Jarai-ka-Math

Jarai-ka-Math is a temple to the goddess Laxmi at Barua Sagar, near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. It was built by the Gurjara-Pratihara king Mihira Bhoja around 860 AD and is considered an excellent early example of that dynasty's architecture. The Archaeological Survey of India declared it a protected monument in 1928.

Built of red sandstone on raised ground that commands the area around it, the temple follows the panchayatana plan, with the main shrine flanked by four subsidiary shrines at the corners. Its walls are richly sculpted with the many forms of the Devi, alongside erotic figures similar to those at Khajuraho. The main image is missing from the sanctum; only its pedestal and a jewelled right foot resting on a lotus stalk remain, a detail traditionally linked to the goddess Tara or Mateswari. A miniature sixteen-armed goddess on the central lintel of the doorway supports the view that the temple honours a goddess.