Baroli Group of Temples: Architectural drawings

By Ar Deepak Gahlowt and his team*

The Baroli group of temples, located near Rawatbhata in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, exemplifies Pratihara period temple architecture. These temples are positioned on the eastern banks of the Chambal River, forming a loosely aligned cluster within a spacious compound under the jurisdiction of the Jodhpur Circle, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The foremost temple in this group is the Ghateshwar Temple, which belongs to the second cluster within the group. It features a garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), a mandapa (pillared hall), and an antarala (vestibule) that connects the sanctum to the hall. This temple also includes a rangamandapa, known as the Shringar Chawri, an open pillared hall. The subsidiary temples, although smaller in scale, adhere to the architectural principles of the Ghateshwar Temple, excluding the rangamandapa.

Significantly, one of the temples in the cluster, a Shiva Temple (Temple 3), is constructed within a shallow kund (water tank). Additionally, the complex contains a distinct cross-shaped water tank, further contributing to the architectural and cultural uniqueness of the site.

Satellite imagery locating temples in the Baroli group of temples.
Satellite imagery locating temples in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Sheshashayi Vishnu Temple, Temple 2 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Sheshashayi Vishnu Temple, Temple 2 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Shiva Temple in the Kund, Temple 3 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Shiva Temple in the Kund, Temple 3 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Vamana Temple, Temple 4 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Vamana Temple, Temple 4 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Sadashiva Temple, Temple 5 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Sadashiva Temple, Temple 5 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Mahishasuramardini Temple, Temple 6 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Mahishasuramardini Temple, Temple 6 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Ghateshwar Temple, Temple 7 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the Ghateshwar Temple, Temple 7 in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the rangamandapa or Shringar Chawri of the Ghateshwar Temple, in the Baroli group of temples.
Floor plan of the rangamandapa or Shringar Chawri of the Ghateshwar Temple, in the Baroli group of temples.