Did you know that the ancient Mundeshwari Temple, dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Shakti, is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Bihar, India?

The Mundeshwari Devi Temple (also spelled Mundesvari) is a Hindu temple, located at Ramgarh Village, 608 feet (185 m) on the Mundeshwari Hills of Kaimur plateau near Son River, in the Indian state of Bihar. 

It is an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument since 1915. The ASI has recently dated the structure to 108 CE making it the oldest Hindu temple in the country. An information plaque at the site indicates the dating of the temple at least to 625 CE and Hindu inscriptions dated 635 CE were found in the temple.

The temple is dedicated to the worship of the goddess Durga and is considered one of the oldest functional Hindu temples in India. The findings also established that here was a religious and educational center spread over the hillock and Mandaleshwar (Shiva) temple was the main shrine. The Mandaleshwari (Durga) was on the southern side. The temple was damaged and the idol of Mandaleshwari (degenerated Mundeshwari and later connected with the mythical demon Mund) was kept in the eastern chamber of the main temple.

The temple, built of stone, is on an octagonal plan, which is rare. It is the earliest specimen of the Nagara style of temple architecture in Bihar. There are doors or windows on four sides and small niches for the reception of statues in the remaining four walls. The temple shikhara or tower has been destroyed. However, a roof has been built, as part of renovation work. The interior walls have niches and bold mouldings which are carved with vase and foliage designs. At the entrance to the temple, the door jambs are seen with carved images of Dvarapalas, Ganga, Yamuna and many other murtis. The main deities in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple are of the Devi Mundeshwari and Chaturmukh (four-faced) Shiva linga. There are also two stone vessels of unusual design. Even though the Shiva linga is installed in the centre of the sanctum, the main presiding deity is Devi Mundeshwari deified inside a niche, which is seen with ten hands holding symbols riding a buffalo, attributed to Mahishasuramardini. The temple also has murtis of other popular gods such as Ganesha, Surya and Vishnu. A substantial part of this stone structure has been damaged, and many stone fragments are seen strewn around the temple. However, under the jurisdiction of ASI, it has been the subject of archaeological study for quite some time.

 Restorative works carried out by ASI have been limited to the removal of soot from the temple interior via a chemical treatment, repair of damage to religious murti (idol) and cataloging and documentation of scattered fragments for later reuse.

Source: Extracts from artcile in Wikipedia with my inputs in June 2011

Narasipur Char