Sixth-Century Miniature Valabhī Shrines from Southwest Bihar
A ‘New’ Early Pāśupata Site and the Beginning of Mainstream Nāgara Temple Architecture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.33541Keywords:
Nāgara temple architecture, Gupta temples, Maukhari dynasty, Pāśupata Śaivism, Valabhī shrines, MuṇḍeśvarīAbstract
This study introduces a largely undocumented collection of architectural and sculptural fragments from a village neighbouring Muṇḍeśvarī hill in Kaimūr District, southwest Bihar. It concentrates on a remarkable set of miniature, monolithic Valabhī shrines (North Indian temple types with barrel roofs and rectangular plans) from the second half of the sixth century. These shrine sculptures are architecturally sophisticated and host a varied cast of deities, including multiple images of Lakulīśa, making them an important new find for studies of Nāgara temple architecture and Pāśupata Śaivism during late-Gupta and Maukhari periods. The designs of their upper storeys are of particular significance for questions surrounding the genesis of North Indian temple architecture, for they represent the earliest known shrines with surviving ‘multi-aedicular’ (containing multiple miniature shrine images or ‘aedicules’) superstructures. This paper dates the shrines through architectural analysis and examines the impact that they have on our understanding of the origins and development of early Nāgara temple design, before investigating their iconographic programmes, patronage and purpose.
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