1/ The Unfinished Shiva Temple in Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh, #Bharat, is a captivating architectural marvel.
- Construction began over 1,000 years ago under the patronage of King Raja Bhoja.
- Despite remaining unfinished, it houses a colossal stone lingam and fragments of walls.
- The reasons for its abrupt halt are still unknown, with theories ranging from political unrest to divine intervention.
- It continues to intrigue visitors and historians despite its incomplete state.
Inside the Sanctum:
- The temple houses a 7.5-foot (2.3 m) high lingam.
Original Location:
- The temple originally stood on the banks of a reservoir, 18.5 miles long and 7.5 miles wide.
Reservoir Formation:
- The reservoir was formed through the construction of three earth-and-stone dams during Bhoja's reign.
- The first dam was built on the Betwa River, trapping the river's waters in a depression surrounded by hills.
- A second dam was constructed between the hills, near present-day Mendua village.
- A third dam, located in present-day Bhopal, diverted water from the smaller Kaliasot river into the Betwa dam's reservoir.
- The man-made reservoir existed until the 15th century when Hoshang Shah emptied it by breaching two of the dams.
1/ #Archaeology • CC

1/ 2/ The colossal 7.5 foot Shiva lingam

2/ An aerial view of unfinished Shiva Temple
Src Google map

3/ A picture taken in 1850s
Src British Library

4/ Architectural design of the temple carved on stone. This also highlights how our ancient engineers may have made their scrapbooks come live in sculptures

5/ Unfinished work before engineers went off abruptly

6/ Beautiful domes

7/ Wall hangings 😊
See the sockets where the pre sculpted murtis were hanged

8/ Unsuccessful Attempt to claim ?

9/ More pictures speaking of unfinished task.
Src Google maps