Discover Kekri

Baghera is located in the surrounding area of Kekri. Its cultural landmarks include the Varah statue in the old temple, a gateway, and statues of the goddess Padmavati preserved in the temple complex. The themes range from religious imagery to architectural details.

The Varah Statue: Material, Dimensions, and Imagery

The statue in the old Varah Temple is made of smooth black stone and is dated to the 10th to 11th century. Its dimensions are estimated at 6 × 2 × 4 feet. The material, date, and size provide different points of reference: the stone describes its physical properties, the date places the statue within a period, and the estimated dimensions give an approximate sense of its scale. This means the statue can be understood in terms beyond its age alone.

The statue is depicted on a tortoise-shaped back, on which a band of water is shown. Thus, the imagery is a focus alongside its physical features. The large, complete Varah statue in Baghera has 525 small figures carved into it. The specific count highlights the multitude of figures; the tortoise motif with the band of water identifies a single visual feature. The overall form and intricate detailing can be considered as different aspects when understanding Varah imagery.

Statues of the goddess Padmavati are also preserved in the temple complex of Baghera. This landmark broadens the religious themes to include another deity and stands alongside the Varah depiction as a distinct aspect.

Baghera’s Gateway and Its Structure

Baghera’s gateway is considered a medieval structure; the Archaeology Department dates it to approximately the 8th to 12th century AD. It rests on two brown sandstone pillars. Each pillar is divided into three sections, and Ghaṭapallava motifs appear in two places. Vines and numerous depictions of deities adorn the pillars. The two pillars establish the basic structure, their division into three sections gives the structure its organization, and the motifs and ornamentation form its decorative layer. The gateway therefore draws attention to both its supporting structure and its decorative design.

The dates can be compared: the statue is dated to the 10th to 11th century, while the gateway is dated to approximately the 8th to 12th century AD. This means the gateway’s date spans a longer period. This difference helps place the two cultural landmarks in chronological context, rather than viewing them as structures from the same period.

For your travel planning, you can choose between different cultural interests: religious imagery featuring Varah and Padmavati, or the structure and ornamentation of the gateway. If you like to begin with the design of a figure when exploring a cultural theme, the Varah statue and its imagery offer a point of interest. If you would rather focus on the structure of a building, the pillars, their sections, and the gateway’s ornamentation take center stage.

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