The Secrets of Bateshwar Temples
Known as the Bateshwar temples, these spectacular temples surrounded by forests form one of the most interesting temples complexes in India. Located in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, around 34 kms north of Gwalior, this group of more than 200 temples are dedicated to the worship of Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti or Devi, the three main strands of Hinduism. Built between the 9th and the 11th centuries, during the rule of the Gujar Pratihara dynasty, these temples were completely razed to the ground during a great earthquake in the 14th centuries. It is hard to imagine that it was once just mounds of rubble that served as a lair of Chambal dacoits as late as 2005. It was only through the efforts of the Archeological Survey of India and especially Archeologist KK Mohammad that these temples were rebuilt stone by stone to their former glory.