Tala (Talagaon) – Bilaspur

By on Jul 23, 2018 in Travel

Tala, also known as Talagaon, is located I on the Bilaspur-Raipur highway. Situated on the banks of the river Maniari, Tala was discovered by JD Beglar, an assistant to the well -known archaeologist Alexander Cunningham. An extraordinary feature about Tala is that it continues to be a living religious site, in spite of being in ruins. The major attractions at Tala are the three temples—Deorani, Jethani and Jagmohan Temples. The striking similarity in their design and layout is fairly evident. Scattered about the site are iconic sculptures that have been excavated recently. The temples were Primarily influenced by Shaivite tradition, with sporadic Tantric leanings. Devotees flock to these ancient temples to perform the Mahamrityunjay fop even today.

During excavations in 1987-88, a unique sculpture was unearthed from the vicinity of Deorani Temple. The bulky statue measured 2.54 m  in of human and was 1-m wide. It is a curious amalgamation of a number of Human and animal figures. The sculptors have carved images o chameleons, fish, crabs, peacocks, turtles and lions. Adding character to his wonderful ensemble are a few expressive human Shiva, it was Du its resemblance to the rudra and the aghora forms of Shiva it was named Rudrashiva.

The complex that housed three temples, Deorani, Jethani and Jagmohan was surrounded by a high wall, cut through by an ornamental gateway facing north. The entrance of each temple has carved images of yakshas and Gandharvas. Of the three, Deorani Temple is best preserved Jethani Temple, was excavated in 1986 and is in a dilapidated condition today.

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