Thursday, February 4, 2010

Mitavali Temple

Around Gwalior (State: Madhya Pradesh) there are plenty of places of historical importance. One among them is Mitavali located at a distance of 40 kms from Gwalior. As it is 15 kms from Padavali, we reached this place after covering Padavali.

The temple is situated on a small Hill with a small village at the foot of the hill. One has to climb approximately 150 to 200 uneven steps. The steps to the temples were carved out of the hill.
The design of this Shiva temple is incredible and unique. This is a 500 year old temple but very little is known about this temple.

The temple architecture is totally different from any other temple in India. The temple is circular shape with no overhead tower. In fact the it is believed that the design of Indian Parliament is based on this temple.

From here we moved back to Gwalior to cover other local sights.
Distance: Mitavali ---> Gwalior 40 kms

56 comments:

Rakesh Vanamali said...

To have made these magnificent edifices at a time when technological prowess was at its infancy (or so we think), is a marvel indeed!

Wonderful pictures!

Zuzana said...

Interesting, in some way this reminds me of the ancient Roman structures, such as the Colosseum.;)
Lovely pictures as always.;)
xo
Zuzana

jabblog said...

That is beautiful. I wonder where the influence came from for it.

joo said...

Amazing place! You always manage to find something interesting and beautiful!

amatamari© said...

A round temple! WOW is almost a mystery ...
Interesting post and beautiful photos, thanks for sharing!
:-)

Anonymous said...

Yhanks for the beautiful snaps. Lucky you :)

Lowell said...

A totally unique temple! I wonder what the scholars say about it...Fascinating stuff, Rajesh.

You could become an archaeologist and discover the truth and post it on your blog!

Tarun Mitra said...

I also thought that I resembles parliament of India

Sylvia K said...

Marvelous captures as always, Rajesh! Such an interesting place against lovely skies! Have a great weekend!

Sylvia

nonizamboni said...

Great photos of antiquity! Mysterious and beautiful places, for sure.
Happy SWFriday.

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

It's a magnificent structure, Rajesh. Well worth the climb, I'm sure.
Janice.

Guy D said...

Awesome shots, I would love to visit.

All the best
Guy
Regina In Pictures

Carver said...

The temple is so beautiful. Great shots.

My name is Riet said...

Beautiful pictures. Great shots

vincibene said...

Beautiful pictures and an interesting story.

Robin said...

What an amazing structure. I love that it's a circle.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Rajesh: Really cool shots of the temple on the hill.

Erin said...

very interesting temple visit and skywatch post...
noticed the remains of the old walls along the base of the hill/mountain too?
have a wonderful weekend.

erin

Unknown said...

Nice architecture.

Ces Adorio said...

THIS is the exotic India that we seldom see! Thank you for sharing these. I would like to read more about this temple.

Anonymous said...

very interesting. the design is different from the typical temple designs that you have featured before, plus its hillside location makes for a unique and wonderful experience, isn't it?

Marites said...

that's really an amazing place to see. For sure, the view from there is spectacular. my skywatch entry is up too.

Amanda said...

beautiful buildings and skies!! happy skywatch =)

eileeninmd said...

Great set of photos. I love seeing these kinds of temples and buildings from your world. The last shot is my favorite, cute shot of the children sitting near the temple.

Jossie said...

Great post again. I always enjoy your pictures and descriptions.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I always marvel at round Rotundate architecture.

I hope they preserve them.

Carletta said...

I bet the view from the top was magnificent.
An interesting temple and sad that not much is known about it.
Thanks for taking us along with you.

Phivos Nicolaides said...

A unique temple architecture. Beautiful by all means! Regards.

Hilary said...

Beautiful. So many years of stories to tell.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Such a unique design!

Magdalena said...

The last shots is my favorite and the children are so cute.

Have a nice weekend!

Regina said...

Steps carved out from the hills are truly genius!
Interesting temple.

Trotter said...

Hi Rajesh! This one looks beautiful... Another for my list... ;)

Blogtrotter 2 is cruising with the Liberty of the Seas. Hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend!!

Eric said...

Beautifull and hystorical post, well done, i love them!!

Happy SWF.

Eric

ninja said...

It looks great from a distance. Greatly placed.

magiceye said...

so interseting

Tania said...

Like this architecture, very nice and great shot:-)

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

That is cool. Very nice.

Mark Kreider said...

I think that with the quality of your photos and interesting, informative text you might consider publishing a book with your fine material.

diane b said...

Amazing history in your country.

Pietro Brosio said...

What a wonderful place! The round temple is really a marvellous and interesting structure! Thanks for sharing!

Ramakrishnan said...

Hi

Really amazing and unique architecture for a Shiva Temple. Lovely sculpted pillars.Any special legend associated with this ?

George said...

Thanks for taking us to this beautiful temple. It's nice that it has been so well preserved

Unknown said...

interesting facts and wonderful pictures. Wish you a nice weekend

Mridula said...

Lovely blue skies against the beautiful structures!

penny said...

A beautiful post and wonderful Photos.

LV said...

Thanks for a great history lesson through your words and lens.

Unknown said...

This is so different from everything I've seen in India! Fantastic too!

Unknown said...

There's a lot of history on the top of that hill. A great place to stop and think (and look down)!

Janie said...

Beautiful spot for a temple, high up on a hill. The circular architecture is unusual and interesting. Nice photos!

SandyCarlson said...

History and mystery. The dynamic is beautiful.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Thank you for sharing! This is the good part of memes like SkyWatch, seeing blogs we'd otherwise miss.

Linda said...

Fascinating. The temple looks surprisingly modern.

fufu said...

looks like italian coliseum =p

Kcalpesh said...

Rajesh, your blog is terrific for both, photos and information!!


Very mysterious and cool shot! Do checkout the Moon at noon on my blog :-)


Pixellicious Photos | Follow me

Rajesh said...

Rakesh: Thanks, I am amazed to see at how these structures are built without the today's technological advances.

Joo, Rekhaa, Jacob, Tarun, Sylvia, nonizamboni, Janice, Guy, Carver, Riet, vincibene, Robin, Fishing Guy, Erin: Thanks for the appreciation.

Zurana: Thanks, it does have resemblance.

Evelyn, Ces, ewok, Marites, Amanda, eileeninmd, Jossie, Ann, Hilary, Magdalena, Trotter, Eric, Regina, Kirigalpoththa: Thanks for the appreciation.

jabblog, amatamari: Thanks, it is a mystery.

Koala, magiceye, yogi, Mark, diane, Pietro, George, Linda, Mridula, Pam, Mama, LV, JM, Robert, Janie, Sandy, Sallie, Linda, fufu, Kcalpesh: Thanks for the appreciation.

Carletta: Thanks. Yes, not much is known to me about this temple at this point.

Ram: Thanks, I am also not aware of any legen associated with this beautiful and unique temple.