A heritage treasure in UP by the Betwa river

Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh. (Image source: Arjun Kumar)

A long drive. Crossing a water body. Leaving behind all habitation. Suddenly seeing a monument pop up on the roadside. Walking through a forest with the leaves crunching under your feet. Climbing apprehensively down moist steps cut out of hill rock to a riverbank below. Seeing life-size sculpted remains in a wall surrounded by thick vegetation. In a place that throws so much an explorer one cannot help but feel like ‘Indiana Jones’.

There is a part of Uttar Pradesh where the districts of Jhansi and Lalitpur stick into neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. The Betwa River acts as the border between the two states. Driving south from Jhansi, past the old town of Talbehat with its fort, bypassing the district headquarters of Lalitpur, a visitor enters a forest zone with vegetation on both sides. Welcome to Deogarh!

An innocuous board mentions a temple on the right, and then a walled complex appears. From a distance, a structure within looks ordinary. Up close, it is stunning. The front comprises a gateway, carved with iconography depicting various deities. On the other three sides, the icons seem to come alive. Most magnificent is a huge Vishnu, reclining with his eyes closed on the snake Sheshnag. He is surrounded by various gods even as the hooded snake watches over him. Below him is a row of figures, sometimes interpreted as the five Pandavas with Draupadi.

The reclining Vishnu at the Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh. (Image source: Arjun Kumar)

On another wall is a depiction of the story of Gajendra Moksham, with Vishnu coming atop a flying Garuda to save the elephant Gaja from being pulled into the water by a crocodile. On the last wall is Vishnu depicted as a four-armed Narayana in conversation with Nara. This tiny shrine, with its striking carvings, is the Dashavatara Temple. Dated to the 5^th – 6^th century CE Gupta period, it has suffered some damage with time but lost in this forested region, it has largely survived. The sad part in this shrine is the absence of the idol in the inner sanctum – looking at the outside one can only wonder how stunning it would have been.

Sculpted Nara and Narayana depicted on the wall of the Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh. (Image source: Arjun Kumar)

The Dashavatara is only part of the Deogarh story. In the 9^th century, the Pratihara rulers of Kannauj built a hilltop fort here, with the Betwa River acting as a natural barrier on the other side. Their objective was to defend the region from a possible Rashtrakuta assault, coming from the Deccan. That fort passed through the hands of the Chandelas, the Bundelas and eventually to the Scindias of Gwalior. Today, little of the fort remains, much having been consumed by vegetation.

At the hilltop is a Jain pilgrim site, where the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) lists as many as 31 temples. The faith thrived here for centuries, and a continuum of Jain temple art is visible in the form of an informal, open-air ‘museum’. The highlights of this are numerous Jain Tirthankara icons embedded in the wall. The place has Manasthamba votive pillars standing in the courtyard, Shastrakuta pillars each depicting a thousand gods as well as panels showcasing mythological events.

4 Jain icons built into a wall in the temple complex at Deogarh. (Image source: Arjun Kumar)

A walk through the thick forest that lies all around the Jain complex reveals more antiquities. A walking path opens on one side. It takes a visitor to a ruined Varaha shrine. Close by are a few pools carved in the rock of the hill, with one of them having a row of rapidly eroding idols on its side.

A few more steps and a visitor suddenly finds himself at the edge of a cliff. Below flows the Betwa. At three distinct places the cliffs have flights of steps carved all the way to the bottom. In the monsoon, these are almost impassable with the stream that flows through making descent a dangerous venture. When it is drier, the rewards for making that descent are high. The cliffs are a storehouse of rock cut iconography and more inscriptions. Given the number of inscriptions at Deogarh, it almost appears that various rulers – across dynasties – were eager to contribute something to its heritage and make their own claim to immortality.

Further down another cliff path brings a curious soul to a cave site. The rock here is yellowish and almost glows in the reflection of the sun. Called the ‘Siddh-ki-gufa’, it once served as a meditation place for a forgotten ascetic. Carved into a niche next to the cave is a representation of Durga in her Mahisasura Mardini form.

The Siddh ki Gufa and Mahisasura Mardini on a cliff path leading to the river. (Image source: Arjun Kumar)

In the wet season, the Betwa touches the base of the hill where the cliff path ends. At other times, the river recedes to create a sandy ‘beach’. A long walk here brings us to a spot from where a Buddha idol was unearthed by locals, indicating even greater depth in Deogarh’s history than previously known. One wonders what other nuggets lie buried in the forest around. In drivable distance are other heritage sites like Chandpur and Dudhai on the Uttar Pradesh side and Eran and Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh, making Deogarh a potential hub in this immense wheel of heritage.

A row of icons on a cliff wall at Deogarh. (Image source: Arjun Kumar)

Deogarh itself is a potential UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also a fragile place whose architectural heritage needs special care. Antique smugglers have been at work here, as indicated by the vanishing of the Dashavatara Temple’s main idol. Vandalism, erosion by the forces of nature and neglect have all extracted a toll. At a time when it is fashionable to build new temples to prove your spiritualism, perhaps it is time to go beyond boards and give real protection to this heritage treasure.