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– UDAY SHANKAR
The Vishnupad or Vishnupada Temple on the banks of the Falgu River in Gaya Ji (a pilgrimage site) was constructed by Queen Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar of Malwa in the year 1787.
The construction of this temple cost three lakh rupees and six hundred laborers worked for twelve years. These artisans and laborers were brought from Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was agreed that once the work was completed, they would have to return to their respective homes.
In 1795, when she passed away, these artisans and laborers were still working around the temple, but upon hearing the news of her death, the work was stopped. At that time, King Mitrajit gave them official settlement documents—he was the father of Khan Bahadur. Khan Bahadur was also an excellent painter, and many of his paintings are still considered historical. These artisans can still be seen in Gaya today, whose main profession is carving stones and making idols.
This temple, built on an octagonal (eight-sided) base, has eight panels extending up to the top. The temple has 18 pillars, and it is said that each one bears a depiction of the ‘Narayana Charan’ (footprints of Lord Vishnu) in different poses. These ‘Narayana Charan’ are 30 centimeters in length and bear engravings of the conch, discus, and mace.
The Vishnupad Temple is carved out of local basalt rocks. At the top of the temple, there is a golden urn and flag, weighing 51 kilograms. The temple is world-renowned for its architecture, which follows the ancient tradition of the Nat Mandir and the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha). The spire of the sanctum sanctorum is 100 meters high, and the height of the Nat Mandir is 30 meters.
These basalt stones were brought from Pathalkatti, located 19 miles from Gaya. To give these stones a rich black color, the juice of the leaves and stems of the Sem (Dolichos lablab) plant was used. This temple is also known by the name Dharmashila.
Historical records show that Ahilyabai was the queen of Malwa, with her capital at Maheshwar. She was a devotee of Shiva, but her devotion to Vishnu was no less.
Before constructing the Vishnupad Temple in Gaya, she had built a Vishnupad Temple on the banks of the Chandrabhaga (Purna) River in Amravati, Maharashtra, which almost completely submerges during the monsoon season. This temple rests on 16 pillars, each bearing a distinct pair of Vishnu’s footprints, with no two being alike. Vishnu’s footprints in this temple remain almost completely submerged throughout the year. It was this temple that inspired her to build the grand temple in Gaya. She was a devotee like Meera Bai of Rajasthan, whose purpose was — “Mero to Giridhar Gopal, doosro na koi” (My only Lord is Krishna, I belong to no one else).
After losing everyone in her family, she devoted all her time to her people and to God.
Her devotion to Gaya led her to construct this temple after her marriage. Her first visit to Gaya was in 1731 with her grandmother, when she was just 6 years old.
It is said that she was the one who started the tradition of offering a sari to the Narmada River. She was an excellent archer. She would tie one end of the sari to an arrow, pull it back on the bowstring, and shoot it across the Narmada River. Crowds would gather to witness this spectacle. This tradition continued even after her time.
At the time of her death, temple construction work was underway across India. All of it came to a halt. In Gaya, the artisans had a statue of her installed in the courtyard of the Vishnupad Temple. This statue still stands in the temple today.
Among the temples she had constructed was the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which was built slightly away from its original location because the Gyanvapi Mosque stood on the original site.
Queen Ahilyabai also constructed the Trimbakeshwar Temple. The Indore State Gazetteer records that during her reign, extensive construction of temples, cenotaph ghats, and dharamshalas took place not only within the Malwa State—in Indore, Maheshwar, and Alampura—but also beyond it, in cities like Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Rawar, Kumbhar, Pushkar, Pune, Jejuri, Badrinath, Haridwar, Ayodhya, Kashi, Gaya, Vrindavan, Naimisharanya, Amarkantak, Pandharpur, and Rameshwar.
It would be a sin to omit the fact that she also provided every form of assistance for the construction and repair of Muslim places of worship. In particular, she consistently supported the building of dargahs.
(The writer is a columnist)