Teli ka Mandir

Teli ka Mandir is a Hindu temple located within the Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh, India. Dedicated to the god Vishnu, it has been dated to between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. It is both the loftiest and oldest surviving structure within the fort.

Probably meaning the Oilman's Temple, the etymology of the temple's name has several contending theories. One theory holds that the temple was built by members of the Teli community of oil merchants during the reign of the Pratihara king Mihirabhoja during the 8th or 9th century AD. It is also thought to have derived its name from the Telang Brahmins who were charged with presiding over all religious ceremonies after the fort was captured by a Rashtrakuta king in the 8th century. Another theory holds that it has been named after the Telangana region of southern India owing to its evident Dravidian influence.

Teli ka Mandir is thought to have been built circa 850 AD during the reign of the Pratihara king Mihira Bhoja. Following the Revolt of 1857, the British used the temple as a soda factory. Between 1881 and 1883, repairs to the temple were initiated by Major Keith, an officer of the Royal Scots Regiment stationed in Gwalior.

Teli ka Mandir combines the Nagara and Dravida styles of architecture and shows influences of Buddhist architecture. The temple has a rectangular plan and is mounted by a barrel vault with the walls containing empty niches surmounted by tall pediments. The oblong, vaulted roof derives from the influence of Buddhist chaitya architecture and bears resemblance to the Vaital Deul in Bhubaneshwar.

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