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Founded by the legendary Parmar king of Dhar, Raja Bhoj
(1010-53), and named after him, Bhojpur, 28 km from Bhopal, is renowned
for the remains of its magnificent Shiva temple and cyclopean dam.
The
temple, which has earned the nomenclature of the Somnath of the East is
known as the Bhojeshwar Temple. In plan a simple square, with an exterior
dimension of 66 feet, it is devoid of the re-entrant angles usual in such
buildings. The richly carved dome, though incomplete, has a magnificent,
soaring strength of line and is supported by four pillars. These, like the
dome, have been conceived on a massive scale, yet retain a remarkable
elegance because of their tapering form. Divided into three sections, the
lowest is an octagon, with facets of 2.12 feet, from which springs a
24-faced section.
Richly carved above, the doorway is plain below, throwing into sharp
relief the two exquisitely sculpted figures that stand on either side. On
the other three sides of the structure are balconies, each supported by
massive brackets and four intricately carved pillars. The lingam in the
sanctum rises to an awe-inspiring height of 7.5 feet with a circumference
of 17.8 feet. Set upon a massive platform 21.5 feet square, and composed
of three superimposed limestone blocks, the architectural harmony of
lingam and platform creates a superb synthesis of solidity and lightness.
The temple was never completed, and the earthen ramp used to raise stones
to dome-level still stands. Had it been completed, it would have had few
rivals. As it is, even with the ravages that time has worked upon it, it
remains one of the most magnificent examples of temple architecture of the
12th and 13th centuries.
Also
incomplete and with a similar stone-raising ramp is a Jain shrine that
stands close to the Bhojeshwar temple. Three figures of the tirthankaras
are contained within, one being a colossal statue of Mahavira, 20 feet
high, and the other two of Parsvanath. Rectangular in plan, this temple
belongs probably to the same period as the Bhojeshwar.
West of Bhojpur once lay a vast lake, but nothing remains except the
ruins of the magnificent old clams by which its waters were contained. the
site was chosen with great skill, as a natural wall of hills enclosed the
whole area except for two gaps, in width 100 yards and 500 yards
respectively. These were closed by gigantic earthen dams, faced on both
sides with enormous blocks of sandstone, many being 4 feet long by 3 feet
broad and 2.5 feet thick, set without mortar. The smaller dam is 44 feet
high and 300 feet thick at the base, the larger dam 24 feet high with a
flat top 100 feet broad. These embankments held up an expanse of water of
about 250 square miles. This great work is ascribed to Raja Bhoj, but it
may possibly be of earlier date.
The lake was destroyed by Hoshang Shah of Malwa (1405-34), who cut
through the lesser dam, and thus, either intentionally or in a fit of
destructive passion, added an enormous area of the highest fertility to
his possessions. According to a Gond legend, it took an army of them three
months to cut through the dam, and the lake took three years to empty,
while its bed was not habitable for thirty years afterwards. The climate
of Malwa is said to have been considerably altered by the removal of this
vast sheet of water.
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