Gujarat: Coastal temples
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A backgrounder
Paul John, July 15, 2023: The Times of India
From: Paul John, July 15, 2023: The Times of India
For hundreds of years after Mahmud’s raids, Somnath in Gujarat was probably the most emotive temple for Hindus. A few hours away by road, the towering temple at Dwarka – Lord Krishna’s capital – has been another major draw. Both are coastal temples and mentioned in the Mahabharata as tirthas (places of pilgrimage). But few outside Gujarat know that it has a wealth of other ancient temples along its long coastline.
Experts list at least 32 such stone temples – 12 of them dedicated to Surya, the sun god – built from 2,100 to 1,300 years ago. And while some of them are small, they all have rich histories replete with myths and legends.
A Yemeni Connection
Consider the temples dedicated to Sikotar Mata, or Harsiddhi Mata, such as the one in Miyani near Porbandar. The goddess is named after the island of Socotra in Yemen, and behind her name lies an interesting story. Between the 4th and 6th centuries CE, the Arabian Sea was a channel of trade between Gujarat and ports along the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Socotra was a halt on the way, and Gujarati seafarers built a temple to Sikotar Mata there.
She is believed to protect voyagers from the perils of the sea and even today Kutchis sailing to East Africa stop at Socotra to seek her blessings at the temple that is maintained by a Hindu priest. They place miniature ship models at her feet as offerings.
Rich Past, Plain Style
The coastal temples are mostly plain with a cubical sanctum. There are no carved ceilings, and on the whole they have limited decoration. While they were dedicated to various deities, some of them were forgotten with the passage of time. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, British archaeologist James Burgess “discovered” the temples in Gop, Ghumli, Pachtar and Praci villages.
Gujarat’s oldest coastal temple, built 2,100 to 1,900 years ago, was excavated at Padri, barely 2km from the Gulf of Khambhat in Bhavnagar’s Talaja taluka. Archaeologists found two terracotta plaques bearing the image of Lajja Gauri, the goddess of fertility, and also sandstone figures of Ganesha and Vishnu. The largest of these forgotten temples stands in Bilesvara, 30km south of Gop in Jamnagar district. Its sanctum houses a large lingam, a representation of Shiva, while the exterior has carvings of Vishnu, his consort Lakshmi, and other deities.
Legacy Of Sea Trade
Several temples along the Saurashtra coast were built by the local communities during the reign of the Maitrakas (493–776 CE), the region’s first local dynasty. But scholars find the choice of sites intriguing as the temples were hundreds of miles away from the Maitraka capital at Vallabhi, at the head of the Gulf of Khambhat.
“Their location on the coast suggests they were important centres of trade and exchange. They might have been used by merchants and sailors to offer prayers before embarking on long voyages or would have served as pilgrim way stations,” says Himanshu Prabha Ray, maritime historian and former chairperson of the National Monuments Authority (NMA). Excavations have also shed light on the much-visited Dwarka temple’s history. There’s evidence of three successive temples built between the 1st century BCE and the 12th century CE, indicating continuity of worship at this site. Also, more than 120 stone anchors have been found in the Dwarka waters, the largest such collection in India.
Another cluster of seven temples, known as the Khimesvara group, is located around Porbandar. Among these, the Mahadeva temple remains in use even today. Miyani near Porbandar, located on a creek once used as a harbour for local fishing vessels, has two exquisite temples from the 9th and 10th centuries, besides a few from earlier periods.
5-Year Conservation Plan
These little-known coastal temples need urgent attention and they finally seem to have caught the government’s eye. Dr Pankaj Sharma, director of Gujarat Archaeology & Museums, says all 32 temples have been incorporated in a five-year conservation plan. “Budget is no longer an issue, but the real challenge is getting the right experts for the job. ”
GUIDES FOR SHIPS
Most of Gujarat’s coastal temples were built on high ground, giving a clear view of the sea. “This suggests that they were intended to be visible to sailors and merchants approaching the coast, or act as navigational markers much before lighthouses came into existence,” says former National Monuments Authority chairperson Himanshu Prabha Ray. In Saurashtra, temple sites like Visavada, Kindarkheda, Somnath, Kodinar (Mul Dwarka), Hathab and Vallabhipur were located closer to creeks, which also facilitated maritime activities and trade along the coast.
