Nashik : At the bank of Godavaririver the Sundar Narayan Temple is the most important and living example of temple architecture. In the perspective of architectural study this temple of Nashik is very crucial to observe for every architecture student.
The temple has characteristics of Nagar Shaili or civil style of architecture and shares similaritieswith the temple designsof Gujarat region. The archaeological department stated that the temple shows mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture of 18th century.
In Yadavaera or in Hemadpanthi temple architecture the temples are mostly build with black stone available in region, but in Peshwa era they started using cement, lime stone (Chuna) and bricks.
The temple located in Ravivar Peth Nashik is the finest specimen of Peshwa temple architecture in the Nashik city. This temple is no doubt developed from the Triambakeshwar temple from Triambakeshwar taluka and town of Nashik district.
Temple faces east to the Godavari Ghat. The temple is built in sucha fashion that on March 20 and March 21 of every year the Sun raysfalls on the Narayan’s feet can be viewed fromthe other side of the Ghat, Kapaleshwar temple. It is popularlyknown as Hari-Har bhet.
At the lintelof the East door the marble plate states that the temple was built by the Peshwa Sardar Gangadhar Yashwant Chandrachud inthe Saka era 1678 that is in 1756 A D at the cost of 10 lakhs of rupees. Temple faces east and has the inscription giving the exact date of the construction.
Itis located in the Ravivar Peth area of the Nasik city. It is one of the finest examples of the Nagara architecture of the late medieval period and particularlyin the Peshwa period. Temple gives mukhamanadapa, two sidemandapas and antarala and the garbhagriha final.
Where in the over the lintel of the east porch that is mukha mandapa gives date and period of the construction of the temple. It has fine Nagara tower which as beautiful as the Triambakeshwar temple’s tower.
Lookingto the location, religious aesthetic importance of the monument this office recommends that the monument should be considered as the “A” classmonument of this division.
Nagar temples eight major organs
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Basic base -on which the entire building is erected.
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Infantry -the foundation and the middle of the walls
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The thigh -the walls (especially the walls of the sanctuary)
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Capote – Carnis
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Pinnacle -the top part of the temple or the upper part of the sanctum sanctorum
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Cervical -upper part of the peak Circular
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Amalka -Part of the top of the peak at the top of the peak
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Kalash -head of the peak.
