Spiritual PlaceHindu temple

Koncheswar Mahadev Temple, Konch

14th-century brick Shiva temple at Konch in Gaya district, its curved tower recalling the Mahabodhi Temple

Photo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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01 — The story

The story

Koncheswar Mahadev is a Shiva temple at Konch in Gaya district, Bihar, enshrining a linga worshipped as Koncheshwarnath. Dated to around the 14th century CE, it is built of bricks of varying sizes, which the Archaeological Survey of India's Cunningham and Beglar took as a likely sign of repeated major repairs.

Its heavy, curvilinear nagara tower calls the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya to mind, but its sides curve rather than run straight, and it has no niches or figures set into the walls. Instead, deep vertical recesses break each wall into seven faces. Beglar, visiting in 1872–73, recorded a cylindrical pinnacle with a hemispherical top crowning the tower. Inside, a panel of Vishnu's Dashavatara is the most notable sculpture, and images of Vishnu, Shiva, Hara-Gauri, Ganesha and Surya are found around the premises.

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02 — About

About Koncheswar Mahadev Temple, Konch

Coming soon

We’re still writing about Koncheswar Mahadev Temple, Konch: its history, what’s there and why it’s worth the trip.

Where it is

Gaya, Bihar

24.93° N 84.77° E