Malegaon Budruk is a small village located on the Malegaon-Nira Road within Baramati tehsil. It is situated 8 km from Baramati and a further 102 km from Pune City. On the Malegaon-Nira Road stands the east-facing Kāśī-Viśveśvara temple. Adjacent to it is the newly constructed temple dedicated to Śanī Devatā. A few Neem and tamarind trees add to the serenity of the temple grounds. The temple's rituals and daily pūjās are conducted by Mr. Chetan Chavan, a priest hailing from the Marāṭhā community. Architecturally, the Kāśī-Viśveśvara temple likely dates back to the 14th or 15th century. Currently, the temple remains in a reasonably preserved state. Local folklore holds that the temple was erected by the Pāṇḍavas. The village also boasts a collection of temples including the Nāgeśvara, Gaurī-Śaṅkara, Viṭṭhala, and Bhairavanātha temples. There is also a Durgāh in the vicinity.

Temple of Kāśī-Viśveśvara

The Kāśī-Viśveśvara temple (18.134853, 74.513220)

The Kāśī-Viśveśvara temple is in its original form up to a great extent. The plan of the temple consists of sabhāmaṇḍapa, antarāḷa and garbhagṛha. There is a stepped well in front of the temple. Probably, there was a nandīmaṇḍapa to the temple, which seems to have been demolished. There is a Nandī bull sculpture in front of the temple.

The ground plan of the Kāśī-Viśveśvara temple.

The Sabhāmaṇḍapa:

The temple's sabhāmaṇḍapa is distinctly square in design, featuring a central entrance. This entrance is flanked by two pronounced buttresses or projections situated at the corners. The original entrance, however, has been replaced with a wooden door. Inside, the maṇḍapa boasts sitting arrangements known as kakṣāsanas. Interestingly, these benches once featured erotic carvings, both on their outward-facing and inner surfaces. However, these particular sections have since been removed. Within the kakṣāsana, there are two intricately decorated half-pillars adorned with various carvings. Beyond these, the maṇḍapa contains four primary pillars and an additional ten half-pillars. These main pillars support four beams, collectively giving shape to a modestly plain ceiling.

The design of the central pillar is notably detailed. From the base, it rises as a rectangular shaft, then transitions into three octagonal rings encircling a cylindrical section. This is followed by the pillar's center, another octagonal ring, and a rounded tapering top that culminates in a flat square, capped by unembellished capitals. On some of these rectangular shafts, one can spot the graceful carvings of surāsundarī (damsels). Additionally, the pillar centers are engraved with diverse depictions, ranging from scenes from the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata to Yogīs and various war episodes.

Sabhāmaṇḍapa of the temple

Antarāḷa: There are empty niches in the antarāḷa passage. The antarāḷa has four pilasters in the four corners. Two decorated pillars are visible while entering the antarāḷa. They are utilised to support the shaft above. The ceiling of antarāḷa is plain.

Antarāḷa

Garbhagṛha: The doorjamb of the garbhagṛha entrance has three branches: vine branch, pilaster branch and floral branch. Below the branches, there are two Śaiva Dvārapālas. The part below, including mandāraka, is adorned with a diamond pattern. The lintel has a Gaṇapatī image. The portion above the lintel is plain. There is a Śivaliṅga at the centre of the garbhagṛha. There are four half-pillars in the four corners of the garbhagṛha, and the ceiling is ordinary and plain.

The Garbhagṛha

The temple exterior: The temple exterior is plain and bears no design and niches/aediculae. The walls are plain except for the reliefs on the base. There is a diamond pattern on the upper part of the wall proper (maṇḍovara). There is a water outlet (praṇālaka) to the south of the temple, and there is a small tank-like container (kuṇḍa) below to collect the water. The superstructure of the temple is peculiar. One can see two tiers of small superstructures on all four corners. Above the small superstructures, there is grīvā and kalaśa part. Perhaps the upper part could have been damaged over time. There are no signs of any structure on the sabhāmaṇḍapa.

Exterior of the temple

Iconographical Description of some important sculptures 

Sculptures on the Vāmana pillar (half-pillar) no. 1 from the kakṣāsana (in the north): On the eastern part of the pillar, a Haṭhayogī is depicted in a yogic posture. His hands and knees are bound with the help of Yoga-paṭṭa. Two trees are depicted on his two sides. The southern face of the pillar showcases an intriguing scene: a figure gracefully riding a peacock. A unique detail captures the attention—his left hand is shown wrapped around the peacock's neck, holding the rein. The nature of this depiction strongly suggests that this could be an illustration of Kārtikeya. On the western part of the pillar, a Yogī is depicted seated in a jungle, while on the northern region, a peacock is depicted holding a flower in his beak.

A Haṭhayogī is in uḍḍiyāna bandha.

Kārtikeya (?)

