The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is situated amidst dense vegetation, among the foothills of the Aravalli Range, inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve. The temple built in sandstone stands out in the greenery spread across the plains.
Seen here are remains of two temples from the Sariska Forest Reserve. The temple on the left is a restored single shrine that had a Latina Nagara variety shikhara (superstructure). What remains of the temple on the right is only its huge plinths with geometric patterns; above these plinths, there are remnants of pillars.
This is a view of the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple seen from its southeastern corner. Also pictured here are the southern and eastern shrines of the temple as seen from the rear. The western side of the temple is its principal entrance, and the eastern shrine has a partially preserved and conserved shrine.
In the frieze of the drumming and dancing gods are Indra, seated on his elephant Airavata; a warrior holding a sword and shield, and an Apsara. Stella Kramrisch, in her work Hindu Temples (vol-2, plate LXVIII, p. 402-403) describes the spirit of the image in the following manner: 'the movement sways and surges to either side of a standing god who holds a long lance and seems to have ushered in before Indra the warrior so that he becomes one of the dancers. Indra, enthroned in a posture of ease, the right hand raised in Abhaya-mudra, grants fearlessness; his left-hand holds the Vajra. Small shapes surround him, Matali, his mahout, and companion spirits, Marut-like.' The elephant's trunk and the warrior's legs are interlaced; the warrior's is the largest movement; across the depth of the relief, he steps forward into the line of the celestials. Their dance vibrates, to the stamping of the feet, a suave tremor free from tension.” This image resonates with verse 7 of the Harsha stone inscription of Vigraharaja which mentions that the lord Harsha (Shiva) is worshipped on the hill by the joyous divine host, Indra.
This is one of the many images of yoginis found at the site hinting towards a lost yogini temple compound. Contextualizing this image with several other relevant images suggests a maturity of Shakti and tantric traditions at the site. The placid expressions of this two-armed yogini seated in the lalitasana pose suggest her benevolent nature.
This important image of Vaikuntha Vishnu reveals the presence of the Pancharatra form of Vaishnavism at Harsha Hill. Pancharatra had spread to various regions of Rajasthan from the eighth century CE onwards, with its most visible manifestations in temples like the Harshatmata Temple of Abhaneri. This image reveals its spread, even if in a limited manner, to the region of Shekhavati. The niches on either side depict damsels and musicians. The four faces of Vaikuntha Vishnu represent its four emanations/vyuha- Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. The side faces are that of boar and lion, typical of Vaikuntha iconography. He is seated in the lalitasana pose.
Image courtesy: Government Museum, Sikar
This image of Durga-Mahisasuramardini in active worship is smeared with black paint and clothed, which obscures the details of the image. It is one of the many images, contemporaneous to the Harsha shrine, affixed in the enclosure of the Bhairon shrine.
This is a rare image of Vinayaki, the feminine aspect (consort in some traditions) of Vinayaka or Ganesha. It is one of the several images, once contained in the lost temples of the hill, which were later affixed on the walls of the Bhairon shrine complex. Only a partial image is visible as the lower portion was subsumed by the stairways built next to it. Locals wrongly identify this image as Ardhanarishvara-Ganesha, which they believe to be a fusion of Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha. She is holding a cup in one of her hands, an attribute found in many of the Shaiva and Shakta images of the site and associated with tantric tradition. She is likely a tantric Shakti and suggests a syncretic fusion of the Ganapatya and Shakta traditions.