Teli ka Mandir - Revision history

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	The temple is located inside the fort of Gwalior, north Madhya Pradesh. The city is connected by major highways NH 44 and 46 (Asian Highway 43 and 47), a railway station and airport ([[IATA]]: GWL). It is located near other historic Hindu and Jain temples from the medieval era, as well the major group of Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shakism temples such as the [[Bateshwar, Morena\|Bateshwar Temples near Morena]] with dozens of standing temples and the ruins of over 100 small pancharatha-style temples,<ref>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/morena_padhavali_groupoftemplesatbatesar.html Group of temples at Batesar ], ASI Bhopal Circle (2014)</ref> the Naresar group with 22 temples,<ref>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/morena_naresar_temples1to22.html Naresar Temples], ASI Bhopal Circle (2014)</ref> and the Mahua group of temples most of which are dated to between the 6th and 10th century. They exemplify various variations in the Nagara style of Hindu architecture as well as the application of vastu mandala symmetry principles in novel ways.<ref>{{cite book\|author=Margaret Prosser Allen\|title=Ornament in Indian Architecture\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyXxEX5PQH8C&pg=RA1-PA203\|year= 1991\|publisher=University of Delaware Press\|isbn=978-0-87413-399-8\|pages=203–204, 211–212}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|author=Gudrun Bühnemann\|title=Maònòdalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQf2m8VaC_oC \|year=2003\|publisher=BRILL\|isbn=90-04-12902-2\|pages=xiv, 259–266}}</ref>		The temple is located inside the fort of Gwalior, north Madhya Pradesh. The city is connected by major highways NH 44 and 46 (Asian Highway 43 and 47), a railway station and airport ([[IATA]]: GWL). It is located near other historic Hindu and Jain temples from the medieval era, as well the major group of Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shakism temples such as the [[Bateshwar, Morena\|Bateshwar Temples near Morena]] with dozens of standing temples and the ruins of over 100 small pancharatha-style temples,<ref>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/morena_padhavali_groupoftemplesatbatesar.html Group of temples at Batesar ], ASI Bhopal Circle (2014)</ref> the Naresar group with 22 temples,<ref>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/morena_naresar_temples1to22.html Naresar Temples], ASI Bhopal Circle (2014)</ref> and the Mahua group of temples most of which are dated to between the 6th and 10th century. They exemplify various variations in the Nagara style of Hindu architecture as well as the application of vastu mandala symmetry principles in novel ways.<ref>{{cite book\|author=Margaret Prosser Allen\|title=Ornament in Indian Architecture\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyXxEX5PQH8C&pg=RA1-PA203\|year= 1991\|publisher=University of Delaware Press\|isbn=978-0-87413-399-8\|pages=203–204, 211–212}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|author=Gudrun Bühnemann\|title=Maònòdalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQf2m8VaC_oC \|year=2003\|publisher=BRILL\|isbn=90-04-12902-2\|pages=xiv, 259–266}}</ref>

	The Telika Mandir is one of the historic temples within the Gwalior old city. It is in the middle of the old town, built on a high point which makes it stand out from different locations within the fort.<ref name=asi356>[https://archive.org/stream/archaeologicalsu02arch#page/n443/mode/1up Teli Mandir], A Cunningham, pages 356-361</ref~~><ref name="Allen1991"/~~><ref name="Dobbie2004">{{cite book\|author=Aline Dobbie\|title=India: The Tiger's Roar\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-184ul4SfCAC&pg=PA61\|year=2004\|publisher=Melrose Press\|isbn=978-0-9548480-2-6\|page=61}}</ref> The site of the Teli ka Mandir and other historic temples is found in early inscriptions. Some of these refer to the town as Gopagiri.<ref name=asigwaliorfort>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/gwalior_gwalior_gwaliorfort_more.html Gwalior Fort: Gwalior], ASI Bhopal Circle, Government of India</ref>		The Telika Mandir is one of the historic temples within the Gwalior old city. It is in the middle of the old town, built on a high point which makes it stand out from different locations within the fort.<ref name="Allen1991"/><ref name=asi356>[https://archive.org/stream/archaeologicalsu02arch#page/n443/mode/1up Teli Mandir], A Cunningham, pages 356-361</ref><ref name="Dobbie2004">{{cite book\|author=Aline Dobbie\|title=India: The Tiger's Roar\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-184ul4SfCAC&pg=PA61\|year=2004\|publisher=Melrose Press\|isbn=978-0-9548480-2-6\|page=61}}</ref> The site of the Teli ka Mandir and other historic temples is found in early inscriptions. Some of these refer to the town as Gopagiri.<ref name=asigwaliorfort>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/gwalior_gwalior_gwaliorfort_more.html Gwalior Fort: Gwalior], ASI Bhopal Circle, Government of India</ref>

