TEMPLES OF BHATYAL RAJPUTS IN KIRMCHI MANSAR

Ancient Temples of Krimchi BHATYAL RAJPUTS

The art of the Jammu area, as elsewhere in India, has from the beginning been dedicated to religious ends and the craftsmen remained anonymous as their aim was only to serve their faiths. The Hindu temples were designed to suggest the appearance of the cosmos or the heavens of the gods. Similarly, the goal of the plast

ic arts was not realism; the Hindu gods, made according to the strict laws of proportion and form, must be thought of as symbols or hieroglyphs of real bodies. All suggestion of organic anatomy is suppressed; it is the abstract perfection of the form that is calculated to inspire devotion. "When observing any temple of Jammu we have to keep these points in view".

The Dogras are a marvellous race, an ancient race whose roots go back to the pre-Vedic times, as is proved by the excavations made at Ambran and the works of Hindu religion and Sanskrit literature. If excavations are carried at Babor and Krimchi, the ancient civilization of the Dogras will clearly come to light. At the moment, it is not possible to trace the continuous style of Jammu's development of architectural style and form, as the cruel hands of man and nature have destroyed many temples and buildings. But landmarks still exist which point out the path of Jammu's temple architecture.

TEMPLE COMPLEX AT KRIMCHI
The most impressive temples are the groups of ancient temples at Babor and Krimchi. The Babor temple complex, was built in the 11th century A.D.These temples, to some extent, resemble Modhera temple built in 1026 A.D The Krimchi temples that we are concerned at present marks the high water mark in architecture and artistic achievement of Jammu.

At 40 kms. away from the Jammu city and six miles the north of Udhampur town at the bottom of the range of Ladha hills is spread the area of Bhuti Krimchi. The Raja who laid the foundations of the city of Krimchi is known as Kreechak.

Krimchi temples indicate great Dogra architectural evolution. From the springboard of Babor the architect makes a high jump in artistic achievement at Krimchi, a village 40 kms away from the Jammu city. Against the backdrop of magnificent hills on a sloping and smiling valley is an enchanting sight of four ancient and splendid temples. Nearby, down a gorge flows a sparkling stream. The temples are lantern-shaped.

The peasants' houses, was a place of considerable importance; the ruins on the banks of the nalla Devak indicate that at one time it was a capital which contained many temples and was a prosperous habitation. On a high rock there are signs of an old fort. Its falling walls are still seen and inside the four walls is a plain ground where there lie spread all around ruins of the palaces of the Rajas of Bhuti.

It is said that Rajas of Bhatyal are connected with Raja Daya Karan, king of Kashmir, who had gone there on the behest of his father Raja Puran Karan, who was the ruler of Jammu. In fact, the Kashmiris had approached Raja Puran Karan to invade Kashmir and rescue them from the cruelties of the then ruling king of Kashmir. Raja Daya Karan conquered Kashmir and became its ruler. A descendent from this ruler. Raja Som Dutt, came from Kashmir to the illaqa of Bathal and founded an independent kingdom of Bhuti with its capital at Krimchi. He is considered to be the founder of the Bhatyal Rajputs. It is, however, in 1834 that this state was annexed to Jammu by Maharaja Gulab Singh. The last Raja of Bhuti was Raja Himmat Singh whose exquisitely accomplished grand-daughter was later married to Raja Amar Singh. The name of the Rani's father was Pratap Singh.



We have to take cognizance of this historical background, for it is said that Raja Som Dutt built the fort and the palaces at Krimchi. It is further believed that Raja Som Dutt, in all probability, must also have built the marvellous temple complex at Krimchi.

Against the background of the magnificent hills on a sloping and smiling valley is an enchanting sight of the four ancient and splendid temples. Nearby down the gorge flows a sparkling stream. The temples are lantern-shaped buildings with a large lotus-like disc at the top of each. There is one better preserved temple which is the gem of the Dogra architecture. Although the temple is dilapidated and the decay of centuries has furrowed its brow and wrought wrinkles on its glistening surface, yet it could not efface its pristine beauty and solemn grandeur. It certainly marks an advance in the art of composition over that of the Babor complex.

