Anandeshwar Temple
One of the most interesting and lesser-known rock temples of Maharashtra is the Anandeshwar Temple at Lasur village in Daryapur taluka in Amravati district. Built on the bank of the Purna river on raised ground, this temple built in black stone looks very much like a fort from a distance. Historical records state that this temple was built by Raja Ramachandra of the Yadavas of Devagiri somewhere in the 13th century but its purpose, construction and lack of availability of the black stone in the vicinity has raised many questions. Though this temple is built in the typical Hemadpanthi style, the layout of the temple is very unusual. The temple in plan appears like a three-petal flower with a relatively small entrance on the fourth side. There are three sanctums and an open sabha mandap known as swarga mandap in the middle. This round structure is a visual delight with intricately carved pillars in the background while the infinite blue sky appears to be in the foreground! Another fascinating architectural detail is that rocks of different sizes appear to be joined or interlocked to hold the entire structure.
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Mahadev Temple,Bhatala
This Mahadev temple is located at Bhatala village, Warora Taluka, Chandrapur. It is constructed entirely in yellow sandstone masonry and has a mandap and garba gruha. Its special feature is an extremely large linga in black stone of a height of 1.25 m. The linga has a channel to carry the water out of the temple. The mandap has a Nandi facing West. The front entrance which faces East has two free standing square columns and two piers on either side. The lower part of the outer surface is largely plain and is adorned with mouldings, and niches with idols, one in the centre of each face. The idol on the South facing façade is Kartikeya, on the West face is Shiva and on the North face is Chamunda.
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