Temple near Barwa Sagar, Jhansi District.

Photograph of a temple near Barwa Sagar, Jhansi District, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series, taken by an unknown photographer in the early 1870s. 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 area was renamed Jhansi in the 17th century when it rose to power under the Raja Bir Singh Deo of Orchha, who built the fort in 1613 that the city was named after. Historically, Jhansi is often remembered for the young patriotic queen Lakshmi Bai, also known as the Rani of Jhansi, who became a national symbol of resistance to British rule. This temple dates to the Chandella period; the prosperous Chandellas built many temples, tanks, forts and palaces and were great patrons of the arts and letters.