Hidden Gems of Gujarat- Unnamed wonders - 1

This blog post is a joint effort with my co-travelers , photographers and dear friends  Hibru Patel, Lalit Jain, Priti Bhatt and Shri Parikh. Special thanks to  Ria Patel for her youthful exuberance and joie de vivre which made this trip even more special.

Our trip to Roda temples near Himmatnagar, Gujarat, had whetted our appetite for such more trips. Our last stop on that memorable day was Mahakali Mandir atop a tiny hill at Sabali.  The view from the top was very pleasing to say the least.. One can see the shimmering waters of Guhai reservoir on one side of the hillock. We made a mental note of exploring it on some future date. Few of our group members decided to climb the steps to reach the temple. I regret not joining them after I heard their oohs and aahs! They could see farmland dotted with rock formations and tiny domes of far away temples. But what was most interesting and intriguing for them was the cluster of temples they could see almost down below the hillock. When we saw the photos, we made plans to visit the area again and explore them. Unfortunately the scorching heat stopped us from doing it immediately.

Photo by Lalit Jain. Bird's-eye view from the top

Photo by Lalit Jain Interesting and intriguing cluster of temples

Bouts of rain fall in June was heaven sent for us. Now our impatience to explore those temples needed to be assuaged. One balmy morning, we started our journey from Ahmedabad. Now road up to Sabali ,being familiar was easy to navigate and reach.

All our efforts to gather information about these temples proved to be useless. Not a word could be found on the net, at the moment our only source of information. The only nugget of information we could find was the image captured from Google earth shared below. It just provided the information that these temples belong to the Jain sect.

Hidden Gem of Gujarat - Roda Temples, Himmatnagar Part-2

Click to read Part-1 about Roda Temples..

Journey through ancient India begins again.

It was difficult to walk away from idyllic and spiritual surroundings of Shiva temple and "Kund", but temptation to explore further was equally strong.

Side note: Many statues and artifacts of these temples are kept in Baroda museum. ASI has failed in providing any historical or archaeological information about these temples at the site.

We started our walk through ravines of the river Hathmati or of some stream which must be meeting the river nearby. We were on a look out for Navgrah Temple and Shiva temple. I wish ASI had put board showing the way to those temples. Though maybe topography made it impossible for them. And to be truthful it was interesting to search for them and find them.

Both the temples were on the mounds. Maybe to protect them from over flowing river during monsoon.Our first climb was to Navgrah Temple. Temple precinct was peaceful with occasional chatter of jungle babblers breaking that quietness. One feels like whispering at such places so as not to disturb the serenity.

Navgrah temple is so called because 9 planets of astrology are depicted on its door panel. Pillars have statues of Apsaras or dancers. Surprisingly few of the statues are better preserved than at other temples.

Statues of Apsaras on the pillar

As a photographer, I loved the play of light and shadow on the temple and it's compound. Many artifacts , collected by the ASI from surrounding areas can be seen strewn around the compound. We settled down on the stones and enjoyed some quiet moments. One can see lush Green wheat fields on the backside of the temple. ASI has also done plantation on one side of the temple. Take a look at Navgrah Temple!

After a little walk we could see mound on which Shiva temple was situated. Climbing was little tricky as steps were broken and loose.

Climbing was not so easy on this mound , Roda Shiva
 temples

Shiva temple, considered to be the largest in the group is in dilapidated condition. 2001 earthquake has really taken its toll. Beautiful Nandi statue with missing head can be seen in front of the temple. Cracks were visible all over the temple and one rather worried about going inside the temple.

Badly damaged Shiva Temple at Roda group of temples

Ruins of Shiva temple

Sun was really making its presence felt now. Time for lunch and some rest! We left ,enriched by what we saw and carrying beautiful memories forever.

Hidden Gem of Gujarat - Roda Temples , Himmatnagar

I had heard about Roda temples of Gujarat sometime around 2011 and since than I was looking for opportunity to visit them. 8 years later I could fulfill my wish when my photography friends decided to do photo-walk there. Located some 15 kms from Himmatnagar on Khed- Tasia road these temples are worth visiting for history and photography lovers alike.

 Check  Location of Roda temples. Tiny and rusty board by ASI can be easily missed. 

Once you take a turn towards the direction of the temples , you ride on the dirt track among the wheat fields. For city folks like us , fresh air and bountiful fields were pure delight. As a photographer I itched to photograph the vista. 

Wheat Fields on way to Roda Temples, himmatnagar, india

Roda group of temples, built in 8th or 9 th century , were badly damaged in 2001 earthquake. ASI has surely done a wonderful job of restoring them and it seems the restoration work is still in progress. All the temples are at elevated level and one gets a feeling that in old times a river must be flowing along these temples. It is believed that originally there were some 125 ( numbers vary from 109 to 125) temples in the area , today only 6 of them remain. 

First thing I noticed about the temples was their architecture. I felt the affinity to temples from southern part of India. later on when I started reading about it, I came to understand that they can be compared to temples of Hampi and other places in Karnataka.  

Shiva temple Roda, Himmatnagar

A glimpse of this Shiva temple. albeit in state of semi-ruin was enough to convince me about the beauty I should expect as we go further ahead. In the first precinct one can see this Shiva temple apart from Bird Temple. Few remains of the carving inside are proof how people from that era valued life other than humans.

Bird Temple, Roda, Himmatnagar, india

Cool winds and cloudy atmosphere made our trip all the more pleasant. Important point to note here is that one must carry enough water and food supply as there are no restaurants or "Dhaba" nearby. And this must be one of the most ideal place to do picnic, so why not carry your food!

As we went further ahead on the dirt track, we found another gem, best of them all, precinct with three temples with "Kund" in front of them. "Kund" (reservoir) was quite similar to the one at Modhera Sun Temple. May be they were built during the same period. Shiva temple had a Shivling and saw steady stream of visitors as it was a Shivratri day. Out of three, one temple was in ruins with just a base on the view. Third one, according to the information I have gathered, is a Vishnu temple. 

Kund at Roda Temples, Himmatnagar

Shiva Temple at Roada , Himmatnagar

We forgot time in this peaceful and divine surroundings. It was so interesting to go back in time and  contemplate history of bygone era. 

to be continued....