| Temples & Legends Of Bihar |
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| Temples & Legends
Of India |
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KONCH |
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| Beglar,
however, himself recorded that many people of the locality did not agree with the
interpretation, as many of the words are obsolete. At present these lines are almost
forgotten in the locality. It may be mentioned that Kanch or Koncheswara is a name of Lord
Siva. It was suggested that the lingam inside and the panel of sculpture of the
Dashavatara, coupled with the absence of figures or images on the exterior, indicated that
this Siva temple, of prior origin to the Buddhist edifices in the Gaya district. The
exterior of the temple with the missing cylindrical pinnacle mentioned by Beglar has
further led to the theory that the Konch temple was the model on which the Mahabodhi
temple of Bodh Gaya was built. This theory has not, however, been investigated properly.
In Hiuen Tsangs description this temple is stated to have been built by a Brahman. He puts
the probable date of the construction between the, First and Sixth Century A.D. Beglar's
visit to the temple in 1872-73 has left for us a record of how he found the temple.
Beglar has also given his opinion as to the age of
the temple and discards the view that it was originally a Buddhist chaitya where a lingam
was introduced. According to him the temple is clearly a Brahmanical one and dedicated to
Lord Siva. He has fully supported Hiuen Tsang's observation that this was a Hindu temple. |
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