	== History ==		== History ==
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	The temple has a rectangular ''triratha'' sanctum plan that sits on a jagati platform that is a square of {{convert\|60\|ft}}. It has a large ''kapili'' projecting portico of about {{convert\|11\|ft}} towards the east. The tower rises about the rectangular sanctum to a height of {{convert\|80\|ft}}. Above it is a barrel vault shaped cap of {{convert\|30\|ft}}, its length perpendicular to that of the sanctum, that reminds one of South Indian gopuram.<ref name=asi356/> It likely had amalaka, kalasha and other ornaments on top, but these are all lost to history. The walls of temple has numerous niches for statues, but it is all empty now and show signs of damage.<ref name="Allen1991"/><ref name=goetzp47>Herman Goetz (1955), The Last Masterpiece of Gupta Art: The Great Temple of Yasovarman of Kanauj ('Telika Mandir') at Gwalior, Art and Letters, Vol. XXIX, No. 2, pages 47-59</ref> The niches are topped by tall pediments.<ref name="Inc.2009">{{cite book\|author=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\|title=Britannica Guide to India\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbqbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA252\|year= 2009\|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\|isbn=978-1-59339-847-7\|page=252}}</ref><ref name="Kuiper2010">{{cite book\|author=Kathleen Kuiper\|title=The Culture of India\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8PJFLeURhsC&pg=PA307 \|date=15 August 2010\|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group\|isbn=978-1-61530-149-2\|page=307}}</ref> The outer dimensions of the sanctum are 60x40 feet with an 80 feet tower above.<ref name="Allen1991"/>		The temple has a rectangular ''triratha'' sanctum plan that sits on a jagati platform that is a square of {{convert\|60\|ft}}. It has a large ''kapili'' projecting portico of about {{convert\|11\|ft}} towards the east. The tower rises about the rectangular sanctum to a height of {{convert\|80\|ft}}. Above it is a barrel vault shaped cap of {{convert\|30\|ft}}, its length perpendicular to that of the sanctum, that reminds one of South Indian gopuram.<ref name=asi356/> It likely had amalaka, kalasha and other ornaments on top, but these are all lost to history. The walls of temple has numerous niches for statues, but it is all empty now and show signs of damage.<ref name="Allen1991"/><ref name=goetzp47>Herman Goetz (1955), The Last Masterpiece of Gupta Art: The Great Temple of Yasovarman of Kanauj ('Telika Mandir') at Gwalior, Art and Letters, Vol. XXIX, No. 2, pages 47-59</ref> The niches are topped by tall pediments.<ref name="Inc.2009">{{cite book\|author=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\|title=Britannica Guide to India\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbqbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA252\|year= 2009\|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.\|isbn=978-1-59339-847-7\|page=252}}</ref><ref name="Kuiper2010">{{cite book\|author=Kathleen Kuiper\|title=The Culture of India\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8PJFLeURhsC&pg=PA307 \|date=15 August 2010\|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group\|isbn=978-1-61530-149-2\|page=307}}</ref> The outer dimensions of the sanctum are 60x40 feet with an 80 feet tower above.<ref name="Allen1991"/>

	The doorway into the temple is {{convert\|35\|ft}} high, and it is ornate. Above the doorway is a relief of Garuda, the ''vahana'' of Vishnu. Inside, there is another doorway above which is a Ganesha relief.<ref>{{cite journal\|title=Grand temples of Madhya Pradesh\|journal=Tattvaloka\|date=September 2018\|volume=XLI\|issue=6\|publisher=Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Educational Trust\|location=[[Sringeri]]\|issn=0970-8901\|last=Ramakrishna\|first=Lalitha\|pages=47–52}}</ref> There is a Nandi and lingam inside in the sanctum. The temple entrance and panels have several inscriptions, three of which are short likely from pre-10th century and others are longer from 15th-century. The latter inscriptions suggest that the temple was a Shaiva shrine by the 15th century.<ref name=~~asi356~~/><ref name=~~goetzp47~~/> One of the inscriptions discovered is a metrical hymn about Durga, which suggests a Shakta tradition influence.<ref name=asigwaliorfort/> The temple lacks a covered mandapa, but includes a circumambulatory path. This path has four entrances, one from each cardinal direction which a devotee can use to enter the temple for a ''[[darshana]]''.<ref name="Allen1991"/>		The doorway into the temple is {{convert\|35\|ft}} high, and it is ornate. Above the doorway is a relief of Garuda, the ''vahana'' of Vishnu. Inside, there is another doorway above which is a Ganesha relief.<ref>{{cite journal\|title=Grand temples of Madhya Pradesh\|journal=Tattvaloka\|date=September 2018\|volume=XLI\|issue=6\|publisher=Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Educational Trust\|location=[[Sringeri]]\|issn=0970-8901\|last=Ramakrishna\|first=Lalitha\|pages=47–52}}</ref> There is a Nandi and lingam inside in the sanctum. The temple entrance and panels have several inscriptions, three of which are short likely from pre-10th century and others are longer from 15th-century. The latter inscriptions suggest that the temple was a Shaiva shrine by the 15th century.<ref name=goetzp47/><ref name=asi356/> One of the inscriptions discovered is a metrical hymn about Durga, which suggests a Shakta tradition influence.<ref name=asigwaliorfort/> The temple lacks a covered mandapa, but includes a circumambulatory path. This path has four entrances, one from each cardinal direction which a devotee can use to enter the temple for a ''[[darshana]]''.<ref name="Allen1991"/>

