Raja Chanda who built the Chand Baori is credited with building this temple and dedicating the baori and temple to the Goddess.

The temple is east facing and we visited at around 4pm so got the full glare of the sun from the opposite side.

The steps have the traditional half moon design

It sits on a raised double terrace platform.

The temple has a sanctum and pillared Mandapa (external hall) crowned by a domed ceiling.

There are beautiful deities and sculptures carved into the niches on the upper terrace.

The niches on the buttresses have exquisite carvings too

The priest Sharmaji was cery cordial. He told me the story of Harshat Mata.

He saw me clicking so many photos and offered me Mata ki chunri and told me to wear it and do namaste and he would click my snap. I felt blessed as I love to pray to God . For me HE is everywhere and in everything.

My Rab is truly Rab ul Alaameen or Lord of the Universe.

Pandit Ji said this temple was destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni and later rebuilt. It’s given on the official site of temple too.

From the sculptures and stone lying all over it was definitely destroyed and perhaps looted but to me it seems by someone else. This didn’t fall in Mahmud Ghazni’s path from what I can read.

But I maybe wrong so willing to be corrected.

It’s in a small village next to the famous stepwells Chand Baori said to be dedicated to the Goddess

The village is small but as many tourists come here it has shops selling cold drinks , water and snacks.

http://ranasafvi.com/chand-baori-in-abhaneri-or-city-of-brightness/

Gallery

carving on pillars

Just 200 km from Delhi is one of the world’s oldest stepwells.

The Chand Baori is one of the most spectacular baolis I have seen.

An amazing perfection of 3500 steps built on 13 levels.

Featured in many movies: Indian and Hollywood

Said to be the pyramids upside down they were built in 9-10 c by Raja Chanda of Chauhan dynasty.

On the main wall there were palaces built for the royalty. However subsequent repairs have been done without keeping in mind the prevalent architectural style.

So we have arches alongside  trabeate doors 

Abhaneri a corruption of Abha Nagri or city of brightness.

The renovation must have resulted in displacing of many sculptures which are kept in the side gallery

It was used for rain water harvesting in a dry state as well as for socialising. The temperature at the bottom is 5-6 degrees cooler. But railings prevent anyone going down now

Stepwells were deep wells with a broad mouth for easy collection of water and steps led down to them.

Baori/ baoli/Bain and bawdi are different names for them.

They used to be very popular in India and are an ancient water harvesting system.

In 1864, the famous French world traveler Louis Rousselet described a stepwells as “[a] vast sheet of water, covered with lotuses in flower, amid which thousands of aquatic birds are sporting.”

It was used for bathing, washing and just having fun.

Next to it is a Harshat Mata Temple which is up in the next blog.

Do Visit . It’s amazing .

I’m glad I got the chance on a visit to Alwar to go there.

Easy driving distance from Delhi, Alwar or Jaipur.

For Harshat Mata you can read

http://ranasafvi.com/the-harshat-mata-temple-in-abhaneri/