Photograph of a temple at Bharauli, Jhansi district, part of the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: Indian Museum Series, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1890s. The district of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh was ruled by a succession of dynasties under several different names, the most noted being the Chandella kings who ruled from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The majority of the Hindu and Jain temples that remain date to this period. The North-West Provinces list of 1891 reads: '...at Bharauli, three miles south-east of Bhander, there is a perfect temple of the Chandella period, build of solid stone, mostly granite, the interior being elegantly carved with figures. In plan it is cruciform, and the centre is occupied by a lingam, whilst the arms of the cross are utilized as porches. The western entrance is elaborately ornamented, and the shafts of each side of the doorway leading to the sanctum are unique. The sanctum is roofed by a fine cusped ceiling supported on stone lintels carried on columns. The outside forms a shikara, and is crowned by a kalasa. The whole is in a fair state of preservation, and standing as it does between the defile of two rocks, looks very picturesque.
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