Malegaon Budruk is situated in Baramati tehsil. It is 8 km from Baramati City and 102 km from Pune City. There are historical structures in the town such as the Jadhavrao mansion, Kāśī-Viśveśvara temple, Gaurī-Śaṅkara temple, Viṭṭhala temple, Bhairavanātha temple. The east-facing temple of Nāgeśvara (18.135346, 74.502393) is located west of the town on the Baramati-Nira Road. It is in its original form to a reasonable extent and can be assigned to the 14th-15th century CE based on its architectural style.

Temple of Nāgeśvara

Architecure: It is constructed on a high plinth and consists of nandīmaṇḍapa, gūḍhamaṇḍapa, antarāḷa, and garbhagṛha.

Nandīmaṇḍapa: There is a square in front of the temple and two Nandī sculptures are installed in it. Both of them are facing Śiva in garbhagṛha. There is a Śivaliṅga before these Nandī sculptures. The pillars in the maṇḍapa indicate that it was renovated.

Gūḍhamaṇḍapa: The gūḍhamaṇḍapa has an ornate entrance in the east. The door-jamb consists of diamond, pillar, and plain sections/branches. Two yogīs are also carved on the stambhaśākhā of the door. Śaiva Dvārapāla, Nidhī, Gaṅgā , and Yamunā have been carved on the peḍyā of the door of gūḍhamaṇḍapa. There are two Nandī sculptures carved beside the Dvārapāla. The gūḍhamaṇḍapa is square in plan and it has two projections coming out on the outside in two corners. The kakṣāsana has two dwarf pillars (Vāmana pillars) ornated with sculptures. There are four main pillars and ten pilasters in the maṇḍapa. The four pillars balance four shafts and a ceiling whcih probably has a Gajāsura-vadha sculpture. The pillar structure is as follows: from bottom to top – square base, rectangular shaft, three octagonal rings and two round rings between them, pillar center, octagonal ring, oval top, round ring, square top, and capitals with cobra motif. The rectangular shafts bear Surasundarī sculptures, and the pillar center parts bear scenes from epics, sculptures of yogī, and warfare. The gūḍhamaṇḍapa has four aediculae: two near the antarāḷa passage walls and two in the right and left walls. These aediculae possess some sculptures from the Marāṭhā period. Of them, one sculpture seems to be of Keśava-Viṣṇu and appears old and broken.

Antarāḷa: There are four pilasters in the four corners of the antarāḷa. Two pillars are supporting the shaft at the entrance of the antarāḷa passage. There are no aediculae in the antarāḷa and the ceiling is plain and unornate.

Garbhagṛha: The doorjamb of the garbhagṛha features three distinct sections or branches, mirroring the design found on the doorjamb of the gūḍhamaṇḍapa. Beyond these intricate details, the rest of the entrance maintains a simplistic and unadorned style. The lintel boasts a carving of Gaṇapatī, though the area above it is left plain. To access the garbhagṛha, one must descend five steps. Inside, four pilasters are positioned at each corner, while a central Śiva liṅga stands prominently. The overhead ceiling retains a minimalist design, free of intricate details. Notably, a stone vessel originally from the garbhagṛha has been relocated and now rests outside the temple, placed beneath a lamp-post.

A ground plan of the Nāgeśvara temple.

Nandīmaṇḍapa

An ornate entrance of the gūḍhamaṇḍapa.

Yogī carved on the stambhaśākhā of the door.

Yogī carved on the stambhaśākhā of the door.

Peḍyā of the door of gūḍhamaṇḍapa

Peḍyā of the door of gūḍhamaṇḍapa

Gūḍhamaṇḍapa

Gajāsura-vadha sculpture

Keśava-Viṣṇu

Antarāḷa

Garbhagṛha

Exterior of the temple: The temple's exterior is plain, unornate only except for the facade. There are no aediculae or decorations on the walls. A stone vessel is fixed in the south wall to carry all the water for garbhagṛha. The water and other substances poured on the Śiva liṅga during abhiṣeka, are channeled out and collected in the basin (kuṇḍa) in the north. The superstructure of the temple was renovated in the year of 1995, so there is no way of knowing what the original śikhara looked like. Also, there are no signs of a fencing wall as of now. However, the temple complex is preceded by a large entrance. Probably this entrance was built in the Marāṭhā period. There is a simple lamp post on the temple premises.

The exterior of the temple

An entrance to the temple complex.

Iconographic description: There are some sculptures in and outside the temple. Some sculptures are carved on the four pillars in the gūḍhamaṇḍapa. The part of kakṣāsana bearing sculptures has recently been covered with some intrusive construction. Below are all the sculptures on the two dwarf pillars and the 4 main pillars of the gūḍhamaṇḍapa. 