	The temple is approached through a flight of stairs leading to a banded doorway containing sculptures of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with their waists leaning towards the center, each with a boy and a girl on the lower part. Above them are amorous couples in various stages of courtship and intimacy ([[mithuna]]). There are male and female [[dvarapala]]s along the outer and inner doorways, both genders carrying weapons and a kind expression of welcome, and possibly symbolizing the theology in Shaiva and Shakta traditions.<ref name=~~"Bajpai2006"~~/><ref name=~~goetzp47~~/> Above the river goddess flanked eastern doorway are piled up chaitya-hall style ''gavaksha'' ornamentation, which reminds one of the Buddhist designs. The doorway leads to the [[sanctum sanctorum]] or [[garbha griha]].<ref name="Publications"/> There is a decorative sculpture of [[Garuda]] at the entrance to the temple.<ref name="Krishna1990">{{cite book\|author=Brajesh Krishna\|title=The art under the Gurjara-Pratihāras\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMmfAAAAMAAJ\|date=1 January 1990\|publisher=Harman Pub. House\|isbn=978-81-85151-16-8}}</ref>		The temple is approached through a flight of stairs leading to a banded doorway containing sculptures of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with their waists leaning towards the center, each with a boy and a girl on the lower part. Above them are amorous couples in various stages of courtship and intimacy ([[mithuna]]). There are male and female [[dvarapala]]s along the outer and inner doorways, both genders carrying weapons and a kind expression of welcome, and possibly symbolizing the theology in Shaiva and Shakta traditions.<ref name=goetzp47/><ref name="Bajpai2006"/> Above the river goddess flanked eastern doorway are piled up chaitya-hall style ''gavaksha'' ornamentation, which reminds one of the Buddhist designs. The doorway leads to the [[sanctum sanctorum]] or [[garbha griha]].<ref name="Publications"/> There is a decorative sculpture of [[Garuda]] at the entrance to the temple.<ref name="Krishna1990">{{cite book\|author=Brajesh Krishna\|title=The art under the Gurjara-Pratihāras\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMmfAAAAMAAJ\|date=1 January 1990\|publisher=Harman Pub. House\|isbn=978-81-85151-16-8}}</ref>

	The temple's [[Valabhi]] [[shikhara]] mirrors the [[gopuram]] of Dravidian temples and it stands on a Nagara base.<ref>{{cite web\|title=Gwalior Fort\|url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_mp_gwalior.asp\|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India\|accessdate=11 December 2014}}</ref> The temple's outer walls have been extensively carved.		The temple's [[Valabhi]] [[shikhara]] mirrors the [[gopuram]] of Dravidian temples and it stands on a Nagara base.<ref>{{cite web\|title=Gwalior Fort\|url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_mp_gwalior.asp\|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India\|accessdate=11 December 2014}}</ref> The temple's outer walls have been extensively carved.
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	The Teli ka mandir is unusual in many ways, and its complex design has led to many contesting proposals for what influenced it or which temples it influenced. Proposals range from it being influenced by Buddhist architecture,<ref name="Allen1991"/> or by South Indian temples, or it being an independent masterpiece innovation of the late Gupta era Hindu artists.<ref name=goetzp47/>		The Teli ka mandir is unusual in many ways, and its complex design has led to many contesting proposals for what influenced it or which temples it influenced. Proposals range from it being influenced by Buddhist architecture,<ref name="Allen1991"/> or by South Indian temples, or it being an independent masterpiece innovation of the late Gupta era Hindu artists.<ref name=goetzp47/>

