Manwal: The Khajuraho of Duggar

Lalit Gupta

lalitguptajammu@gmail.com

Calling Manwal the "Khajuraho of Duggar" may appear exaggerated at first glance. Yet the comparison is not without merit. Like the celebrated temple city of Khajuraho, the medieval settlement of Manwal preserves an extraordinary cluster of early medieval temples, distinguished by their architectural refinement and artistic richness.

While Khajuraho's surviving temples were built by the Chandellas of Jejakabhukti (modern Bundelkhand) between the tenth and twelfth centuries, Manwal's temples were constructed during the same period by the Dogra rulers of ancient Babbapura. Unlike Khajuraho, however, Babbapura did not survive the repeated invasions that devastated the region. Its capital was reduced to ruins, leaving behind only a handful of temples as silent witnesses to one of Duggar's most important medieval urban centres.

Manwal, the Ancient Capital of Babbapura

Manwal, known as Babbor (32°45'03.53"N 75°08'44.35" E), is located about 38 kilometres north-east of Jammu and nine kilometers north of Mansar Lake. The site is situated on a plateau about five square kilometres in extent in the Dansal Dun of the inner Shivalik hills.

History: The earliest literary reference to Babbapura occurs twice in the Rajatarangini, Kalhana's early twelfth-century chronicle of the kings of Kashmir. Babbapura is mentioned along with other states to the south of Kashmir such as Kashtawata (Kishtawar), Bhadravkash (Bhadarwah), Neelapura, Champa (Chamba), etc. There is also mention of a Babbapura princess having married a Kashmir king.

Legend: According to local tradition, Babbapura was the capital of Babruvahana, the son of Arjuna and the Naga princess Ulupi, whose name is associated with nearby Mansar Lake. During the Pandavas' Ashvamedha Yajna, Babruvahana is believed to have captured the sacrificial horse and defeated Arjuna before ultimately reviving him through divine intervention. The nearby village of Khoon is traditionally linked with this legendary battle.

Archaeology

The Manwal temples were declared protected monuments in 1965 and have since been conserved by the Srinagar Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The excavations revealed successive occupational layers beginning with the Kushana period, establishing the antiquity of the site to at least the first-second century CE and confirming that Manwal had once been a flourishing urban centre.

A Node on Trade Route

Babbor acquired strategic importance between the ninth and twelfth centuries owing to its location on an ancient route passing through the Dansal Dun, linking the plains of north India with Kashmir.

The Temple City of Babbapura

Ancient Babbapura is believed to have possessed more than fifteen temples, of which only seven survive today in varying states of preservation.

Spread across the villages of Manwal, Thalora and Dera, these monuments collectively represent one of the largest surviving groups of early medieval temples in Jammu.

Built by highly skilled craftsmen, these temples, though differing in size and plan, share a common architectural vocabulary marked by fluted pillars, richly carved doorways, pedimented niches, lotus ceilings and curvilinear shikharas, reflecting the maturity of the Jammu school of temple architecture during the tenth and eleventh centuries.

The best-preserved and only living shrine is the Devi Bhagwati Temple at Thalora. Built on a saptratha plan, it retains its richly ornamented entrance with images of Ganesha, Ganga and Yamuna, while its elegant fluted pillars and sculptured niches hint at the temple's former grandeur. A sculpture shed nearby preserves several architectural fragments recovered from the site.

The Dera Temple, the largest monument of the complex, stands on a high platform and is distinguished by its twin sanctums opening into a spacious pillared mandapa. Its elaborately carved doorways, floral capitals, Navagraha frieze and surviving lower portion of the shikhara testify to the exceptional craftsmanship achieved by the builders of Babbapura.

The two Kala Dera Temples preserve different aspects of the original complex. Though their superstructures have largely disappeared, the restored fluted columns, carved ceilings, makara-pranala, sculptural remains and recently excavated foundations vividly convey the scale and sophistication of the temple city. Among the most remarkable discoveries are sculptures of dancing Shiva and numerous carved architectural fragments recovered during archaeological excavations.

The comparatively smaller Nand Babbor Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is remarkable for its rare triple-sanctum plan and the cluster of ancient baolis surrounding it. Local tradition associates the shrine with funeral rites, a belief reinforced by the adjoining cremation ground and the discovery of several baolis and late medieval hero stones indicating that the sacred complex continued to remain in ritual use long after the decline of Babbapura.

Together, these temples are far more than isolated monuments. They represent the surviving architectural core of a once flourishing medieval capital, preserving invaluable evidence of the religious life, artistic achievements and urban character of one of Duggar's earliest temple cities.

Chronologically falling between the ninth-century temples of Krimachi and the twelfth-century temples of Billawar, Manwal forms part of a remarkable chain of early medieval temple centres spread across Duggar.

Yet no other site in the region preserves such a large concentration of temples within the limits of a single ancient capital. The Manwal temples also mark an important stage in the evolution of the North Indian Nagara tradition in the western Himalayas, demonstrating how local Dogra craftsmen adapted mainstream temple architecture into a distinctive regional idiom.

This makes Babbapura invaluable not merely for understanding temple architecture but also for reconstructing the urban, political and religious landscape of early medieval Jammu.

Conclusion: With the proposed widening of the Dhar-Udhampur road, Manwal stands at a historic crossroads. Increased accessibility offers an opportunity to transform this neglected archaeological and heritagescape into one of Jammu's premier heritage destinations. This, however, requires far more than routine conservation. The Union Territory Government, in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India, should prepare an integrated heritage management plan encompassing scientific conservation, archaeological exploration, site interpretation, a museum and visitor centre, heritage trails, informative signage and sensitive tourism infrastructure.

Such an initiative would not only safeguard the surviving monuments but also revive public awareness of ancient Babbapura, once one of the most important political and cultural centres of Duggar.

Unlike Khajuraho, whose fame rests on the survival of an almost complete temple complex, Manwal derives its significance from being the archaeological remnant of an entire medieval capital. Its ruined temples, scattered foundations and excavated remains together narrate the story of a once flourishing political and religious centre of Duggar.

Such an initiative would not only safeguard the surviving monuments but also revive public awareness of ancient Babbapura, the ancient capital and one of the most important political and cultural centres of Duggar. If developed imaginatively, Manwal has the potential to become for Duggar what Khajuraho is for central India, a landmark where history, architecture, archaeology and living cultural memory converge, reaffirming Manwal's rightful place among the greatest heritage sites of Duggar.