The Mundeshwari Devi Temple is located at Kaura in Kaimur district in the state of Bihar, India on the Mundeshwari Hills. It is an ancient temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Shakti and is considered one of the oldest Hindu temples in India. It is also considered as the oldest functional Hindu temple of India. :File:Information board at Mundeshwari devi temple.jpg|The information plaque erected by the Archaeological Survey of India at the site indicates the dating of the temple to 625 CE. Hindu inscriptions dated 635 CE were found in the temple. The temple is a protected monument under ASI since 1915. Local folklores say that Chanda and Munda who were full brothers and chieftains of great demon Mahishasura were rulers of the area. Mahishasura fought decisive battle with Gooddess Durga as mentioned in Durga Shaptshati. Munda made goddess Mundeshwari Bhawani temple while his younger brother Chanda made Chandeshwari temple at top of Madurana hill near Chainpur. But historical facts better explain its origin and its creators. After a study of broken Mundeshwari inscription of Brahmi script and its two parts found in 1891 and 1903 by Bloch, Dr NG Majumdar and Dr KC Panigrahi stated to be the temple to be earlier than 4th century AD. But recovery of a royal seal of great Shri Lankan emperor Maharaju Dutthagamani from the place in 2003, changed the history. It established that a royal pilgrims group or monks from Shri Lanka visited the place during their journey to Sarnath from Bodh Gaya through famous Dakshinapath highway sometime between 101BC to 77BC and lost the seal here. The existence of Naga on four faced shivalingam, Naga janeu on Ganesha idols not found anywhere in India and also on broken pieces scattered around the hill clearly indicated that it was a construction by rulers of Naga dynasty who used serpent as their royal sign. Mahabharata mentioned that Guru Dronacharya has been made the ruler of Ahikshatra spead over Ahinaura, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra and Kaimur region of present times, as a fee for educating Kaurava and Pandavas. Udaysena, the ruler mentioned in the inscription had similarity with Naga dynasty rulers Nagsen, Veersen etc. The existence of 52 Pur of Nagvanshi Rajpoots also indicate about their long control over the area. Later the area came control of Gupta dynasty and the impact of their specific Nagra style of architecture and Ramgarh Fort and Ramgarh village near the hill probable on famous Gupta ruler Ramgupta are evidence of the fact. After revelation of new facts, Bihar State Religious Trust Board organized a national seminar of eminent experts at Patna in 2008 and the date of Mundeshwari inscription was unanimously fixed 108 AD. The findings also established that here was a religious and educational center spread over the hillock and Mandaleshwar temple was the main shrine. The temple of Mandaleshwari was on southern side. The temple was damaged and the idol of Mandaleshwari was kept in the eastern chamber of main temple.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
636-38AD - Chinese visitor Huen Tsang writes about a shrine on a hill top flashing light, at about a distance of 200 lee south west to Patna- The location is only of Mundeshwari.
1790 AD - Daniel brothers Thomas and William visited Mundeshwari temple and provided its first portrait.
1888 AD – Buchanan visited the region in 1813..
1891-92 AD – First part of the broken Mundeshwari Inscription was discovered by Bloch during a survey by East India Company.
1903 AD – Second part of the inscription was discovered while clearing the debris around the temple.
636-38AD - Chinese visitor Huen Tsang writes about a shrine on a hill top flashing light, at about a distance of 200 lee south west to Patna- The location is only of Mundeshwari.
2003 AD – Brahmi script royal seal of great Shri Lankan emperor Maharaju Dutthagamani was discovered by Varanasi based historian Jahnawi Shakhar Roy which changed the earlier findings about history of the place.
2008 AD - The date of the inscription was established 30th year of Saka era by the scholars in a national seminar organized for the purpose by Bihar State Religious Trust Board at Patna.
The temple was declared oldest Hindu temple of the country by the scholars with 2000 years of live worship having its past in pre historic age
Geography
The Mundeshwari Devi temple is located on the Mundeshwari Hill at an elevation of. Located on Kaimur plateau near Son River, there are many archaeological relics on the Mundeshwari Hill.
The temple, built of stone, is on an octagonal plan which is rare. It is the earliest specimen of the Nagara style of temple architecture in Bihar. There are doors or windows on four sides and small niches for the reception of statues in the remaining four walls. The temple shikhara or tower has been destroyed. However, a roof has been built, as part of renovation work. The interior walls have niches and bold mouldings which are carved with vase and foliage designs. At the entrance to the temple, the door jambs are seen with carved images of Dvarapalas, Ganga, Yamuna and many other murtis. The main deities in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple are of the Devi Mundeshwari and ChaturmukhShiva linga. There are also two stone vessels of unusual design. Even though the Shivalinga is installed in the centre of the sanctum, the main presiding deity is Devi Mundeshwari deified inside a niche, which is seen with ten hands holding symbols riding a buffalo, attributed to Mahishasuramardini. The temple also has murtis of other popular gods such as Ganesha, Surya and Vishnu. A substantial part of this stone structure has been damaged, and many stone fragments are seen strewn around the temple. However, under the jurisdiction of ASI, it has been the subject of archaeological study for quite some time.
Worship
It is believed that rituals and worship have been performed here without a break, hence Mundeshwari is considered one of the most ancient Hindu temples in India. The temple is visited by a large number of pilgrims each year, particularly during the Ramnavami, Shivratri festivals. A big annual fair is held nearby during the Navaratra visited by thousands. The worship of shakti in the form of Devi Mundeshwari in the temple is also indicative of tantric cult of worship, which is practiced in Eastern India.
Renovation and restoration
The Archaeological Survey of India has restored the temple under instruction from the Union Ministry of Culture. Restorative works included the removal of soot from the temple interior via a chemical treatment, repair of damage to religious murti and cataloging and documentation of scattered fragments for later reuse. Other works included installation of solar powered lighting, displays for antiquities and provision of public amenities. The Government of Bihar has allocated Rs 2 crore to improve access to the temple.