	The temple sanctum plan seems rectangular rather than the typical square, one that makes it the oldest surviving Hindu temple with a rectangular plan in Central India. According to Michael Meister, a professor specializing on Indian temple architecture, the temple is actually a study in squares nevertheless because its rectangles are formed by combining squares.<ref name=meister266/> The extensive damage and dislocation of its ruins before the 20th-century has led to misidentification and misclassification of the temple. According to Meister, and Hermann Goetz, the temple was broadly assumed in the colonial era to have been a Vishnu temple that was later converted into Shiva temple, the temple may have actually started as a temple dedicated to the Matrikas (mother goddesses), but one that included the motifs of Vaishnanism and Shaivism.<ref name=~~meister266~~/><ref name=~~goetzp47~~/> The evidence for these are now in the ruins held by the Gwalior Museum and Delhi National Museum. Similarly, the assumed "southern influence" is likely an incorrect hypothesis as well, proposed by those who saw something similar in the South Indian majestic gopuram or the vaulted roofs at [[Mahabalipuram]], Tamil Nadu.<ref name=meister266/> However, the influence could have been the other way around or possibly the result of collaboration between pan-Indian artist guilds. Post-colonial era studies have identified similar ruined barrel-vault capped historic temples in many places in north and east India, including those in Odisha. Closer study of the keel vault details suggest that the ideas are markedly different expressions of an idea, rather than a copy.<ref name=meister266>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), pages 266-296</ref~~><ref name=goetzp47/~~>		The temple sanctum plan seems rectangular rather than the typical square, one that makes it the oldest surviving Hindu temple with a rectangular plan in Central India. According to Michael Meister, a professor specializing on Indian temple architecture, the temple is actually a study in squares nevertheless because its rectangles are formed by combining squares.<ref name=meister266/> The extensive damage and dislocation of its ruins before the 20th-century has led to misidentification and misclassification of the temple. According to Meister, and Hermann Goetz, the temple was broadly assumed in the colonial era to have been a Vishnu temple that was later converted into Shiva temple, the temple may have actually started as a temple dedicated to the Matrikas (mother goddesses), but one that included the motifs of Vaishnanism and Shaivism.<ref name=goetzp47/><ref name=meister266/> The evidence for these are now in the ruins held by the Gwalior Museum and Delhi National Museum. Similarly, the assumed "southern influence" is likely an incorrect hypothesis as well, proposed by those who saw something similar in the South Indian majestic gopuram or the vaulted roofs at [[Mahabalipuram]], Tamil Nadu.<ref name=meister266/> However, the influence could have been the other way around or possibly the result of collaboration between pan-Indian artist guilds. Post-colonial era studies have identified similar ruined barrel-vault capped historic temples in many places in north and east India, including those in Odisha. Closer study of the keel vault details suggest that the ideas are markedly different expressions of an idea, rather than a copy.<ref name=goetzp47/><ref name=meister266>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), pages 266-296</ref>

	The Teli ka temple of Gwalior is closest in its plan to a 4x4 square grid, yet different. According to Michael Meister this innovation is carried across the temple deliberately in its Bhadra, Pratibhadra, Karna, Kapota, Kumbha, Bhitta and other elements,<ref name=meister269>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), page 269, 278-280</ref>		The Teli ka temple of Gwalior is closest in its plan to a 4x4 square grid, yet different. According to Michael Meister this innovation is carried across the temple deliberately in its Bhadra, Pratibhadra, Karna, Kapota, Kumbha, Bhitta and other elements,<ref name=meister269>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), page 269, 278-280</ref>

Kamal Guha: /* Bibliography */

2023-11-12T23:38:50Z

Bibliography

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:08, 13 November 2023
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			{{Hindu temples in Madhya Pradesh}}
	{{Hindudharma}}		{{Hindudharma}}
	{{Hindu inscriptions and arts\|state=autocollapse}}		{{Hindu inscriptions and arts\|state=autocollapse}}

