Monday, February 1, 2010

Padavali Temple

Around Gwalior (State: Madhya Pradesh) there are plenty of places of historical importance. One among them is Padavali located at a distance of 40kms from Gwalior.



Here in the fortress of Padavali there exists a magnificent temple. The premises of fort has to to be entered by climbing a set of steps. The temple and a small residential complex are the only two structures inside the fort. The temple displays classic architecture, which is as good as any of the famous temples in its time. Most of the sculptures are in the ceiling.



 

This temple depicts the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Ram Leela, Krishna Leela, Mahabharat, marriage of Lord Ganesha, and Samudra Manthan among various other things. The image of Lord Shiva dancing in the cemetery in Preta form is a specialty of this beautiful shrine.



An abode of numerous Hindu gods and goddesses, devotees will be enriched with devotion by the holy darshan. They all look so novel as if they were built just recently.



The carvings in the ceiling are unique and no two carvings are identical.

From here we next moved to Mitavali.
Distance: Padavali ---> Mitavali 12 kms

52 comments:

joo said...

The carvings are great - so elaborate and beautiful. Wonderful post!

fufu said...

awesome carvings in the ceiling =p

Zuzana said...

What an incredible carvings, such intricate details. I am always amazed when the most beautiful art can be found in the ceiling. As it makes me wonder how the artist could possibly create this beauty in probably the most unpleasant position.;)
Lovely pictures.
xo
Zuzana

Tarun Mitra said...

I liked your fifth and fourth photograph keep up the good work

Kirigalpoththa said...

amazing carvings!

Onkar said...

Lovely pictures. Our country is so rich.

Aparna said...

Never knew such a place existed. Looks beautiful. Can one make a day trip to this place from Gwalior or do we have to spend a night?
We love to take these small trips and may be I'll take the kids to Gwalior next time. It is only a few hours journey from Delhi where we go every Diwali.

Anonymous said...

I am fascinated by the vibrant colors and folk songs of Rajasthan and hope that one day I would be doing the same as you are doing now that is travelling and discovering India !

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Truly remarkable architecture! And. very well captured, as always!

Joe Todd said...

Love all the intricate carvings. Have a great week

foto CHIP said...

Historical handcraft is mostly just amaizing to experience - it's really nice to be able to take part in the world here :)

Wenche said...

An interesting place. I believe this must be an exciting place to visit. Nice photos! Thank you for sharing.

Sylvia K said...

What an awesome temple, Rajesh! And your photos are superb! And thanks as always for the very fascinating information about a part of your world!

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

this is another gem of india.

Carver said...

What an incredibly beautiful place. I love the intricate carvings in the ceiling.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Rajesh: Those are really wonderful ceilings in the fortress.

Janie said...

The carvings in the ceiling are just amazing! Beautiful photos.

SandyCarlson said...

An incredible place, to be sure.

Phivos Nicolaides said...

I LOVE these pictures!

magiceye said...

so beautiful and interesting!

Tammie Lee said...

the ornate details are fabulous!

Wolynski said...

Can't even imagine the work that went into this - how incredibly beautiful. Lovely photos.

Hazel said...

How intricate! The last shot is quite interesting to me.

LadyFi said...

Fabulous carvings - and just like snowflakes - each one is unique! What amazing workmanship.

Anonymous said...

wonderful details my friend

Regina said...

Truly an exotic place. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Intricate details of these carvings are nicely captured...Thomas

Indrani said...

Great visuals!

Louise said...

The carvings are so amazing. I always want to take a trip RIGHT NOW when I visit your site!

penny said...

The artistry of the hand work on this temple is beautiful. Wonderful photos and info, Rajesh

Gattina said...

What an amazing artwork !!

biologion said...

beautiful shots. very beautiful and interesting figures sculptured on the rocks!

Lowell said...

I'd love to visit the temple, even if it would probably leave me with information overload!

So many gorgeous sculptures...and all must have some special meaning. It's amazing that each is different!

radha said...

Lovely. I am told the Gwalior Fort is really amazing.

Anonymous said...

Such delicate carvings. Such a wonder. Nice photography to capture it all.

Anya said...

Wonderful piece of art
"Masterwork"

Dirkjogt said...

Looks a very nice place, great sculptures.

Catherine said...

I love the detail in those stone carvings - quite beautiful

Martha Z said...

Your country is rich in history and art. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

Beautiful images everywhere..wishing I could travel there soon.

joshi daniel said...

the exterior of this temple looks so different from the other temples!

Reader Wil said...

You people from India are very skillful builders, archtects and sculptors. How patiently they must have worked on these walls and ceilings. It must have taken them many years.Thanks for all those magnificent photos!

Pooch Purple Reign said...

great shots rajesh!
i like this place
~laura

lv2scpbk said...

Wonderful details.

Glennis said...

So much work has gone into building this and carving the ceilings, they are very good.

Shrinidhi Hande said...

First time visitor here.. looks like you travel a lot... good to know. Will come back to read more

Pietro Brosio said...

Fantastic carvings in the ceilings! Very nice indeed!

Rajesh said...

Joo, fufu, Tarun, Kirigalpoththa, Onkar, Rekhaa, Rakesh, Joe, Chip, Sylvia, ewok, Carver: Thanks for the appreciation.

Protege: Thanks. Very true, most beautiful art can be found in the ceiling. Probably this location is protected from destructive acts.

Fishing Guy, Janie, Sandy, Phivos, magiceye, Tammie, Wolynski, Hazel, LadyFi, Vaggelis, Regina: Thanks for the appreciation.

Aparna: Thanks, This and other place Mitavali are at a distance of 40kms from Gwalior. Along with these places, local sight seeing of Gwalior can be covered in 2 days.

Anand, Indrani, Pam, Gattina, biologion, Abraham, Anya, Dirk, Catherine, Martha, Kate, Reader: Thanks for the appreciation.

Wenche, Louise: Thanks, this is a nice place to see.

Lsura, lv2scpbk, Glennis, Shrinidhi: Thanks for the appreciation.

Jacob: Thanks, each of the carvings depict a story or event from the epics of India.

Radha: Thanks, Gwalior Fort is amazing, Iwill pist on it next.

Joshi: Thanks, some of the temples in this region are inside the fortress.

George said...

The sculptures in this temple are amazing.

Rajesh said...

Pietro, George: Thanks for the appreciation.

subu.ps said...

oh these traditional sculptures are awesome. Wonder whether any of such talented clan still remains to make some wonders which will stand the test of time for the future generation !!

Rajesh said...

Subu: Thanks for the appreciation. You will rarely find people who can do such minute carvings.