Shiva Temple, Bavka

The Shiva temple at Bavka stands on a small rise by Hirlav lake, between the villages of Bavka and Chandavada, 14 km from Dahod. It was built in the reign of Bhima II, the last Chaulukya ruler, with an inscription of 1234; local legend says a temple dancer built it in a single night. Long neglected and robbed of many carvings, it is a Monument of National Importance and was restored by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2009.

The sandstone temple follows the Maru-Gurjara style and the panchayatana plan, with a central east-facing shrine and four smaller shrines around it. It is now a ruin: the roof is gone, and fragments of the fallen spire and hall lie scattered nearby. The outer walls and the sanctum door are crowded with carvings of deities and apsaras, and its many erotic sculptures have earned it the name Khajuraho of Gujarat.