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-08-29T23:17:27Z

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{{Short description|9th century Hindu temple in Gwalior}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Teli ka Mandir
| image = Teli Ka Mandir, Gwalior Fort.JPG
| alt =
| caption = Front view of the temple
| map_type = India #India Madhya Pradesh
| relief = yes
| religious_affiliation = [[Hinduism]]
| other_names =
| proper_name =
| coordinates = {{coord|26|13|15.2|N|78|09|53.6|E|display=inline,title}}
| country = [[India]]
| state = [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| district = [[Gwalior]]
| location = Gwalior Fort
| elevation_m =
| deity = [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], others
| festivals =
| architecture_style = [[Hindu temple architecture|Nagara]]
| year_completed = 8th or 9th-century<ref name="Michell1977p117">{{cite book|author=George Michell|title=The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ajgImLs62gwC&pg=PA117|year=1977|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-53230-1|pages=117 with footnotes}}</ref><ref name="Allen1991"/>
| creator =
| website =
}}
'''Teli ka Mandir''', also known as '''Telika Temple''', is a [[Hindu temple]] located within the [[Gwalior Fort]] in [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]]. Dedicated to [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]] and [[Matrikas]], it has been variously dated between the early 8th and early 9th century CE.<ref name="Michell1977p117"/><ref name="Allen1991">{{cite book|author=Margaret Prosser Allen|title=Ornament in Indian Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyXxEX5PQH8C&pg=RA1-PA203|year= 1991|publisher=University of Delaware Press|isbn=978-0-87413-399-8|pages=203–204}}</ref>

It is an atypical design for a Hindu temple,<ref name="Michell1977p117"/> as it has a rectangular sanctum instead of the typical square. It integrates the architectural elements of the Nagara style and the Valabhi prasada. The temple is based on a [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Gurjara Pratihara]]-Gopagiri style North Indian architecture.<ref name="Dhaky1991p25">{{cite book|author1=Madhusudan A. Dhaky|author2=Michael Meister|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mVdJAQAAIAAJ|year=1991|publisher=American Institute of Indian Studies|isbn=978-0-8122-7840-8|pages=25–28}}</ref><ref name="Jain1972p429">{{cite book|author=Kailash Chand Jain|title=Malwa Through The Ages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3O7q7cU7k0C |year=1972|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0824-9|pages=429–431}}</ref><ref name="BharneKrusche2014p70">{{cite book|author1=Vinayak Bharne|author2=Krupali Krusche|title=Rediscovering the Hindu Temple: The Sacred Architecture and Urbanism of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGukBgAAQBAJ |year=2014|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1-4438-6734-4|pages=70–73 with Figure 5.12}}</ref>

The temple is a classic example of a design based on "musical harmonics" in architecture,<ref name=meister269/> one that [[Hermann Goetz (art historian)|Hermann Goetz]] called as a masterpiece of late Gupta era Indian art.<ref name=goetzp47/>

== Location ==
The temple is located inside the fort of Gwalior, north Madhya Pradesh. The city is connected by major highways NH 44 and 46 (Asian Highway 43 and 47), a railway station and airport ([[IATA]]: GWL). It is located near other historic Hindu and Jain temples from the medieval era, as well the major group of Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shakism temples such as the [[Bateshwar, Morena|Bateshwar Temples near Morena]] with dozens of standing temples and the ruins of over 100 small pancharatha-style temples,<ref>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/morena_padhavali_groupoftemplesatbatesar.html Group of temples at Batesar ], ASI Bhopal Circle (2014)</ref> the Naresar group with 22 temples,<ref>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/morena_naresar_temples1to22.html Naresar Temples], ASI Bhopal Circle (2014)</ref> and the Mahua group of temples most of which are dated to between the 6th and 10th century. They exemplify various variations in the Nagara style of Hindu architecture as well as the application of vastu mandala symmetry principles in novel ways.<ref>{{cite book|author=Margaret Prosser Allen|title=Ornament in Indian Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyXxEX5PQH8C&pg=RA1-PA203|year= 1991|publisher=University of Delaware Press|isbn=978-0-87413-399-8|pages=203–204, 211–212}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Gudrun Bühnemann|title=Maònòdalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQf2m8VaC_oC |year=2003|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-12902-2|pages=xiv, 259–266}}</ref>

The Telika Mandir is one of the historic temples within the Gwalior old city. It is in the middle of the old town, built on a high point which makes it stand out from different locations within the fort.<ref name=asi356>[https://archive.org/stream/archaeologicalsu02arch#page/n443/mode/1up Teli Mandir], A Cunningham, pages 356-361</ref><ref name="Allen1991"/><ref name="Dobbie2004">{{cite book|author=Aline Dobbie|title=India: The Tiger's Roar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-184ul4SfCAC&pg=PA61|year=2004|publisher=Melrose Press|isbn=978-0-9548480-2-6|page=61}}</ref> The site of the Teli ka Mandir and other historic temples is found in early inscriptions. Some of these refer to the town as Gopagiri.<ref name=asigwaliorfort>[http://asibhopal.nic.in/monument/gwalior_gwalior_gwaliorfort_more.html Gwalior Fort: Gwalior], ASI Bhopal Circle, Government of India</ref>

