SUNSETS COLOUR THE Taj Mahal with various hues of red. The same colour is rendered to the Yamuna, which flows to its east, making for a stunning spectacle. Revered at several places, the river assumes a historical and cultural character in Agra, the city Mughal emperor Akbar built and where his grandson Shah Jahan built the symbol of love like none in the world. To its poetic and aesthetic character, what adds a dash of religion is the Dussehra Ghat, located beside the Taj and visible from its premises. As I sit on the ghat with the river on one side, the monument on the other, and religious hymns being sung by worshippers at the back, a sense of calm sets in. I wonder how the river changes its character throughout its 1,376km course from Yamunotri to Prayagraj.
This is clearly visible at a mere 70km drive southeast of Agra, where the river changes its character, yet again. The historical and cultural significance takes a backseat and gives way to religion as one meanders through the ravines of Chambal, a tributary of Yamuna, and enters an unusual town.
This is Bateshwar, a sleepy town in rural Agra, where a record 101 Shiva temples, of which 42 still stand, dot the bank of Yamuna, all in one line. The river water, although not crystal clear, is alive, and the many white-hued temples on one side make for a serene watch. A little girl can be seen praying to the river as she climbs the steps and enters one of the temples. A sadhu, meanwhile, rests on the banks, before disappearing into the temple complex as the morning sunlight fades and the temperature soars. As one climbs the steps to visit the many temples, a board warns, ‘Yamuna mein gandagi daalkar paap ke bhagidaar na bane [Do not partake in sin by polluting the Yamuna]’.
Inside the temple complex, devotees go temple-hopping, with numerous temples on one side and shops on the other. The temples are not huge, with some not even taller than 10ft, but are unusual in architecture, bearing resemblance to temples from the north, south, east and west. One temple is called Shri Rameshwaram, after the one in Tamil Nadu. The architecture, although subdued in size, is the exact replica of the Ramanathapuram one. There is a temple called Mahakaleshwar and another named Amarnath.
“All 12 jyotirlingas, rather their replicas, can be found here,” says 31-year-old Acharya Ranjit Goswami, a priest at one of the temples. “Those who cannot go anywhere can come here.”
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The temples are said to be 400 years old and were built by King Badan Singh of the Bhadawar dynasty, who shifted his capital from Mai to Bateshwar. Goswami, meanwhile, points out the temples’ ceilings with stunning frescos painted with traditional vegetable paints. Some even carry the Mughal-style fresco, and some temples have mosque-style domes and minarets.
“Bateshwar is also the only place where the river flows backward,” says Goswami.
Not only Hindus, this temple town is revered by Jains, too, as it is where Bhagwan Shri Neminath, the 22nd Teerthankar of Jainism, was born.
Being the ancestral town of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Agra has also grown in political significance. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the town on December 25, 2023, on the 99th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, unveiling his statue and inaugurating a cultural complex centre (museum) named after him.