A missing column too has been refurnished, and the temple walls have been cleaned of dirt accumulated over the centuries. The ASI says its objective was not to complete the temple, but to conserve it, but the effect of the restoration is that this ancient Shivalaya no longer looks unfinished.
The temple had been left incomplete by its builder—the legendary Raja Bhojpal of the Parmar dynasty (1010-53 AD)—for reasons shrouded in the mists of time. The city of Bhopal, a half-hour drive, is named after this 11th century ruler, who was also a great scholar and builder.
Historians speculate that a sudden natural calamity, a severe resource crunch or a war might have forced Raja Bhoj to abandon work on the temple midway. Muhammad has a new take on why the temple was roofless: "Though Raja Bhoj was an expert architect, it seems there was some mathematical error in calculating the load the roof would have to bear, and it collapsed. After that, perhaps circumstances did not permit the king to rebuild it."
T
he temple was conceived on a grand scale. Standing on an immense platform, 32 metres long, 24 metres across and 5 metres high, its great entrance doorway, of richly carved stone, is 10 m high and 5 m wide. The Shiva linga is placed on a massive stepped stone pedestal.
It appears that a much bigger complex than currently exists was planned. Building and layout plans etched on rocks and stone slabs close to the temple suggest that many more temples were proposed to be built. However, the plans could not be carried out, probably for the same reason that construction here was abandoned midway. Had the plans been executed, Bhojpur would have been one of the biggest temple complexes in the country.