== History ==
The Telika Mandir is generally dated to between 8th and 9th century based on paleography, art-style, architectural design and small inscriptions found within the temple premises.<ref name="Michell1977p117"/><ref name="Allen1991"/> According to Michael Meister, an art historian and a professor specializing in Indian temple architecture, the temple was built by 750 CE, per the most recently discovered inscriptions in Gwalior.<ref name="Dhaky1991p25"/><ref>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), page 267 with footnote 11</ref> George Michell, another art historian and a professor specializing in Indian temples, the temple was complete by the 9th century.<ref name="Michell1977p117"/> Bharne and Krusche place the temple between 700 and 750 CE,<ref name="BharneKrusche2014p70"/> while Allen places it in the 8th century.<ref name="Allen1991"/> According to Allen, some local literature states it to be from the 11th century, but the evidence suggests that this late chronology is inaccurate.<ref name="Allen1991"/> According to Bajpai, the temple may have been built during the reign of the [[Gurjara-Pratihara]] Mihira Bhoja.<ref name="Bajpai2006">{{cite book|author=K. D. Bajpai|title=History of Gopāchala|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3KcwLKuRnYC&pg=PA31|year=2006|publisher=Bharatiya Jnanpith|isbn=978-81-263-1155-2|page=31}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align = left
| image1 = 8th or 9th century ruined Teli ka Mandir before restoration, Gwalior Madhya Pradesh, east view 1869.jpg
| width1 = 180
| alt1 =
| caption1 = Teli ka Mandir before restoration (1869)
| image2 = 8th or 9th century ruined Teli ka Mandir under restoration in Gwalior fort, Madhya Pradesh, 1882 photo.jpg
| width2 = 180
| alt2 =
| caption2 = During restoration (1882)
| image3 = 8th or 9th century ruined Teli ka Mandir partly restored in 1885, Gwalior fort, Madhya Pradesh.jpg
| width3 = 110
| alt3 =
| caption3 = Restored (1885), sculpture garden added.
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The temple shows signs of extensive damage and change.<ref name="Allen1991"/> It was badly damaged in the plunder raids by Muslim army of Qutb-ud-din Aibak and his successor [[Iltutmish]] in 1232 CE along with other temples in the fort following a [[jauhar]], parts of the ruins were then used to apparently build a mosque nearby. The mosque was in turn apparently destroyed by Hindu Maratha army centuries later.<ref name="GoetzKulke1974p61">{{cite book|author1=Hermann Goetz|author2=Hermann Kulke|title=Studies in the history, religion and art of classical and mediaeval India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dm0vAQAAIAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Steiner|page=61}}</ref> The temple was restored by the Hindus after the desecration by Iltutmish forces, which speculated Cunningham, may explain some of the features that appear from a later era.<ref name=asi356/> The temple has icons and inscriptions related to all three major traditions of Hinduism: Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism. One of the inscriptions, for example, is a metrical hymn about Durga.<ref name=asigwaliorfort/> The relief work includes a prominent Garuda, the vahana of Vishnu. Inside the temple is a Shiva linga.<ref name=asi356/>

The temple was in ruins in the 19th century. Between 1881 and 1883, repairs to the temple were initiated by Major Keith, an officer of the [[Royal Scots Regiment]] stationed in Gwalior.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Panoramic past|journal=Frontline|date=17 May 2013|url=http://www.frontline.in/books/panoramic-past/article4647706.ece|accessdate=11 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="MonumentsCole1882">{{cite book|author1=India. Curator of Ancient Monuments|author2=Henry Hardy Cole|title=Report of the Curator of Ancient Monuments in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnEIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR17|year=1882|publisher=Government Central Branch Press|page=17}}</ref>

