| Kalayat Ancient Bricks Temple Complex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Hinduism,Shiva,Katyayini |
| Location | |
| Location | Kalayat |
| State | Haryana |
| Country | India |
  Location in Haryana Show map of Haryana Kalayat Ancient Bricks Temple Complex (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates | 29°40′28″N76°15′17″E / 29.67444°N 76.25472°E /29.67444; 76.25472 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Gurjara Pratihara Style |
| Completed | 8th century |
| Specifications | |
| Temple | 3 |
| Monument | 2 |
TheKalayat Ancient Brick Temple Complex is a ruined brick temple complex north of Delhi, is located inKalayat town inKaithal district of the state ofHaryana, India. It comprises the severalHindu temples, including two ancient temples dating from the 8th century.[1] This temple constitutes an important point in the series of48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra.[2] Tradition avers that the temples are associated with theShalivahana (Raja Sálbán).[3]
The name Kalayat appears to be derived from "Kapilayatana", which translates to the "home ofsage Kapila". According to local legends, in ancient times, five brick temples were located beside the holy tank. However, only two temples now survive. These temples are built in theGurjara-Pratihara style, and can be dated to 8th century CE. One of the two surviving temples has undergone heavy modifications.[1]
The temples were built inNagara style ofGurjara-Pratihara School. The layout of the temples indicates there were originally five temples in thePanchayatan group on the banks of holyKapilayatnaTirtha (water tank). In thePanchayatan the main shrine was surrounded by four subsidiary shrines, which is contemporaneous to the temples ofKhajuraho andBhubaneshwar. Locally made red bricks were the main source of material for the buildings and sculptures. They were built without using any plaster or mortar. Only two temples survive. One temple is aShiva temple in thePancha Rathas style with aLinga statue and snake statue.[4] Temples have a square-shaped shrine of the carved bricks joined without any mortar. The bricks in thesikhara are joined to form beehive patterns similar to the facade of therock-cutchaitya hall ofAjanta orEllora. This style of sculpting evolved from theGupta (4-6th century CE) and post-Gupta architecture.[3]
There are stairs at the back leading to theKapil Muni Tirtha comples, where pilgrims take a bath before worship,[5] The pond is named Chyavan Giri Kund after anotherVedic sageChyavana who regained health and youth by consumingChyawanprash (made by RajVaidhyatwin Ashwini Kumar brothers) at hisAshram onDhosi Hill nearNuh inMewat district.
There is also a temple ofKatyayini devi who was the daughter ofSanskrit grammarian,mathematician andVedic SageKātyāyana.
There is also aHanuman temple andAkhara.
Kalayat, where the temple complex is located, is connected by road. Rail and air links are available in the nearby major cities such asChandigarh andDelhi.
Its distance from other major cities is as follows:kaithal 30 km,Jind 52 km,Kurukshetra 77 km,Hisar 90 km,Fatehabad 90 km,Panipat 95 km,Sirsa 133 km,Chandigarh 150 km,Ludhiana 159 km,Delhi 193 km,Dehradun 222 km,Shimla 250 km,Amritsar 287 km,Dharamshala 368 km,Agra 393 km andKhajuraho 820 km.
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