Bhojeshwar Temple

Bhojeshwar Temple
Bhojeshwar Temple Location in India
Name
Other names	Bhojeśvara Mandir, Bhojeshvara Temple, Bhojpur Temple
Geography
Coordinates	23°06′01″N 77°34′47″E / 23.1003°N 77.5797°E / 23.1003; 77.5797Coordinates: 23°06′01″N 77°34′47″E / 23.1003°N 77.5797°E / 23.1003; 77.5797
Country	India
State/province	Madhya Pradesh
District	Raisen
Locale	Bhojpur
Elevation	463 m (1,519 ft)
Culture
Primary deity	Shiva
Important festivals	Maha Shivaratri
History and governance
Date established	11th century
Governing body	Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

The Bhojeshwar Temple is an incomplete Hindu temple in Bhojpur village of Madhya Pradesh, India. Dedicated to Shiva, it houses a 7.5 feet (2.3 m) high lingam in its sanctum.

The temple's construction is believed to have started in the 11th century, during the reign of the Paramara king Bhoja. The construction was abandoned for unknown reasons, with the architectural plans engraved on the surrounding rocks. The unfinished materials abandoned at the site, the architectural drawings carved on the rocks, and the mason's marks have helped scholars understand the temple construction techniques of 11th-century India. The temple has been designated as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The Bhojpur temple is believed to have been constructed by the 11th-century Paramara king Bhoja. Tradition also attributes to him the establishment of Bhojpur and the construction of now-breached dams in the area. Because the temple was never completed, it lacks a dedicatory inscription. However, the name of the area ("Bhojpur") corroborates its association with Bhoja.

This belief is further supported by the site's sculptures, which can be dated to the 11th century with certainty. A Jain temple in Bhojpur, which shares the same sets of mason's marks with the Shiva temple, has an inscription explicitly dated to 1035 CE. Besides several literary works, historical evidence confirms that Bhoja's reign included the year 1035 CE: the Modasa copper plates (1010-11 CE) were issued by Bhoja; and the Chintamani-Sarnika (1055 CE) was composed by his court poet Dasabala. Moreover, the area around the temple once featured three dams and a reservoir. The construction of such a large Shiva temple, dams and reservoir could have only been undertaken by a powerful ruler. All this evidence appears to confirm the traditional belief that the temple was commissioned by Bhoja. Archaeology professor Kirit Mankodi dates the temple to the later part of Bhoja's reign, around mid-11th century.