The lesser-known Kakora Baba Temple (Kakore Baba) in the bustling town of Bahua in Fatehpur district is a magnificent architectural gem of the 10th century built by the Pratiharas. The original structure dedicated to Lord Maheshwara was made of bricks laid in mud mortar with a thin layer of plaster, had a grand shikhara of moulded bricks and richly decorated pillars, architraves and ceiling.
This temple however was desecrated by successive Muslim invaders and the shikhara had fallen off leaving the temple in a ruined condition with a flat roof. It would appear that the temple was renovated by locals somewhere in the 16th to 17th century and again in the late 1800s when the structure was strengthened with some carved stones. The renovation involved levelling the ground around the temple and rebuilding the plinth, adding a flight of steps on the east front leading to the temple and restoring the entrance doorway.
This east-facing temple has a square pillared mandapa with pronounced recesses and a garbha griha measuring 2.05 m by 1.95 m. The external facades originally had moulded bricks. The carved stonework on the pillars of the mandapa make for an interesting study.
The most fascinating feature of this temple is the entrance doorway with its intricately carved figures in miniature niches, the Lalata-bimba with Lord Shiva in the middle, Lord Brahma on the right and Lord Vishnu on the left and foliage patterns and auspicious Hindu iconography on the door jambs.
This temple has been restored to its former splendour by 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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