Image: 8th century couple embraced and mouth kissing at Tivara Deva temple, she stands on his feet, Sirpur monuments Chhattisgarh India

Description: Tivaradeva is a 21st century excavated monument at Sirpur, Chhattisgarh India. It shows a fusion of Buddhism and Hinduism artworks. Along with motifs of Buddhism and large statue of the Buddha, numerous icons and artworks of Shaivism and Vaishnavism are found at the site. The syncretism in the monument may be because it was built by a royal couple where the 8th century Kosala king Tivara Deva was from a Vaishnavism Hindu family and his Queen was born in a Buddhist family. Sirpur, also referred in medieval era texts as Shripur (city of wealth), is a town on the banks of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh. The site became archaeologically significant after a visit and report on a Laxman (Lakshmana) temple in 1872 by Alexander Cunningham, a colonial British India official. Sirpur is mentioned in the memoirs of the Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang as a location of monasteries and temples. The site has been significant for its temple ruins of Rama and Lakshmana of the Ramayana fame. The site excavations after 1960, particularly after 2003, have yielded 22 Shiva temples, 5 Vishnu temples, 10 Buddha Viharas, 3 Jain Viharas, a 6th/7th century market and snana-kund (bath house). The site shows extensive syncretism, where Buddhist and Jain statues or motifs intermingle with Shiva, Vishnu and Devi temples. The region was conquered and plundered by the armies of Delhi Sultanate and later Deccan Sultanates. The town and temples were damaged in the wars and were abandoned. Dense vegetation grew over it and floods deposited silt. 20th and 21st century excavations have unearthed many monuments. The site is large and artwork stick out of farmlands and dirt roads in and near Sirpur.
Title: 8th century couple embraced and mouth kissing at Tivara Deva temple, she stands on his feet, Sirpur monuments Chhattisgarh India
Credit: Own work
Author: Ms Sarah Welch
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