Rajiv Lochan Temple

The Rajiv Lochan Temple at Rajim in Chhattisgarh is dedicated to a four-armed form of Vishnu called Rajiva-Lochana, the lotus-eyed. An undated inscription credits Vilasatunga of the Nala dynasty with building it, and on the evidence of its script it is placed in the 8th century CE, though Alexander Cunningham and others argued for an earlier date. Legends attribute it to the divine craftsman Vishvakarma, or to the mythical kings Jagat Pal and Ratnakar. It lies on the pilgrim route towards Jagannatha Dham.

The brick temple stands on a raised platform in a courtyard, with shrines to Narasimha, Vamana, Varaha and Badrinatha at the four corners. Carved figures of river goddesses, Durga, Varaha and Narasimha line the pilasters of the flat-roofed mandapa, and a pyramidal shikhara of about 50 feet rises over the sanctum. A Kumbhmela festival is held here every year on Maha Shivratri.