Nachna Temples: A Hidden Architectural Legacy

In a sleepy village of Madhya Pradesh, some of the oldest surviving temples in Central India shoulder a heavy burden — keeping history alive.

Parvati Temple; Source: Wikimedia Commons

Nachna temples, located in the Panna district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India, hardly receive any visitors. Comprising the Nachna Kuthara temple and Parvati Temple, also referred to as Chaumukhnath, they are some of the oldest surviving stone structures. Some are semi-ruined, with only a few bricks that hang on weakly. But the ones that have made it offer a brilliant window into Central India’s architectural past.

One of these survivors is the Parvati temple. Dating its origin back to when the Gupta kings ruled over much of India, this temple is one of the only edifices at the site that has survived the onslaught of time. Known to be an early prototype of Hindu temple architecture, it is believed that the Parvati temple was built sometime between the 5th and 6th centuries, at a time when the area was ruled by two feudatories of the Gupta empire. Its main features include a two-storey stone shrine and an intricately-carved doorway, complete with ornate images of the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. Human figurines carved here are known to be quite insightful, offering a rare glimpse into how people who lived in the Gupta period might have looked. But the male figurines seen at the temple are also noteworthy.

As Alexander Cunningham, an archaeologist in colonial India who first discovered these temples in the 1880s points out, these men had hairstyles that are strikingly similar to what the Gupta kings had on their coins. Details like this delighted the archaeologist, who would later write:

“The temple of Parvati is one of the most curious and interesting shrines that I have seen. [...] It is especially interesting, as it seems to preserve the old fashion of the temples cut in the rock.”

Yet, the Parvati temple isn’t alone. Not that far is its neighbour — the Chaumukhnath temple — with its own share of secrets. The main feature here is the many-faced linga, with three faces maintaining a calm countenance and the fourth being more dynamic — a symbol of the Panchamukha in Hindu iconography. Although it isn’t two-storeyed like the Parvati temple, Chaumukhnath temple boasts a 40 feet spire, or shikhara, which is believed to represent the Kailasa mountain, home to Shiva.

Divine attendants carved into temple walls also bring a stunning visual story. But its three Jali windows — a simple detail to let light inside — perhaps best depict the temple’s meticulous craftsmanship. From lattices to intricate arches, pillars atop a pumpkin-like amalaka, dancing Ganas, symmetrically arranged river goddesses, and their river monster vahanas, these windows hint at the artistic labour and painstaking hours that were needed to bring the structure alive.

Other remains at this site include Ramayana stone reliefs, showing scenes from the epic: Ravana, disguised as a monk, taking alms from Sita and Hanuman and his monkey army paying respect to Rama. Many smaller archaeological sites, including Pipariya, Khoh, and Bhumara, are also close to the Nachna temples. All of them lie deep within a forest. This remote existence, along with the use of stone in their making, has offered them the means for their centuries-long existence.

Today, weathered by time, memory, and neglect, Nachna temples may not have the same lustre they once did. What they are, however, is a survivor’s story, and a testament to the rich legacy of Indian architecture.