Tenduli village, a rather small and quiet village in Fatehpur district is a treasure trove of Gupta period temples. This village, perhaps not known to many is of great antiquity and has some of the finest examples of the earliest brick temples along the Rind River.
The Baba Chatrubhuj Temple (Chaturbhuj Baba) also referred to as Lord Vishnu Temple is an architectural masterpiece of its time built exactly as per the tenets of Vastu Shastra and has some of the most exquisite brickwork ever seen.
This north-facing circular temple has a square sanctum sanctorum with an impressive Latina shikhara. The external facades and the shikhara are richly decorated with repetitive motifs, miniature niches, auspicious Hindu iconography, linear elements and floral and foliage patterns.
There is an idol of Chaturbhuj Vishnu consecrated in the sanctum sanctorum that is revered by locals. The most interesting feature of this temple are the embellishments from the bottom to the top that reveal the mastery of the artisans.
As the temple has been extensively renovated, some of the original architectural elements have been replaced to strengthen the structure. This is a protected monument of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Written by Lakshmi Subramanian
* Photos are only symbolic (Taken from public domain/internet and any copyright infringement is unintentional and regrettable)
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