English: Above: 9th to 11th century ruins in Budhi Chanderi. The Hindu and Jain ruins are mixed at two sites. Other sites are largely mounds.

Background:

Chanderi is a town in north Madhya Pradesh. Regional legends identify it with the Chedi and Sishupala fame of Mahabharata, later with the Chaidnagar of Nala-Damayanti legend. The earliest historical evidence that establishes its existence as a major city by about 9th-century has been found in inscriptions of Budhi Chanderi (बूढ़ी: old), about 15 kilometers north of Chanderi. But, given the discovery of some Gupta era artwork, Chanderi is likely older than 9th-century.

The Chanderi–Budhi Chanderi area is located along the river Aur (Orr, Urvasi) in a scenic hilly area. It served as one of the regional capitals of Pratihara dynasty. Under them, numerous Hindu and Jain temples were built here. It is mentioned by Persian historians such as Minhaj al-Siraj Juzjani as a center of wealth, with many temples, markets, fort and palaces. This is confirmed by Ibn Battuta. It was one of the early targets for raids by Delhi Sultanate, later a part of the Malwa Sultanate. Budhi Chanderi is now a small remote village, one rich with scattered and piled up ruins of numerous Hindu and Jain temples and monasteries. Chanderi is a small thriving town with a mix of Hindu, Jain and Islamic monuments and a fort.

Budhi Chanderi is an ASI protected site. Early surveys estimated ruins of over 50 temples scattered over many square kilometers. Of these, the better preserved Budhi Chanderi ruins have been collected and moved to many museums, including the Chanderi museum. The extant Budhi Chanderi site is currently spread over about 1 kilometer, with one group holding mostly Jain temples ruins, another to its west has mostly Hindu temples ruins, few more are a part of many mounds.