The sculptures on the dwarf pillar from kakṣāsana (north): On the dwarf-pillar 1, the killing of Mārīca, the meetings of Sītā and Hanumāna, Rāma and Bhārata are carved. On the dwarf-pillar 2, a kīrtīmukha, Kṛṣṇa with cattle, Śarabha, and a club-fight scene between two men are carved

Killing of Mārīca

Meeting of Sītā and Hanumāna

Rāma and Bhārata

Śarabha and a man with a mace or club.

Sculptures in the gūḍhamaṇḍapa – Pillar 1: On the central part of the pillar, a kīrtīmukha is carved on the eastern side, a Kṛṣṇalīlā is carved on the south and a dancing girl is carved on the same side, on the lower part of the pillar. On the western side of the central pillar part, the Vālī-Sugrīva fight is carved, while on the northern side, a seated person is carved accompanied by two musicians on either side.

Vālī-Sugrīva fight

Musicians

Sculptures in the gūḍhamaṇḍapa – Pillar 2: A fight between a man and Śarabha is carved on the east on the central part of the pillar, a person seated on Makara (crocodile) is carved on the south, a dancing girl accompanied by two musicians is on the west.

A fight between a man and Śarabha

a person seated on Makara

A dancing girl accompanied by two musicians

While on the north, a panel of Kānhā and Yoginī Bahuḍī has been depicted on the stambha-madhya portion of the first left pillar and near the entrance of the hall. Kānhā is shown on the right side of the coconut tree, and Yoginī Bahuḍī on the left side. Four coconuts are shown on each side of the tree.

Kānhā and Yoginī Bahuḍī

On the lower part of the pillar Śiva with is carved Nandī.

Śiva with a Nandī.

Sculptures in the gūḍhamaṇḍapa – Pillar 3: There is a dancing Gaṇeśa accompanied by drum players carved on the eastern side of the central part of the pillar.

Dancing Gaṇeśa

On the southern side, there is, what probably seems to be, the fight scene between Kṛṣṇa and Kuvalayapīḍa.

Fight scene between Kṛṣṇa and Kuvalayapīḍa

On the western side, Kṛṣṇa is depicted along with cattle and Gopikās. Two swans are carved on the north.

Kṛṣṇa is depicted along with cattle and Gopikās.

Sculptures in the gūḍhamaṇḍapa – Pillar 4: Elephant and Vyāḷa sculptures are carved on the central part of the pillar on the east. In the south, probably the killing of Kuvalayapīḍa is depicted.

Killing of Kuvalayapīḍa

On the western side, a pun-in-sculpture and a human figure with three legs is carved.

Human figure with three legs

On the northern side, two peacocks are carved facing each other.

Two peacocks

In the aediculae from antarāḷa, there are two Nāga sculptures on the aedicule to the right hand and a human figure sculpture on the aedicule to the left.

Two Nāga sculptures

Human figure

In the aedicule in the south of gūḍhamaṇḍapa, there is, what seems to be, a Viṣṇu sculpture. The sculptures in the aediculae look primitive.

Viṣṇu sculpture

There are some sculptures carved on the exterior side of the gūḍhamaṇḍapa. There are Bhairava, Kṛṣṇa/Venugopal, a female with a bow (Tripurasundarī?), and a hunting scene of a boar. On the right side, Vidāraṇa Narasiṃha, Cāmuṇḍā, Nṛvarāha, a couple, and Putravallabhā have been carved. Some of them are shown below. 

Bhairava

A female with a bow (Tripurasundarī?)

Hunting scene of boar

Putravallabhā

Below these sculptures, there are diamond bands on both sides. On the north and south sides of the entrance to the kakṣāsana, two male guardian figures are carved.

Male Guardian

Additionally, several detached sculptures are placed in front of the temple, possibly belonging to the temple. The most significant among these is the Saptamātṛkāpaṭṭa panel, which is in a wornout condition. Such Saptamātṛkā panel with the vahānas is very rare in Pune district. Furthermore, the temple grounds house three samādhis.

Saptamātṛkāpaṭṭa panel

Inscriptions: There are two inscriptions altogether in the temple and the premises. Of them, one inscription is on a loose stone slab. The inscription is contemporary to the temple. The second inscription is in Devanāgarī and easily readable, and seems to be recent. The inscription has four lines and mentions Rajāram, a mason from Jejuri. The inscription near the nandīmaṇḍapa is important. It is in Devanāgarī script and Sanskrit language. There are seven lines in this inscription. Sun and moon have been carved on the top. A Śivaliṅga is also carved beneath those. According to Mr. Anil Dudhane, this inscription contains ślokas of Śiva. The inscription is wearing off and it needs to be preserved.

Sanskrit Inscription

Conclusion: The temple stands out for its well-preserved state . Representing the architectural finesse of the 14th-15th century CE in the Malegaon region, this temple is a testament to the era's craftsmanship, though the thick coat of paint hide the beauty of many sculptures. It holds significance for followers of both the Nātha Saṃpradāya and Kṛṣṇa Saṃpradāya traditions. For those interested in studying temple architecture from this period, this temple provides a valuable reference point.