The Baroli group of Temples located in the sleepy village of Baroli is an excellent example of 10th century temple architecture. Built by the Gurjara – Pratiharas in the typical Nagara style, this temple complex is one of the earliest of its kind comprising of nine temples built as per the tenets of the Shilpa Shastra.
The complex houses temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Devi, Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesha and the Trimurti as well as stepwells, kunds and mandapas. The temples in this complex have some of the most exquisite carvings of its time.
The temples unfortunately were desecrated and looted first by the Muslim barbarian Aurangzeb and then the religiously intolerant British. Most of the temples are either in ruins or have some portion of the structure missing. There are several intricately carved panels depicting stories from the Puranas, Mahabharat, Ramayana and other Hindu texts lying around. A sizeable number of the sculptures, mouldings and stonework were stolen over time by the British.
The Vamanavatar Temple also known as Narad Temple originally had a pillared mandapa, an antarala and a garbha griha. However, the shikhara has since collapsed and there is a single slab over the shrine. The entrance porch and antarala are also missing.
The Lalata Bimba and the main idol of Lord Vishnu as Vamana gives one a glimpse of the stunning craftsmanship of the artisans who had worked on this temple. Lord Vamana has been consecrated with four arms and is facing east.
The complex is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Written by Lakshmi Subramanian
sahasa.in 
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