Nachna-Kuthara

History & tradition

The Nachna temples, at Nachna-Kuthara in the Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, are among the earliest surviving stone temples in central India, alongside those at Bhumara and Deogarh. Their dates are not certain, but on stylistic grounds some are placed in the 5th or 6th century, in the Gupta period; the Chaturmukha temple is dated to the 9th century. Most are in ruins. The best preserved is the Parvati temple, built on a raised plinth with a square sanctum, a passage for circumambulation lit by pierced stone windows, and a doorway flanked by the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna.