Leaning Tower of India

Ratneshwar Mahadev Mandir

While most of us are well aware of Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy, here is an Indian architecture to wonder. Ratneshwar Mahadev Mandir built by a servant of Queen Baija Bai. Various record states that it was built between 1825 and 1830. It’s one of the most photographed temples in the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple, while apparently well-preserved, leans significantly towards the back side, and its garbhagriha is generally below the water much of the year, except for a few months during the summer.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Unlike all other temples in Varanasi on the coast of Ganga, the temple is built at a very low level. In fact, the water level can reach the shikhara part of the temple. This temple leans over 9 degrees from vertical. In spite of much of the temple being underwater during most of the year, it is well preserved, except for the lean that can be noted in 20^th century photos.

Comparison

The height of the Ratneshwar temple is not clear as it is stated as 13 m in some sources. However, the fact that it leans at a higher angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa and is mostly underwater and the structure is rigid makes it one of the architectural marvels of India.

GLIMPSE OF PALIMBOTHRA DURING 320 BC

GLIMPSE OF PALIMBOTHRA DURING 320 BC

-INDIKA of Megasthenes

This page will give an idea of how Palimbothra’s (Pataliputra) constructed during 320 BC:

As we all know most of the human settlement were on the banks of a river or on the sea coast. Most of the Indian cities were built on the banks of a river. They were constructed not of brick but of wood, this was due to the destructive rainfall, and also the rivers overflow their banks often. But, however there were cities built of brick and mud which stand in commanding situation and lofty eminences. The greatest city in India is that which is called Palimbothra, situated where the streams of the Erannoboas (presentday- Son) and the Ganges unite. Erannoboas perhaps the third largest river, that falls into Ganges.

Megasthenes says, the inhabited part of this city extend to a length of 8 stadia, and that its breadth was fifteen stadia. The city was surrounded by a ditch of breadth six plethra and thirty cubits in depth. The city had a fortified wall, which has 570 towers and 46 gates. Megasthenes gives a remarkable fact about India during the time that all the Indians are free and none of them are slave.