Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Shiva Temple, Bavka

Bavka, Dahod district, Gujarat · 22.7522°, 74.2014°

ShivaChaulukya (Solanki)Maru-Gurjara
Sacred since
1178 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
late 12th-early 13th c. (Bhima II)
Chaulukya (Solanki)

History & significance

A panchayatana Shiva complex near Dahod built during the reign of the last Chaulukya king Bhima II, with a central shrine ringed by four subsidiary ones. Its dense erotic carving has earned it the nickname 'the Khajuraho of Gujarat'; it is an ASI Monument of National Importance and was restored in 2009.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Local tradition credits the temple to a devadasi who is said to have raised it in a single night.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chaulukya (Solanki)