A Yogī

Sculptures on the Vāmana pillar (half-pillar) no. 2: Two pairs of diamonds are carved on the eastern and western parts of the Vāmana-pillar no. 2. In the southern part, we see a fight between a man holding a mace and Śarabha. In the northern part, there is a fight scene between an elephant and a lion.

A fight between a man holding a mace and Śarabha.

A fight scene between an elephant and a lion.

Sculptures on pillar no. 1 from sabhāmaṇḍapa: On the pillar centre, there is a fight scene of two elephants. In the southern part, a Yogī in meditation is depicted with two Cauri-bearers are shown on either side. On the same side, on the shaft part, a Surasundarī in tribhaṅga (body bent at three points) pose is carved. On the western part, two warriors are depicted wrestling. 

A fight scene of two elephants.

A Yogī in meditation.

Two warriors are depicted wrestling.

Sculptures on pillar no. 2: On the eastern side, two warriors are depicted fighting with daggers on the pillar centre. In the southern part, a fight scene depicts two warriors holding a mace. On the northern part, an elephant fight scene is carved. On the shaft part, a standing surasundarī is depicted.

Two warriors are depicted fighting with daggers.

A fight scene depicts two warriors holding a mace.

Sculptures on pillar no. 3: On the eastern side, we see a fight scene between Sugrīva and Vālī in the pillar centre. On the shaft part, a dancing woman is depicted. On the southern side, a Rāmāyaṇa scene is carved wherein Rāma is depicted showing Sugrīva his archery skills by piercing seven Shala trees with one arrow only. On the western side, we see Kṛṣṇa killing the Kuvalayapīḍa demon. Here, Kuvalayapīḍa is depicted in the form of an elephant. Kṛṣṇa is holding his tusk with his left hand and hitting his head with a mace held in his right hand. On the northern part, a mace-fighting scene is carved.

A fight scene between Sugrīva and Vālī.

Rāma is depicted showing Sugrīva his archery skills by piercing seven Shala trees with one arrow only.

Kṛṣṇa killing the Kuvalayapīḍa demon.

Sculptures on pillar no. 4:  To the east of the pillar's center, an intricate carving depicts a battle between elephants, each with a mahout seated atop. Moving southward, another carving emerges, perhaps depicting the legendary battle between archers Rāma and Rāvaṇa. Just below this portrayal, the shaft part graces a Surasundarī figure.The western face of the pillar captures the battle between Hanumāna and Indrajita. To the north, a rather dramatic scene unfolds: a fierce warrior is seen attacking a Yogī, deeply engrossed in meditation within a forest setting. This may represent the Śāmbūka-slaying episode from the Rāmāyaṇa.

The entrance to the garbhagṛha is flanked by imposing Dvārapālas. To the right, the Dvārapāla wields a rosary, drum, skull staff, and mace, with a seated bull at his feet. His counterpart on the left is armed with a mace, drum, snake, and what seems to be a skull. Notably, this Dvārapāla does not have a bull at his feet. Both guardians are elegantly adorned, showcasing crowns, earrings, head-garlands, necklaces, armlets, anklets, and draped in lower body garments.

An elephant fight scene.

A fight between two archers is carved (perhaps a Rāma-Rāvaṇa fight).

A fight between Hanumāna and Indrajita.

A Śāmbūka-slaying scene from Rāmāyaṇa.(?)

Loose images: There is no sculpture on the temple's outer walls, however there are some loose sculptures placed in front of the temple. 

The memorial sculpture of high-stature personalities: Two figures are depicted in this sculpture. Of them, one is the man; to the right, the woman is to the left. The man has wrapped his hand around the woman's shoulder. He has loose hair, a beard and moustache, earrings, a necklace, a lower body garment, a ring, anklets, and sacred thread (yajñopavita) depicted in his sculpture. The woman has small and big necklaces, lower-body garments, hair-do, earrings and anklets depicted in her sculpture. From the sculptures, it can be inferred that they must be affluent couples.

The memorial sculpture of an affluent couple

Among the other loose sculptures, the sculptures of Bhairava, demi-gods, and Śaiva-ascetics are noteworthy. Also, there are Marāṭhā-period sculptures. Of them, one depicts a couple seated on a horse. The broken part of kakṣāsana has two Surasundarīs carved on them. One is shown in a dvibhaṅga (body bent at two points) pose, holding some round object upon her head, while the other is depicted with a monkey.

Other loose sculptures

Concluding remarks: A distinctive feature of the temple is its remarkable preservation (despite a thick layer of paint), making it a testament to the enduring craftsmanship of that era. It stands out as a prime exemplar within the Malegaon region of the temple construction activity during the Bahamani rule. The temple is adorned with numerous sculptures, and among them, the depictions of battles and epic narratives offer a unique window into the religious and cultural milieu of its era.