of Abhaneri and testifies to its maker's skill. At one place Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu are finely sculpted together. At another place Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva have been depicted together with 'Shaiv Ayudh' in their upper hands and 'Vaishnav Ayudh' in their lower hands. There is another exquisite piece called Mut Mritandbhairav. The sculpture of Abhaneri bears semblance to that of Mathura. The temple here, formerly a Vaishnav temple, later became the present Harshat Mata temple and is visible from a far. This temple, carved in the Khajuraho style, depicts maidens decorating themselves, holding flowers in their hands and beckoning young men. Men and women in conjugal pairs or making merry are the other themes of these multi-dimensional works.

A huge statue of a half-female God is preserved in the Jaipur museum. Various other statues are also preserved in the Art Museum of Amer. Abhaneri has been a victim of Mughal tyranny. Aurangzeb tried to destroy the sculptures here, but only succeeded in disfiguring them. Opposite the temple is a huge tank, fortified on all four sides with bastions for defence. The water of this tank is used even today for drinking, bathing and washing. The staircase of the tank is so stunningly designed that a coin once dropped here is impossible to be found. There is also a maze to which entry is barred. This maze, popularly known as Andheri Ujali extends a few kilometres into the Aravali hills. Constructed by an unknown king, it served as a measure of security.

Although Abhaneri is in ruins, it beckons people to visit it again and again. Its broken sculptures and its time-worn fort walls continue to speak volumes of the courage and artistic prowess of its people.