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:

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

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  2. awesome carvings in the ceiling =p

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  3. 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

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

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  5. Lovely pictures. Our country is so rich.

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  6. 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.

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  7. Anonymous19:30

    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 !

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

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  9. Love all the intricate carvings. Have a great week

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

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

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  12. 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

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  13. Anonymous02:25

    this is another gem of india.

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

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  15. Rajesh: Those are really wonderful ceilings in the fortress.

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

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  17. An incredible place, to be sure.

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  18. I LOVE these pictures!

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  19. so beautiful and interesting!

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  20. the ornate details are fabulous!

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

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

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

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  24. Anonymous15:26

    wonderful details my friend

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  25. Truly an exotic place. Thanks for sharing.

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

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

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

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  29. What an amazing artwork !!

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

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  31. 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!

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

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  33. Anonymous00:46

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

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  34. Wonderful piece of art
    "Masterwork"

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  35. Looks a very nice place, great sculptures.

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  36. I love the detail in those stone carvings - quite beautiful

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

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

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

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  40. 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!

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  41. great shots rajesh!
    i like this place
    ~laura

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  42. Wonderful details.

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

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

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  45. Fantastic carvings in the ceilings! Very nice indeed!

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  46. 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.

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  47. The sculptures in this temple are amazing.

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  48. Pietro, George: Thanks for the appreciation.

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  49. 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 !!

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

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