DescriptionDhobni Damakheda Chitawari Devi temple Chhattisgarh Oct 2022 - 69.jpg
English: Also referred as the Chitawari Mandir of Dhobani, this is an 8th to 9th century Hindu temple in Chhattisgarh.
The temple was originally a part of a larger complex and dedicated to Shiva, but was after the site's destruction after the 13th century, it went in disuse. This extant partly ruined temple was likely the largest. Surviving parts of smaller shrines and some remains are found to the north of this temple.
This site was reclaimed by regional Hindus after the 18th century, this temple repaired and restored from the ruins, then the sanctum was re-dedicated to Hindu Shakti goddess tradition (Chitavari, or Parvati-Durga) rather than for Shiva.
The temple stands next to a pre-9th century manmade reservoir, is to the east of Shivanath river, and close to Damakheda. It is a brick temple with a stellate plan (tarakriti in Sanskrit literature). The temple stands on a platform (jagati). The top and front portion of the sikhara was torn down , repaired centuries later with some mortar. The outer walls are moulded, carved and decorated with Hindu iconography. Recovered statues from 9th to 13th century, such as those of Ganesha, Kartikeya, Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, Surya and others are now around and in front of the stellate temple.
The original undamaged yoni made from a huge block of stone in the square-plan sanctum has been moved to the wall, and the recovered remaining parts of the Shiva lingam was marked with sindoor, dressed up as Chitvari Devi, and since then has been consecrated into a Shakti goddess tradition temple for a reclaimed living temple.
The Chitavari temple illustrates the stellate plan, being one of many described in ancient Sanskrit texts on temple architecture. Such stellate plan temples are found in many other parts of Chhattisgarh, and a few are found in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
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Captions
the temple faces west, and has a water reservoir in front