Uttarakhand has a deep connection with ancient civilizations. There are many such places where the ruins of historical and mythological period are scattered. One of them is the Lakhamandal village of Jaunsar-Bawar in Dehradun district. It is believed that during the Dwapar era, Duryodhana built the Lakshagraha here to burn the five Pandavas and their mother Kunti alive. Hundreds of Shivling and rare statues found here during the excavation of ASI testify to this. Let go! Let us also travel to Lakhmandal...
History of civilizations suppressed in Lakshagriha
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Dinesh Kukreti
The Lakhamandal village of Jaunsar-Bawar in Dehradun district, situated at the northern end of the Yamuna river, holds special significance not only from the historical point of view. Located at an altitude of 1372 meters above sea level, Lakhamandal village is 128 km from Dehradun, 60 km from Chakrata and 75 km from the Mussoorie Queen of the mountains. The antiquity of the Lakhamandal is linked to the Kaurava-Pandavas. It is believed that the Kauravas built the Lakshgriha (house of lac) here to burn the Pandavas and their mother Kunti alive. It is said that that historical cave still exists in Lakhmandal, through which the Pandavas came out safely. After this, the Pandavas spent a month in 'Chakranagari', which is called Chakrata today.
Apart from the Lakhamandal, mythological Shivling and idols found during excavations at Hanol, Thana and Mandrath are witnesses that the Pandavas resided in this area. It is said that the Shivalinga established by Yudhishthira during the Pandavas' unknown exile in the courtyard of the Laksheshwar temple at Lakhamandal is still present. In front of this linga are the idols of two gatekeepers, who stand facing west. One of these hands is chopped off. The Laksheshwara temple dedicated to Shiva is a Nagara style temple built in the 12–13th century. Chaglesh and Princess Ishwara's commendation (fifth-sixth century) is mentioned in the records received here.
It is known from this that the antiquities of this place are anterior to the present temple and the antiquity of the temple goes back to the fifth-sixth century. The praise of Princess Iswara also confirms the construction of a Shiva temple here. Dozens of mythological miniature pagoda, historical and ancient sculptures located in the temple complex attract tourists. The temple has a large verandah, in the middle of which a large Shivalinga sits on the platform. Seeing all such mysteries, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared Lakhmandal and Hanol as historical heritage and has taken the responsibility of preserving the ancient temples located here. ASI found a statue of Lord Vishnu and three Shivalingas during the excavation of the damaged wall near the temple area in 2006, which are preserved in the department's museum.
Princess Iswara built the temple
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From the remains found in the Lakhamandal, it is known that there must have been many temples here. A sixth-century inscription found from the Lakeshwar complex mentions that Princess Ishwara, belonging to the royal family of Sinhapur, built the Lakeshwar temple to commemorate her late husband Chandragupta, the son of the King of Jalandhar. The abrasion of the word Laksheshwar later became 'Lakeshwar'. The word 'Lakha' was derived from Lakeshwar. According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, at that time, the province or district which paid the tax was called Mandal. Therefore, by adding the word 'Mandala' with 'Lakha', it became lacquered.
Circle of millions of idols
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One of the reasons for the name of the area to be called Lakhamandal is that millions of Shiva idols are found here. Rare sculptures of thousands of years old come out here only after digging two feet. 'Lakh' means lots and mandal, a place where many temples have habitable sites with a particular gender. Probably that is why later on it came to be known as Lakhamandal.
New dimensions to ancientness
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In the scientific cleaning done by ASI, a large number of architectural structures were found here. Among them, the remnants of the fifth-sixth century flat roof are prominent. This discovery gives a new dimension to the antiquity of the temple structures of the central Himalayas.
Medieval art tradition
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The sculpture panels of Uma-Maheshwar, sculpted from Ganesha, Karthikeya and Shivaganas, obtained from the Lakhamandal are unique examples of art. The Shiva Tandava sculptures here connect this northern part of the country to the south. The medieval art tradition seems to have developed throughout the country. In the dance posture of Tandava, Shiva and tapasyarat are finding expression in the sculptures of Parvati, Ganesh and Karthikeya Lakhamandal.
Parvati's footprints on the rock
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The peculiarity of the temple is that there are footprints on a rock inside it, which are believed to be the footprints of Goddess Parvati. Statues of Lord Kartikeya, Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu and Hanuman are also installed inside the temple.
James Bailey Fraser discovered
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The antiquities of Lakhamandal were first brought to light by James Bailey Fraser in the year 1814–15. In his book, 'The Himalaya Mountains', he has mentioned the temple of five Pandavas, the temple of Maharishi Vyas and Parasurama, the ancient Kedar temple and some idols besides the Shiva temple at this site. Based on the archaeological evidence, it is known that Lakhamandal has been inhabited in ancient times. Remnants of megalithic culture derived from village Lavadi confirm this concept. The remnants of this culture throw particular light on the then deceased rituals. In this method, dead bodies or remains were kept in a coffin made of stones.
Wonderful idol craft with vastu
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Laxeshwar Temple is a mixture of attractive architecture and rustic and old-fashioned atmosphere. Along with the temple architecture, the Lakhamandal also holds a special place in the sculpture. The life-size statue of Jai-Vijay engraved on the stone in about the seventh century is an example of sculpture in the region. Apart from this, idols of Shiva-Parvati, Ganga-Yamuna and other deities also reflect the uniqueness of the Lakhamandal sculpture.
Shivalinga shows its own image
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The Shivalinga situated in the Laksheshwar temple complex is made of graphite and starts glowing after offering water. During this, the image of the person is clearly visible in it. It is believed that this Shivalinga is established in the Lakhamandal from the time of creation.
Different color of each Shivling
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A specialty of the Lakhamandal is that the Shivling obtained here is of different colors. These are, of course, thousands of years old, but they have not suffered any damage from sight and being below ground.
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