English: The Mahadeva temple of Nachna, sometimes referred to as the Chaumukhnath temple or Chaturmukha Mahadeva mandir, is an east facing Shiva temple at the same site as the Parvati temple of Nachna. The Mahadeva temple combines many layers of construction. The present temple is one reconstructed in 1918 from (a) ruins of the 9th-century Mahadeva temple, (b) sections and parts of the 5th-century Parvati temple, (c) some sections of a 6th-century Mahadeva temple that likely was rebuilt in the 9th-century, and (d) some ruins discovered of lost or destroyed Hindu temples at other Nachna sites. Some of this history is apparent as Hindu artwork panels from different centuries are preserved on a wall or near a structural element. The overall style and plan of the present temple reflects the 9th-century Pratihara period.

The Mahadeva temple stands on a jagati (platform). It has a mandapa, an antarala, and a garbhagriha. The jangha section of the temple is triratha, while the shikhara above that is pancharatha. The doorways, small trellises (jali windows), several panels of amorous couples are from c. 500–520 – some from the ruins of the Parvati temple nearby, and other from lost Hindu temples of Nachna. These include elegantly finished and some crudely sculpted artwork from possibly a gate, monastery or structure from Nachna area. Except for Agni and Kubera, all artwork in the karna niches are missing. The Naga panel found in this temple is from the Parvati temple ruins.

The temple is named after the four-faced linga in the sanctum. The Tatpurusha aspect of Shiva is on the east face, the open mouth fierce aspect Aghora on south, Sadyojata on west and Vamadeva aspect faces the north.

For a scholarly discussion of Gupta era artwork (5th and 6th-century) embedded in the Mahadeva temple, along with the context of other Nachna-Kuthara temples, please see Joanna Williams, The Art of Gupta India, pp. 105–112 with appended plates and footnotes.

Background:

Nachna is a small remote village in the hilly forested terrain of Panna district of Madhya Pradesh. It is sometimes locally referred to as Kachhagawan. It must have been a prosperous, major town in ancient India given the wealth of temples and archaeological remains found in and near here (Nachna–Kuthara–Lakhorobagh). It is one of the notable, much published Gupta and post-Gupta era sites in India, sometimes referred to as Nacha-Kuthara or Kachhgawan site. The artwork and temples found here, together with other Gupta era sites in India, have provided insights into Gupta era Hinduism and Jainism, the development of Hindu temple architecture in the 5th and 6th century, firmer dating for Hindu and Jain iconography throughout Indian subcontinent, and a window into Indian culture during the Gupta Empire era.

Nachna-Kuthara was a part of the historic Baghelkhand region, which some scholars classify as northeastern Bundelkhand between Satna and Jabalpur. Between the 4th and 7th-century CE, this region was ruled by the Parivrajakas (forest ascetics dynasty) and the Uchchhakalpas (shilpins or artisans dynasty named after their capital). Many inscriptions and copper plate grants found in this region suggest the prosperity and importance of Nachna area as a regional trade and culture hub, particularly to the Uchchhakalpas. Given the array of beautiful artwork and temples here from the ancient period, Nachna may have served as a regional capital of the Uchchhakalpas.

Nachna is famous for its 5th-century Parvati temple. It has several additional monuments from the 1st millennium – in a few cases rebuilt in the 20th-century from parts of lost Vishnu, Surya and Devi temples from the 5th to 9th century. These include the Mahadeva temple and the Kumra matha (also called Teliya Matha, a Hindu monastery). The site has also been a source of about dozen Tirthankara images, in the Sanchi style – so much so that many casually may call it a Buddha, though it is a Jain artwork. The Rupni mandir is an example of a temple rebuilt with a lost 6th-century Devi temple's parts and doorway. Nachna is also famous for its 5th/6th-century panels depicting the epic, Ramayana (now at the Nachna ASI sculpture shed).