Abhaneri

Abhaneri, also spelled Abaneri, is a village in the Dausa district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Abhaneri yields ruins of an ancient city, Abhangari, now popular for the Chand Baori step well and Harshat Mata Temple. It is situated at the Jaipur-Agra Highway. The site was first reported by B L Dhama in 1903 when he prepared List of Objects of Antiquarian Interest in the States of Rajputana. Beside the step well and the temple, it has many sculptures of early Pratihara art of the region (circa. 8th-9th century CE). Many of its loose sculptures are housed in display or reserve collections at many museums such as Govt. Museum, Amber. Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, Hawamahal City Palace, and Archaeological Survey of India. The Indian Government issued a postal stamp depicting the Chand Baori in 2017.

History
The village was originally named Abha Nagari, ("City of Brightness"), but over time the name evolved to its present form. Originally ruled by the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, the area was later conquered by Muslim invasions under Mahmud of Ghazni and later ruled by the Mughals. Later the Maratha conquered the area and it became a part of Jaipur State until independence. Abhaneri is small in size, but attracts tourists from across the globe. The site attracted some attention of the scholars. In 1955, Pupul Jayakar and R C Agrawal published two articles in Marg, followed by an exhaustive catalogue by Yadav in 2006.

The analysis reveals that existence of new school of sculpture that incorporates the beliefs of Gurjara-Pratihara rulers with Classical Gupta art. Thus, their symbols of worship - sun as energy, Durga as Mahishasuramardini, Shiva as destroyer and generator are profusely represented. Secular themes like music, hairstyles, nature are also depicted in abundance in the carvings.

Geography
The village is located between the city of Bandikui and the town of Sikandra that lies on the Jaipur-Agra highway. It is 95 km from Jaipur and about 210 km south of Delhi. The village is close to State Highway 25. On its right flows the river Banganga. IT is 90 km east of Jaipur and 40 km east-northeast of Dausa. Bandikui is 5 km from Abhaneri.

Landmarks
The site is famous for two important monuments - Chand Baori and Harshatmata Mandir. Both are splendid examples of ancient Indian architecture. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has inscribed an ancient mound in the area in 1951 with excavated red and grey slipware. The mound has also yielded objects of arcaheological interest. There is considerable presence of Jain artefacts also at Abhaneri. Jain pattavalis mention many Jain temples with high shikharas in the region attributing them to the charitable work of a rich merchant named Deshal and his son. Jain sculpture corroborate the statement that Jainism flourished at Abhaneri between 8th-10th century CE. A Jain tirthankara statue is found at the entrance of the temple itself. A pdedtal part of a Tirthankara image forms part of the loose sculptures collection of Chand Baori.

The Chand Baori is one of the oldest, deepest and largest baoris (stepwells) in Rajasthan. The oldest parts of the structure date back to the 8th century, and significant additions were made in the 18th century. The stepwell consists of three flight of stairs descending into the earth with a subterranean palace on one side. The flight of stairs and the palace are arranged in a square pattern with the well lying at the bottom. The flight of steps descends thirteen stories.

The Harshat Mata Temple is located near the Chand Baori. It was a ritual to wash hands and feet at Chand Baori before visiting the temple. It is dedicated to Harshat Mata, the goddess of joy and happiness. It was constructed in the 8th century. Substantially destroyed by Islamic invaders in the 10th century, the remains of the temple still boast architectural and sculptural styles of 10th-century India. The temple is on a raised platform from where unrestricted views of nearby fertile regions can be seen. A small village nearby houses many artisans. Abhaneri came to notice again when a film titled Paheli was shot here and the step well was in news. The film is based on a story based in rajasthan written by Vijaydan Detha, bijji, and starred Rani Mukherji and Shahrukh Khan. The environmental concerns towards water harvesting have also endeared the people towards step wells and Abhaneri features in many tourist sites.