Paraheda Shiv Temple
A twelfth-century Shiva temple built by King Mandalik, 25 kilometres out of Banswara and largely untouched by visitors.
- From the hotel
- 25 km
- Travel time
- 40 min
- Timings
- Early morning to evening
- Entry
- No charge
- Best time
- October to March
The Shiva temple at Paraheda stands about 25 kilometres from Banswara and dates from the 12th century. It was built by King Mandalik.
The temple
This is one of the older surviving structures in the district, and one of the least visited. The stonework is the reason to come — the proportions and the surviving carving are characteristic of temple building in this region in the twelfth century, before later rebuilding and restoration smoothed much of it away elsewhere.
It remains a working temple.
What to expect
Very little infrastructure. No ticket office, no guide, no interpretive signage, and almost certainly no other visitors. For some people that is the entire appeal; if you want facilities, this is not the trip to make.
Mornings are best for both light and temperature.
Visiting notes
Footwear off before entering. Modest dress. Ask before photographing, particularly if anyone is at worship.
Getting there
About forty minutes by road from Udaipur Road. It is far enough out that a taxi makes more sense than an auto, and it combines reasonably with Talwara and Cheech if you want to see several old temples in a single day.
Combine it with
Talwara
A cluster of old temples 17 kilometres from Banswara, including a Sun temple and the Jain temple of Sambharnath.
Cheech Brahma Temple
A twelfth-century temple dedicated to Brahma — a genuinely rare thing, since almost no temples in India are.
Tripura Sundari Temple
One of the Shakti Peeths, known locally as Tartai Mata, with a black stone idol of the goddess riding a tiger.