Baroli Temples

Getting there

• By road

  The temples are 45 km south east of Kota, near the rocky bank of the Chambal River on the outer limits of Rawatbhata City.

• By train

  Kota Junction is a station on the New Delhi to Mumbai main line.

• By air

  Kota Airport has had no scheduled flights since 1999. The nearest international airport is Jaipur, about 240 km from Kota.

Why devotees come here

The Baroli Temples are a group of shrines near the rocky bank of the Chambal River, in Chittorgarh district, Rajasthan. Four of the temples are dedicated to Shiva, and the Ghateshwara Mahadeva shrine shows Shiva in the form of five lingas.

The Baroli Temples stand in Baroli village, Rawatbhata City, in Chittorgarh district. Four temples are dedicated to Shiva, two to Durga, and one each to Shiva-Trimurti, Vishnu and Ganesha. The temple of Ghateshwara Mahadeva takes its name from a linga that looks like an inverted pot, which is called a ghata.

The temples were reportedly built under the Gurjara-Pratihara Empire in the 10th to 11th centuries, although their history is not clear. They follow the Gurjara-Pratihara style, with finely carved stonework. The Ghateshwara Mahadeva temple has a carved shikara, or pinnacle, above its sanctum, and the sanctum ceiling is shaped like a large blossoming lotus. The temple is an intact structure, and it shows Shiva in the form of five lingas.

The Natesa icon was originally from the Ghateswara Temple at Baroli. It is now kept at the Indian High Commission in London. The complex sits close to the rocky bank of the Chambal River, on the outer limits of Rawatbhata City.

Tips for your visit

• Look up at the finely carved shikara above the Ghateshwara Mahadeva sanctum before you go in.
• Inside the same sanctum, the ceiling is carved as a large blossoming lotus, so take time to look up.

Questions people ask