The Kanthi Dewal (Kathi Deul, कठी देवल) temples are two double storey monuments near a small lake in Ratanpur. They are unusual because they combine Hindu architectural elements and Islamic Indo-saracenic elements. The reliefs and artwork are entirely Hindu themes, while the niche style and geometric patterns mirror those found in Islamic monuments of central and Deccan region. No textual records are known about this site, nor inscriptions. Stylistically, it is dated to late 15th century and early 16th century, after a period when Ratanpur and other historically prosperous regions of Chhattisgarh had already been invaded by Sultanates, regional Hindu-Muslim wars had started, and a Ratanpur king had agreed to pay tributes.
<p>The Kathi Deul is odd in several additional ways. Much of the artwork in the two temples appear to be much older reclaimed temple ruins that have been included or inserted in, because they do not match with stone quality and structure around them. Further, the placement of deities and secular scene artwork seem random and do not follow the guidelines for artwork in classical Hindu architecture literature. In the modern era, one of the badly damaged temples here was partly excavated prior to restoration for clean up and structural reinforcements. Human skeletal remains were found during this effort, which is again odd as Hindus cremate their dead.
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The Kathi Deul, according to one proposal, may be a memorial similar to a Hindu Chhattri that became popular in Madhya Pradesh and some parts of India. These marked a memorial for a dead king or royal family member, rather than being a traditional temple with daily services. Alternatively, it may have been an Islamic Indo-saracenic style monument whose structure was reclaimed, rebuilt and restored with some temple ruin insertions. The third possibility is that the design knowledge for memorials and skilled labor available in this region around 1500 CE were for the Indo-Saracenic style, and therefore that is what they built in a period of geopolitical turmoil.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ms_Sarah_Welch" title="User:Ms Sarah Welch">Ms Sarah Welch</a>
2022-01-07 15:14:18
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>