=== Nomenclature ===
The origin of the temple's name is unclear. It literally means ''Oilman's Temple'', but neither the inscriptions nor texts attest to such a name. According to Allen, there is no satisfactory explanation for this name.<ref name="Allen1991"/> Local folklore states that the temple was built by oil merchant caste rather than kings, the royal class or the priestly class.<ref name="Publications">{{cite book|author=Goodearth Publications|title=Temples of Madhya Pradesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THW_OkoTuE4C&pg=PA46|publisher=Goodearth Publications|isbn=978-93-80262-49-9|page=46}}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:8th or 9th century Teli ka mandir Gwalior Hindu temple Madhya Pradesh India.jpg|thumb|Teli ka mandir ground plan (incomplete).<ref>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), page 278, context: 266-296</ref>]]
The temple has a rectangular ''triratha'' sanctum plan that sits on a jagati platform that is a square of {{convert|60|ft}}. It has a large ''kapili'' projecting portico of about {{convert|11|ft}} towards the east. The tower rises about the rectangular sanctum to a height of {{convert|80|ft}}. Above it is a barrel vault shaped cap of {{convert|30|ft}}, its length perpendicular to that of the sanctum, that reminds one of South Indian gopuram.<ref name=asi356/> It likely had amalaka, kalasha and other ornaments on top, but these are all lost to history. The walls of temple has numerous niches for statues, but it is all empty now and show signs of damage.<ref name="Allen1991"/><ref name=goetzp47>Herman Goetz (1955), The Last Masterpiece of Gupta Art: The Great Temple of Yasovarman of Kanauj ('Telika Mandir') at Gwalior, Art and Letters, Vol. XXIX, No. 2, pages 47-59</ref> The niches are topped by tall pediments.<ref name="Inc.2009">{{cite book|author=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|title=Britannica Guide to India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbqbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA252|year= 2009|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|isbn=978-1-59339-847-7|page=252}}</ref><ref name="Kuiper2010">{{cite book|author=Kathleen Kuiper|title=The Culture of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8PJFLeURhsC&pg=PA307 |date=15 August 2010|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-61530-149-2|page=307}}</ref> The outer dimensions of the sanctum are 60x40 feet with an 80 feet tower above.<ref name="Allen1991"/>

The doorway into the temple is {{convert|35|ft}} high, and it is ornate. Above the doorway is a relief of Garuda, the ''vahana'' of Vishnu. Inside, there is another doorway above which is a Ganesha relief.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Grand temples of Madhya Pradesh|journal=Tattvaloka|date=September 2018|volume=XLI|issue=6|publisher=Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Educational Trust|location=[[Sringeri]]|issn=0970-8901|last=Ramakrishna|first=Lalitha|pages=47–52}}</ref> There is a Nandi and lingam inside in the sanctum. The temple entrance and panels have several inscriptions, three of which are short likely from pre-10th century and others are longer from 15th-century. The latter inscriptions suggest that the temple was a Shaiva shrine by the 15th century.<ref name=asi356/><ref name=goetzp47/> One of the inscriptions discovered is a metrical hymn about Durga, which suggests a Shakta tradition influence.<ref name=asigwaliorfort/> The temple lacks a covered mandapa, but includes a circumambulatory path. This path has four entrances, one from each cardinal direction which a devotee can use to enter the temple for a ''[[darshana]]''.<ref name="Allen1991"/>

The temple is approached through a flight of stairs leading to a banded doorway containing sculptures of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with their waists leaning towards the center, each with a boy and a girl on the lower part. Above them are amorous couples in various stages of courtship and intimacy ([[mithuna]]). There are male and female [[dvarapala]]s along the outer and inner doorways, both genders carrying weapons and a kind expression of welcome, and possibly symbolizing the theology in Shaiva and Shakta traditions.<ref name="Bajpai2006"/><ref name=goetzp47/> Above the river goddess flanked eastern doorway are piled up chaitya-hall style ''gavaksha'' ornamentation, which reminds one of the Buddhist designs. The doorway leads to the [[sanctum sanctorum]] or [[garbha griha]].<ref name="Publications"/> There is a decorative sculpture of [[Garuda]] at the entrance to the temple.<ref name="Krishna1990">{{cite book|author=Brajesh Krishna|title=The art under the Gurjara-Pratihāras|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PMmfAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1990|publisher=Harman Pub. House|isbn=978-81-85151-16-8}}</ref>

The temple's [[Valabhi]] [[shikhara]] mirrors the [[gopuram]] of Dravidian temples and it stands on a Nagara base.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gwalior Fort|url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_mp_gwalior.asp|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|accessdate=11 December 2014}}</ref> The temple's outer walls have been extensively carved.

