Ossian is located at the edge of
the Thar Desert, 65 kms north west of Jodhpur. Though Ossian does not
figure in the regular tourist guides of India, yet this once prosperous
city, boasts of more than 100 Hindu and Jain temples dating back to the
Medieval age. Legend has it that the town was founded by Utpaladeva, a
Rajput prince of the Pratihara Dynasty. It was then known as Ukesha or
Upkeshapur.
The temples here are among the earliest of all medieval temples of
Rajasthan. Ruins of several temples dot the present day Ossian. The
earlier temples are almost like miniature shrines, some only eight feet
in height. Among these intricately carved red sandstone edifices, three
are dedicated to Harihara- or the union of Vishnu and Shiva. Profusely
carved from their raising plinths, pillars and right upto the very
pinnacle of the spires, these temples are considered architectural
masterpieces even by foreign scholars such as Percy Brown, James Burgess
and Herman Goetz.
Among the oldest group of temples stands the Sun Temple, which was
built in 10th century. They are often compared to the carvings of the
Sun Temple of Konark. According to records , right in the middle of the
town stood another magnificent Sun temple. This, and a score other
beautiful shrines were subsequently destroyed during the Turkish and
Afghan invasions of India. Out of the more than 100 temples this town
once had, barely 16 stand today. Even these have been ravaged by time.
Although majority of the temples at Ossian have decayed with time and
have even lost images of their deities- the one temple that remains
vibrant is the shrine of Sachiyamata on a nearby hillock. Built in 1234
AD, this temple was dedicated to Durga or Mahisasura Mardini. Today it
has become a very important shrine for Jains.
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