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Ossian is located at the edge of the
Thar Desert, 65 kms north
west of Jodhpur. Though Ossian does not figure
in the regular tourist guides of India, yet this once prosperous city,
boasts of more than 100 Hindu and Jain temples dating back to the Medieval
age. Legend has it that the town was founded by Utpaladeva, a Rajput
prince of the Pratihara Dynasty. It was then known as Ukesha or
Upkeshapur.
The
temples here are among the earliest of all medieval temples of Rajasthan.
Ruins of several temples dot the present day Ossian. The earlier temples
are almost like miniature shrines, some only eight feet in height. Among
these intricately carved red sandstone edifices, three are dedicated to
Harihara- or the union of Vishnu and Shiva. Profusely carved from their
raising plinths, pillars and right upto the very pinnacle of the spires,
these temples are considered architectural masterpieces even by foreign
scholars such as Percy Brown, James Burgess and Herman Goetz.
Among the oldest group of temples stands the Sun Temple, which was built
in 10th century. They are often compared to the carvings of the Sun Temple
of Konark. According to records , right in the middle of the town stood
another magnificent Sun temple. This, and a score other beautiful shrines
were subsequently destroyed during the Turkish and Afghan invasions of
India. Out of the more than 100 temples this town once had, barely 16
stand today. Even these have been ravaged by time.
Although majority of the temples at Ossian have decayed with time and
have even lost images of their deities- the one temple that remains
vibrant is the shrine of Sachiyamata on a nearby hillock. Built in 1234
AD, this temple was dedicated to Durga or Mahisasura Mardini. Today it has
become a very important shrine for Jains.