The height of the principal temple is about 50 ft. and before it there is 31 ft. space area which is reached by a flight of several steps. The porch in front is 10 ft. wide with an entrance of 6 ft. height and 4 ft. wide. The front is of splendid craftsmanship. What is unique about it is that it is copiously decorated with abstract designs in kaleidoscopic forms which produce an optical illusion so that one feels that it is soaring higher and higher. One experiences vertigo. There is something vibrant, pulsating in these carvings that instinctly attracts the eyes and keeps them riveted there. One feels a sense of intense movement when eyes follow the numerous meandering intricate lines that weave complex and enchanting patterns. The eyes revolve in myriad directions and the temple looks as if it is dancing. Each motif of the carvings has been done on more than one stone and then fitted in the over-all structure of the temple displaying perfect harmony and rhythm.

Much of the sculpture has been lost but the remaining few are sufficient to rouse one's imagination to see more there than actually exists there. The local people assert that a colonnade existed round the temple complex—numerous bases of pillars and several fragments of fluted columns were lying about. Now there are imposing sculptures like an ornate head of Lord Shiva and Vara Avtara, carrying the earth on his shoulders and trampling to death the sea demon by his feet. These masterpieces of sculpture reflect the maturity of the artists, for these, made from the white stones found in abundance in the nearby stream, are indeed refined and filled with a pulsating vitality. These statues at Krimchi are the reflections of the loving piety of the sculptors. Some other pieces recovered from the debris are the figures of Ganesha and Vishnu.





The chief peculiarities of these ruins are the number of temples that contained within the same, what might have been, an enclosing wall and the absence of a symmetry in their arrangement. It may, I think, thus be argued that in earlier times, when the enclosing wall was but a mere means of protection, a number of detached temples were erected and dedicated to various deities from time to time. These temples at Krimchi were dedicated not to one particular god or deity but to the contained images of Kali, Siva and Vishnu, etc.

There are various opinions about the construction of these temples made of only stone and no cement or mortar of any kind has been used. The one is that these were constructed, as already mentioned, by Raja Som Dutt, who might have got artisans from Kashmir which excelled in the construction of temples. May be Som Dutt or any Bathial Raja constructed the temples but it is quite fantastic to think that any Kashmiri artisan was employed in building these temples. The style of the temples in Kashmir is absolutely different from that of the temples at Krimchi. There was not a single temple in Kashmir which could resemble Krimchi temples. Most of the temples in Kashmir do bear resemblance with those of Bengal. In both Kashmir and Bengal the primary form was the square block mounted by a pyramidal roof. The mode of elaborating the plan remains the same in both the places and consists in the addition of one or more protections to each of the original four sides of the square. Moreover, it is believed that the architecture of Kashmir had been influenced by those of Greece Bactrians. The temples of Krimchi bear no such influence and show at a glance that these are of the same style as those of Orissa. These temples at Krimchi are so strong that they have escaped destruction by nature and invaders on account of their remote situation.

There is another belief that Kanishka, while passing through this place, was captivated by the natural beauty of the place and that he ordered the construction of the temple complex. But these temples do not seem to have been constructed in the 1st century when Kanishka ruled. The reign of Kanishka was the great period of Gandhara art and we do not witness any influence of this art on the Krimchi temples. Besides, the Kushan king being a Buddhist could not have been interested in building the temples dedicated to Hindu gods.

The people of Krimchi assert that the temples were built by Pandus, who happened to wander here from Babor where they ruled. But again the style of the temples would have been the same as those of the temples found at Babor. The Krimchi temples indicated great Dogra architectural evolution and artistic achievement at Krimchi.

Thus Krimchi temples date back to 8-11th century and decidedly they must have been built by Bathial Rajas who ruled over the area for generations together. It is not a far-fetched idea that the Dogra artisans were highly skilled in architectural and sculptural arts.

There is no doubt that the most impressive, ancient and grandest temple in Jammu is the principal temple dedicated to Kali, at Krimchi. It is in a better state of preservation than the adjacent ones. It contains two distinct chambers, one is called "Ardha-mandapa" and the other "Garbha griha". The latter chamber appears to have been richly ornamented, as seen from the niches. It is not difficult to realise that the statues seem to have been stolen.

There is a remarkable dearth of early dated example as to what was the prototype and what were the stages of evolution which resulted in such magnificent products of the builder's art as the temples at Babor and Krimchi. But it seems reasonable to presume that earlier example existed and that art progressed step by step upto a certain point from the simple to the more elaborate. Many of the beautiful temples remain buried and much excavations at Krimchi and other areas or in Jammu are called for.