The Gupta Temple of Tigowa

Summary

The article by Frederick M. Asher examines the early Gupta temple at Tigowa, a flat‑roofed shrine near the village of Tigowa in Jabalpur District. After summarising Alexander Cunningham’s 1873‑74 discovery of the site, it describes the temple’s orientation, elevation and plan, noting that it resembles Temple XVII at Sanchi but predates it by almost a century. The author analyses the temple’s adhiṣṭhāna, including its low rectangular moulding and māṇḍapa, and compares the capital forms of the Tigowa columns with those at Sanchi and Deogarh. He argues that the temple’s tall square columns, octagonal shafts and sixteen‑sided sections represent a more elaborate stage of Gupta architecture than earlier shrines. The mouldings of the doorway and the figures of the River Goddesses above it are described in detail, along with the doorway’s dentil motif and figurated plaques. Asher discusses inscriptions that date the plinth and compares the Tigowa temple with other early Gupta shrines in terms of ornamentation and structural features. Plates illustrate the site, showing the temple’s portico, columns, roof‑slabs and decorative sculptures. The article concludes that the Tigowa temple represents an early stage in Gupta stone‑temple architecture and that its relative simplicity demonstrates the evolution of temple design during the fifth century CE. By comparing Tigowa’s architectural details with those of contemporary temples and by analysing its decorative programme, the article situates the temple within the broader development of Gupta art and architecture.