Dashavatar Temple

The Dashavatar Temple near Lalitpur is a marvel where time seems to stand still. The intricate carvings, especially the Anantashayanam pose of Lord Vishnu, are impeccably preserved, showcasing the artistry of the 6th-century Gupta period. Witnessing these well-maintained sculptures adds a profound layer to the visit, making it a truly mesmerizing experience for devotees and history enthusiasts alike.

The Dashavatar Temple is a historic Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. It is located in Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh, in the Betwa River valley in north-central India. It is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples still surviving today, dating back to the 6th century The temple has a simple, one cell square plan with a tower, a porch and a high plinth. It is built in the Gupta style of architecture, which is known for its ornate and elaborate decoration The temple is named after the Dashavatara, which means the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. These are the forms that Vishnu assumed to protect the world from evil and restore dharma (cosmic order). The temple has sculptures and carvings depicting various stories and legends related to Vishnu and his avatars, as well as other Hindu gods and goddesses The Dashavatar Temple is a remarkable example of ancient Indian art and culture, and a testimony to the devotion and creativity of the Gupta period. It is also a valuable source of information for the study of Hindu temple architecture and iconography The temple is a heritage site that attracts many visitors and pilgrims who come to admire its beauty and seek blessings from Lord Vishnu

Its a very beautiful and very old temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu .It is in Devgarh village of Lalitpur district of UP .Its about 32 km away from Lalitpur Railway station and about 12 km from Jakhlon railway station .Lalitpur is a main railhead where express trains stops but at Jakhlon only local passenger trains stops . To reach Devgarh no bus are plying and so you have to wait for an auto tempo or have to hired an auto in Rs 200-250 as you have to go to in a remote place . This temple is under ASI and Rs 25 is charged as fee . But I am sure you will find it worthy to visit here .

Always Remember, Maintaining our Heritage, culture, values and traditions is beyond price. The Dashavatara Temple is an early 6th century God Vishnu temple located at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh near the bank of Betwa River in north-central India. Built in the Gupta Period, the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh shows the ornate Gupta style architecture. The temple is very beautiful and very old dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Its about 32 km away from Lalitpur Railway station and about 12 km from Jakhlon railway station. Lalitpur is a main railhead where express trains stops but at Jakhlon only local passenger trains stops. To reach Devgarh no bus are plying and so you have to wait for an auto tempo or have to hired an auto in Rs 200-250 as you have to go to a remote place. This temple is under ASI and Rs 25 is charged as fee. But I am sure you will find it worthy to visit here. But harsh reality is that there was nothing more remained than the ruins of the monument.

The Dashavatara temple is locally known as Sagar marh, which literally means "the temple on the tank", a name it gets from the square water pool cut into the rock in front. The Dashavatara Tfcmple is an early 6th century Vishnu Hindu temple located at Deogarh, Uttar Pradesh in the Betwa River valley in north-central India.It has a simple, one cell square plan and is one of the earliest Hindu stone temples still surviving today,Built in the Gupta Period, the Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh shows the ornate Gupta style architecture.The temple at Deogarh is dedicated to Vishnu, but includes in its small footprint images of Shiva, Parvati, Kartikeya, Brahma, Indra, River goddesses Ganga and Yamuna, as well as a panel showing the five Pandavas of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.The Temple was built out of stone and masonry brick.Legends associated with Vishnu are sculpted in the interior and exterior walls of the temple. Also carved are secular scenes and amorous couples in various stages of courtship and intimacy. According to Alexander Lubotsky, this temple was built according to the third khanda of the Hindu text Vishnudharmottara Purana, which describes the design and architecture of theSarvatobhadra-style temple, thus providing a flourit for the text and likely temple tradition that existed in ancient India.Though ruined, the temple is preserved in a good enough condition to be a key temple in the Hindu temple architecture scholarship, particularly the roots of the North Indian style of temple design. The Dashavatara temple has a high plinth (jagati ) and is set with a basement porch. The temple provides steps in the center of all sides of the platform to let the pilgrim enter the temple from all four direction.The temple faces west, with slight deviation to the south that enables the setting sun's rays to fall on the main idol in the temple. The plinth is square with a 55.5 feet (16.9 m) side, about 9 feet (2.7 m) above the bottom step (called the moon stone) of the shrine. Each corner of the platform has a 11 feet (3.4 m) square projection with remnants of a shrine. The plinth was molded in four parallel courses, each molding about 0.95 feet (0.29 m) thick. Above the four moldings, rectangular panels separated by pilasters ran all along the plinth with friezes narrating Hindu texts such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.Some of these friezes are now in museums such as the National Museum in Delhi. These show, for example, the narratives from the Krishna legend. The Dashavatara temple is generally dated between late 5th-century and early 6th-century, or about 500 CE.Benjamin Preciado-Solis, a professor of Indian History specializing in Hindu and Buddhist iconography, dates it to the 5th-century.According to Geoige Michell, an art historian and a professor specializing in Hindu Architecture, it is unclear when exactly the Dashavatara temple was built but its style suggests the sixth century.Michael Meister, another art historian and professor of Indian temple architecture, dates the temple to between 500-525 C

The Dashavatar Temple near Lalitpur is a marvel where time seems to stand still. The intricate carvings, especially the Anantashayanam pose of Lord Vishnu, are impeccably preserved, showcasing the artistry of the 6th-century Gupta period. Witnessing these well-maintained sculptures adds a profound layer to the visit, making it a truly mesmerizing experience for devotees and history enthusiasts alike.