A tall early temple inside Gwalior Fort that mixes Dravidian form with Nagara detail.
Teli ka Mandir is one of the important Hindu temples in Gwalior, dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva and the Matrikas. According to historians it was built during the 8th or 9th century by members of the Teli community who lived in the region, and the name has stayed with it.
What makes the temple unusual is its architecture. It is constructed in the Dravidian style, which belongs to the far south rather than to central India, and its sanctum is rectangular rather than the square that is normal here, while elements of Nagara architecture are integrated into the same building. For anyone interested in how Indian temple styles travelled, it is the most instructive building on the fort.
The high curved roof over the sanctum is what you notice first, and it is the clearest Dravidian feature on the building. Nothing else on the fort looks like it, and it is best seen from a distance before you walk up to the doorway.
Instead of the square sanctum standard in this region, the chamber here is rectangular, which is what forced the unusual roof form above it. Standing inside the doorway makes the proportion obvious.
The temple carries Dravidian form with Nagara elements worked into it. Picking out which parts belong to which tradition is the real pleasure of a visit, and it is easier after you have seen the other fort temples.
Teli ka Mandir stands inside Gwalior Fort and is usually combined with the Sas Bahu temples nearby.
October to March is the season for walking the fort hilltop. Morning light is good on the eastern face and the air is clearer for photographs of the tall roof. The summer months are hard work on the open ground around the temple.
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