In Mitawali, Madhya Pradesh, Chausath Yogini Temple is a shrine to The 64 Yoginis, with a central shrine to Shiva. It is also known as Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple, Mitaoli Temple.
The temple is a rare surviving example of circular yogini-shrine architecture in India, and is popularly said to have influenced the circular design of India's Parliament House (Sansad Bhavan), built in the 1920s, though this connection is a widely repeated tradition without credible documentary evidence linking the two designs directly. The temple was built in the 11th century under the Kachchhapaghata dynasty, which ruled the region around Gwalior and Morena.
Madhya Pradesh carries a distinct temple identity of its own: The heart of India, home to two of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the UNESCO-listed temples of Khajuraho, and the hilltop Shakti shrine of Maihar.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | Sunrise |
| Evening | Sunset |
Open daily as an Archaeological Survey of India protected monument
History and architecture
Architecture
A hypaethral (roofless), circular hilltop temple with a radius of about 170 feet, reached by roughly 100 steps. A circular outer wall holds 64 small chambers, originally housing images of the 64 yoginis and the goddess Devi, each fronted by a shallow pillared mandapa, while an open circular shrine to Shiva stands at the centre of the courtyard.
History
The temple was built in the 11th century under the Kachchhapaghata dynasty, which ruled the region around Gwalior and Morena. It has been declared a protected monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India and has survived for close to a thousand years in a seismically active zone without serious structural damage.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Mitawali lies near the Padavali fort and the Bateshwar temple cluster, roughly 35 to 40 km from Gwalior, which has the nearest airport and major railway junction; the three sites are typically visited together in a single day trip from Gwalior by hired car.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. The popular claim that this temple inspired the Parliament building's design is an unverified though widely repeated tradition, and secondary sources give differing construction centuries (9th versus 11th)