Cheech Brahma Temple
A twelfth-century temple dedicated to Brahma — a genuinely rare thing, since almost no temples in India are.
- From the hotel
- 18 km
- Travel time
- 30 min
- Timings
- Early morning to evening
- Entry
- No charge
- Best time
- October to March
About 18 kilometres from Banswara, in the village of Cheech, stands a temple from the 12th century dedicated to Lord Brahma.
Why that matters
Temples to Brahma are rare. Across the whole of India, temples where Brahma is the principal deity number in the handful — Pushkar, also in Rajasthan, is the famous one. Vishnu and Shiva temples are everywhere; Brahma temples are not.
That makes Cheech genuinely unusual, and it is the main reason to make the trip. It receives a fraction of the visitors that Tripura Sundari does, and the quiet is part of the experience.
What to expect
A modest village temple, around nine hundred years old, still in use. The scale is small — do not arrive expecting a large complex. The interest is in what it is rather than how big it is.
Because few tourists come, there is no interpretation and nobody selling tickets. If a priest is present he will usually be happy to tell you about the temple.
Visiting notes
Remove footwear. Dress modestly. Ask before photographing. Mornings are best.
Getting there
Around thirty minutes from Udaipur Road, in the same general direction as Talwara and Tripura Sundari. If you are already making that trip, adding Cheech costs very little extra time and is worth doing.
Combine it with
Talwara
A cluster of old temples 17 kilometres from Banswara, including a Sun temple and the Jain temple of Sambharnath.
Tripura Sundari Temple
One of the Shakti Peeths, known locally as Tartai Mata, with a black stone idol of the goddess riding a tiger.
Paraheda Shiv Temple
A twelfth-century Shiva temple built by King Mandalik, 25 kilometres out of Banswara and largely untouched by visitors.