The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
The seventh day of Navaratri, the temple decoration was that of SIVA – KAMESHWARI or Kameshwara- Kameshwari, as they are also known. From Miscellaneous Kama – the god of love was burnt to ashes when he tried to make the meditating Shiva fall in love with Parvati, born as the daughter of the mountain king, Himavan. When at last Shiva married Parvati after years of austerities, he also brought back Kama to life. However, at the same time, an Asura by the name of Bandasura was born from the smoke. The Devas pleaded to the Devi to rescue them from this Asura, and she appeared in the form of Kameshwari, and put an end to Bandasura. Siva married her as Kameshwara, and this is the form depicted above. I have also appended a Tanjore painting of Kameshwara and Kameshwari (which I found on the net) so as to understand this depiction better. From Miscellaneous Well, that’s all for today. Looking forward to being back tomorrow with (hopefully) more photographs….