==Analysis and reception==
{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=400|caption_align=center
| image1 = Teli ka Mandir (15699755834).jpg|caption1=Side view of the Teli ka Mandir.
| image2 = Sculptures near Teli Mandir, Gwalior Fort.jpg|caption2=[[Vardhana]]-period sculptures near Teli ka Mandir, [[Gwalior Fort]].<ref>[[Vardhana]] attribution by the Indian Museum in New Delhi, see label [[:File:Indian_Stone_Statue-_Lion_Capital,_Vardhana_7th_Century_CE_Gwalior.jpg|of the lion capital]]</ref>
| image3 = Teli ka Mandir (15702266503).jpg|caption3=One of the four entrances to the temple with defaced sculpture.
| image4 = Gate of Teki Mandir, Gwalior Fort.jpg|caption4=Gate of Teli ka Mandir.
}}
The Teli ka mandir is unusual in many ways, and its complex design has led to many contesting proposals for what influenced it or which temples it influenced. Proposals range from it being influenced by Buddhist architecture,<ref name="Allen1991"/> or by South Indian temples, or it being an independent masterpiece innovation of the late Gupta era Hindu artists.<ref name=goetzp47/>

The temple sanctum plan seems rectangular rather than the typical square, one that makes it the oldest surviving Hindu temple with a rectangular plan in Central India. According to Michael Meister, a professor specializing on Indian temple architecture, the temple is actually a study in squares nevertheless because its rectangles are formed by combining squares.<ref name=meister266/> The extensive damage and dislocation of its ruins before the 20th-century has led to misidentification and misclassification of the temple. According to Meister, and Hermann Goetz, the temple was broadly assumed in the colonial era to have been a Vishnu temple that was later converted into Shiva temple, the temple may have actually started as a temple dedicated to the Matrikas (mother goddesses), but one that included the motifs of Vaishnanism and Shaivism.<ref name=meister266/><ref name=goetzp47/> The evidence for these are now in the ruins held by the Gwalior Museum and Delhi National Museum. Similarly, the assumed "southern influence" is likely an incorrect hypothesis as well, proposed by those who saw something similar in the South Indian majestic gopuram or the vaulted roofs at [[Mahabalipuram]], Tamil Nadu.<ref name=meister266/> However, the influence could have been the other way around or possibly the result of collaboration between pan-Indian artist guilds. Post-colonial era studies have identified similar ruined barrel-vault capped historic temples in many places in north and east India, including those in Odisha. Closer study of the keel vault details suggest that the ideas are markedly different expressions of an idea, rather than a copy.<ref name=meister266>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), pages 266-296</ref><ref name=goetzp47/>

The Teli ka temple of Gwalior is closest in its plan to a 4x4 square grid, yet different. According to Michael Meister this innovation is carried across the temple deliberately in its Bhadra, Pratibhadra, Karna, Kapota, Kumbha, Bhitta and other elements,<ref name=meister269>Michael W. Meister (1983), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3249613 Geometry and Measure in Indian Temple Plans: Rectangular Temples], Artibus Asiae, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1983), page 269, 278-280</ref>

{{quote|
The Teli-ka-mandir enlarges such a grid by increasing the sanctum, not the entire structure, by 50 percent (from 4x4 to 4x6 squares, a ratio of 2: 3), thus enlarging the outer dimensions from 8x8 to 8x10 squares (a ratio of 4:5). The ratio of the thickness of wall to sanctum is 1:2 on the temple's shorter sides, 1:3 on the longer wall. Ratios that emerge from this analysis of the Teli-ka-mandir's plan thus include 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:3, and 3:5 as well as 2:5 and 4:5. These simple ratios governing the plan and created by the grid might be compared to [[harmonic|harmonic ratio]]s. I know of no evidence to suggest a deep commitment in India to "musical" harmonies in architecture; yet few structures better embody harmonious proportions than the eighth-century Teli-ka-mandir.<ref name=meister269/>}}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="160px" heights="160px" perrow="4">
File:8th_or_9th_century_ruined_Teli_ka_Mandir_Gwalior_fort,_Madhya_Pradesh_01.jpg|Ruined Jain sculptures at 8th century Teli ka Mandir
File:Teli ka mandir fort Gwalior - panoramio - Gyanendrasinghchauha… (1).jpg|View of the Teli-ka-mandir
File:Gwalior, Teli-ka-Mandir, Yamuna (1999).jpg|Defaced yet decipherable river goddess (eastern entrance)
File:Indian Stone Statue- Lion Capital, Vardhana 7th Century CE Gwalior.jpg|The lion capital in the [[National Museum, New Delhi]], attributed by the museum to the [[Vardhana]]-period.<ref>[[Vardhana]] attribution by the Indian Museum in New Delhi, see label [[:File:Indian_Stone_Statue-_Lion_Capital,_Vardhana_7th_Century_CE_Gwalior.jpg|of the lion capital]]</ref>
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Khajuraho Group of Monuments]]
*[[Nachna Hindu temples]]
*[[Siddhachal Caves]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

{{Hindudharma}}
{{Hindu inscriptions and arts|state=autocollapse}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Vishnu temples]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Gwalior]]