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The district of Shivpuri, in Madhya Pradesh, is filled with sites containing ancient and medieval monuments. The village of Pohari, has a medieval fort as well as a temple built inside a water tank. Both were built during the time the place was controlled by the Marathas.
The Jal Mahal at Pohari, Shivpuri
This Sun Temple at Martand, close to Anantnag in Kashmir, gives an insight into the ancient, Hindu past of the Kashmir Valley. The temple was built in the 8th century CE by Lalitaditya, considered the most powerful ruler of the Karkota dynasty that once controlled the region. Historical accounts hold that he expanded his kingdom well beyond the Kashmir Valley to encompass many parts of the northern Indian plains. It is said that the sun temple is built on a plateau from which one can view the entire Kashmir valley. This was indeed a grand temple. Entered via an imposing gateway, a central shrine stands in a large courtyard surrounded by a pillared corridor. Remains of some iconography can still be seen here. According to Pauranic stories, the temple is linked to the creation of the Sun, from the lifeless thirteenth egg of Aditi, wife of the sage Kashyap. As a result, the temple as well as the area around were considered sacred and drew pilgrims for centuries. Most accounts speak of the temple being damaged or perhaps even destroyed by the fanatical Shah Mir dynasty ruler Sultan Sikander also called Butshikan, who ruled from 1389 to 1413.
The Sun Temple at Martand, Kashmir
There are temples and there are museums. It is unusual to see the two mix into one. I was startled to see an example of this strange mix in a little village of Madhya Pradesh. Gudar is a tiny hamlet of a few hundred souls. Its sole claim to fame is borrowed - in the form of its proximity to the Jain shrine of Golakot. I may have been the sole person to ever have visited Gudar for its own heritage. The interesting part is that the central shrine of the village - a recent structure - has ancient idols and other iconography of centuries past embedded into its walls. Do watch the story of Gudar.
The Temple Museum at Gudar, Shivpuri, MP
The Takiya Sharif at Kakori is a short drive from Lucknow. Established by a soldier who turned into a sufi in the years after the Battle of Buxar (22nd Oct 1764), it became a place of prayer for Muslims and Hindus alike, of the region. With humble beginnings, the place saw a Hindu ruler - a feudatory of the Nawabs of Awadh - creating buildings for the complex and those grew over time to form the complex we see today. The town also houses several other tombs, including one that locals say is that of Maham Anga - the Mughal Emperor Akbar's milk mother. Map location: https://goo.gl/maps/4vrfG4z6hGoWSDFm9 For stories on similar places, visit https://hiddenheritage.in/
The Dargah Sharif at Kakori
This is a region where medieval and ancient temples are seen in virtually every second village. And mostly in a ruined condition at that. The temples of Tongara were an exception - several temples and temple remains had been protected by the villagers both by the construction of a new temple in their vicinity and by bringing in fragments of lost shrines into this complex. It is an example of how heritage can be saved when a local community gets involved. These are 10th-11th century CE temples of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty. Map location: https://goo.gl/maps/Z5buQ9KtzDJWYkfr7 For stories on similar places, visit https://hiddenheritage.in/
The temples of Tongara in Shivpuri
The 50 kms radius around the town of Chanderi, in Ashok Nagar district of Madhya Pradesh is filled with heritage. Among the nuggets there is the fort at Malhargarh, named after Malhar Rao Holkar, the Maratha commander. The fort - also called Hasangarh by locals - dates to the 16th - 17th century CE. And within the fort is a large stepped tank, which is featured in this video. Map location: https://goo.gl/maps/HBxre7Wf2HVKmXeS8 For stories on similar places, visit https://hiddenheritage.in/
Baodi at Malhargarh Fort
Bilasgarh - also Krishna Vilasgarh - is a massive archaeological site in Baran district of Rajasthan. It was a city built as the capital of the Khenchi dynasty with the temples here dating to the 10th century CE. The temple in the video is a Vishnu shrine which is now entirely in ruin. There are several other temples in the vicinity, both Hindu and Jain, and they are spread over a large area. Map location of Bilasgarh (on reaching ask locals for directions to this temple site): https://goo.gl/maps/ZJUJiGVysddvEKBY6 For stories on similar places, visit https://hiddenheritage.in/
Vishnu Temple at Bilasgarh, Baran
Chanderi stands in a region that has seen habitation since ancient times. This baodi, or stepwell, is medieval in its history and dates to 1485 CE - a fact we know from an inscription within. The inscription names Sher Khan, the then governor of Chanderi, as its patron builder and also mentions that this was during the reign of Ghiyas ud din, the Khilji king of Malwa. The baodi is still in use, nearly five and a half centuries later. This baodi may have once been part of a larger complex including a caravan sarai and a mosque. The place has now lost its structural integrity and the caravan sarai gateways are at a short distance from the baodi. Map location: https://goo.gl/maps/42G74PLRE6o9SaWk8 For stories on similar places, visit https://hiddenheritage.in/
Qaazi ki Baodi, Chanderi
I visited the Raas Leela Ghar at Barai village, south of Gwalior on the road to Shivpuri, for the second time. The Raas Leela Ghar is a theatre pavilion built inside a medieval fortress-like structure. It was constructed by Man Singh, one of the Tomars who ruled Gwalior. The period of his reign is between 1486 and 1516 CE. It is rare to find such pleasure pavilions in villages as most have been destroyed by the hand of time. Map location: https://goo.gl/maps/hK9xvkxFmC9jySoQ7 For stories on similar places, visit https://hiddenheritage.in/
Raas Leela Ghar in Barai, Gwalior
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Hidden Heritage is an initiative that seeks to explore and examine the built heritage of our country beyond the beaten path of known destinations. It talks about examples of built heritage in India that would leave a person amazed and, at times, awestruck.

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