Ancient Rajasthan has significant sites of the
Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization, in particular at
Kalibangan and
Sothi. The ruined
Bairat Stupa is the state's main
Mauryan and Buddhist site, and appears to have been exceptional at this date, as a large circular shrine or temple around a small stupa.
Hindu temples Notable early Hindu temples include the early 9th-century
Harshat Mata Temple at
Abhaneri, where there is also an early stepwell, the
Chand Baori, the earliest parts of which are of similar date. The
Harshnath Temple in
Sikar District is from around 973, according to an inscription. The
Badoli or
Baroli Temples are an important group of nine 10th-century Hindu temples in the south-east of the state, no longer in religious use, and with much of the sculpture now in museums, especially the one at
Kota. Another group is the two late 10th-century
Sahasra Bahu Temples at
Nagda. The small but richly-carved Hindu
Ambika Mata temple in Jagat, built before 960, is an example of the previous
Pratihara style transitioning into
Māru-Gurjara architecture. On the exteriors, this style is distinguished from other north Indian temple styles of the period in "that the external walls of the temples have been structured by increasing numbers of projections and recesses, accommodating sharply carved statues in niches. These are normally positioned in superimposed registers, above the lower bands of moldings. The latter display continuous lines of horse riders, elephants, and
kīrttimukhas. Hardly any segment of the surface is left unadorned." The main
shikhara tower usually has many
urushringa subsidiary spirelets on it, and two smaller side-entrances with porches are common in larger temples. The style mostly fell from use in Hindu temples in its original regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat by the 13th century, especially as the area had fallen to the Muslim
Delhi Sultanate by 1298. But, unusually for an Indian temple style, it continued to be used by Jains there and elsewhere, with a notable "revival" in the 15th century. The five
Kiradu temples, of the 11th or 12th century, are examples. The
Jagdish Temple, Udaipur (completed 1651) is an example of a Hindu temple using the Māru-Gurjara style at a late date; in this case a commission of
Jagat Singh I, ruler of
Mewar.
Jain temples Māru-Gurjara architecture is especially popular in
Jain temples. Interiors are if anything even more lavishly decorated, with elaborate carving on most surfaces. In particular, Jain temples often have small low domes carved on the inside with a highly intricate rosette design. Another distinctive feature is "flying" arch-like elements between pillars, touching the horizontal beam above in the centre, and elaborately carved. These have no structural function, and are purely decorative. The style developed large pillared halls, many open at the sides, with Jain temples often having one closed and two pillared halls in sequence on the main axis leading to the shrine. Significant older
Jain temples, or groups of temples, include the
Dilwara temples on
Mount Abu, the
Ranakpur Jain temple, the group at
Osian, Jodhpur, including the
Mahavira Jain temple, Osian (also early Hindu temples),
Mirpur Jain Temple (in fact one of four there), the disputed
Kesariyaji temple at
Rishabhdeo, and the
Suswani Mataji temple at
Morkhana. The
Kirti Stambha at
Chittor Fort is a spectacular 12th-century tower, carved in Māru-Gurjara style, erected by a Jain merchant. ==Gallery==