Seen here is a closer view of the pillar in the central chatuski (slightly elevated platform with four pillars) of the mandapa (pillared hall) of the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. This pillar typology is similar to the pillars of the mukhamandapa (front porch). Octagonal shafts with foliage ornamentation, maladharas (garland bearers), and sculptures on all sides of the shafts are characteristics of the pillar. This is one of the most ornate varieties of pillars in all of the Neelkanth Mahadev group of temples.
View of the entrance to the southern shrine, one of the three shrines in this temple, in the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. The entrance is adorned with an ornate dvarashakha (door jambs). The ceiling of the passage that connects to the shrine is a flat ceiling with a lotus medallion. It has a depiction of Shiva and Parvati on the latatabimba (lintel) of the dvarashakaha. The pilasters at the entrance of the passage to the shrine are relatively simple compared to the central pillars of the mandapa (pillared hall).
Pictured here is a view of the interior of the mandapa (pillared hall) of Neelkanth Mahadev Temple as seen from the northwestern corner of the mandapa. The tri-kuta (triple-shrine) temple has a shared mandapa which is in front of all three shrines. The mandapa has four pillars at the centre. All the exterior walls of the mandapa have been haphazardly covered.
This is a view of the entrance of the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple as seen from the interior of the temple. The west-facing entrance leads into a mandapa (pillared hall), which is attached to three shrines.
This is a distant view of the west-facing elevation of the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. Now inside a fencing boundary installed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the tri-kuta (triple-shrine) temple is surrounded by trees and agricultural fields. In the foreground, some architectural elements are scattered that must have been part of the Neelkanth Temple or other temples from the group.
The west-facing entrance of the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is seen in the picture. The temple stands on a plinth. It is entered through a gate built into a later added boundary wall.
This is the pillar capital of the octagonal shaft pillars of the mukhamandapa (front porch) of the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. The circular shaft ends in a four-sided bracket with bharavahaka (load bearer) sculptures. Just below the capital are broken elephant heads that must have supported a torana (arched gateway).
A closer view of the sculptures on the base of the pillar of the mukhamandapa (front porch). These sculptures are mostly of surasundaris (celestial damsels). The base of the pillar has mouldings that resemble the kumbha (pot), kalasha (a pitcher), and kapotali (cyma recta) mouldings in a temple plinth.
The west-facing entrance of the temple has a mukhamandapa (front porch) with ornate pillars. Octagonal in section, the pillars have circular rings of intricate designs on the shaft, and the base is decorated with sculptures. The pillars are made of a different stone than the main temple.
The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is situated amidst dense vegetation, at the foothills, inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve. The temple, built out of sandstone, stands out in the greenery spread across the plains.