|
Page3
The Siva image
at Ektesvara village is a specimen of an Ekapada according to some scholars. Ektesvara is
said to
be the same as Ekapada or Ekpadeswar. Ekpadeswar has mention in the Vedas. The image is of
one foot no doubt, but the other sings of being a Rudra Murti are not, however, clearly
manifest. It is quiet possible that as this old temple was repaired several times, the
original image may have been damaged or may have even been taken out and submitted.
According to local tradition there was once a great bitterness between the kings of
Samantabhum and Mallahbhum--Vishnupur over the limits of their different kingdoms. It is
said that Lord Siva did not want the two kings to fight and revealed. Himself in Ektesvara
village as Swayambhu is demarcating the boundary of the two
kingdoms. The Siva temple at Ektesvara had attracted the attention of the early
Indian archaeologists.
In the course of his tours in
Bengal, Beglar had visited the temple and has left this account: --"The temple is
remarkable in its way; the mouldings of the basement are the boldest and the finest of any
I have seen, though quite plain. The temple was built of laterite, but has had sandstone
and brick additions made to it since. There are traces of three different restorations or
repairs executed to this temple. The first was a restoration of the upper portion, which
had apparently fallen down.
|
