Old Temple at Gop (Gop Temple)
Gop, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
Photo: Arnold Betten · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
The old temple at Gop is a ruined stone shrine in Jamnagar district, Gujarat, standing in the village of Gop a little south-west of the isolated Gop Hill (Sarmaya; Burgess 1876). The archaeologist James Burgess examined it during his 1874-75 survey of Kathiawar and Kutch and photographed and drew it (Sarmaya; British Library).
Sarmaya likewise dates the ruins to about the 6th century, in the Maitraka period (Sarmaya).
Faith & Tradition
Religious Significance of Old Temple at Gop (Gop Temple)
Burgess's photographs and his measured plan of the temple, drawn in 1875, are held in the British Library (British Library).
Burgess does not name the god to whom the temple was first dedicated (Burgess 1876). Burgess records an image of Ganapati in one of the roof arches and two figures inside that the villagers named after Rama and Lakshmana (Burgess 1876; British Library).
Heritage
History of Old Temple at Gop (Gop Temple)
Burgess reached Gop on a march northwards from Ghumli and described the shrine as standing in the village (Burgess 1876). He noted that it seems to have last served as a corner tower of a small fort, whose east and south walls were built with stones taken from the old temple (Burgess 1876).
Burgess wrote that the temple was probably not later than the sixth century, but said he was not prepared to say how much older it might be (Burgess 1876). Sarmaya places the ruins in the 6th century, Maitraka period (Sarmaya).
Architecture and sacred features
Burgess described the shrine as standing near the centre of a double court, with the outer court a few feet lower than the inner one (Burgess 1876). The shrine is about 10 ft 9 in square inside and about 23 feet high, with walls of coursed ashlar laid without cement (Burgess 1876; Sarmaya).
Its roof rises in stepped courses to a single capping slab and carries two chaitya-window (gavaksha) arches on each side, one of which holds a figure of Ganapati on the west (Burgess 1876). Weathered figures of dwarfs line the basement, which Burgess compared with work at Badami and Aihole (Burgess 1876).
Plan Your Visit
Darshan and Visitor Information
HinduTone has not verified darshan timings, fees or rituals for this temple. Please check with the temple administration before you travel.
Location
How to Reach Old Temple at Gop (Gop Temple)
The temple is at Gop in Jamnagar district, south-west of Gop Hill (Sarmaya; Burgess 1876). The sources consulted do not give a nearest airport, railhead or road distances, so check the route locally before travelling.
Location: Gop, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
More in Hindu temples in Gujarat
Questions
Old Temple at Gop (Gop Temple): Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the old temple at Gop?
It is in the village of Gop in Jamnagar district, Gujarat, a little south-west of Gop Hill (Sarmaya; Burgess 1876).
How old is the Gop temple?
Burgess judged it probably not later than the sixth century, and Sarmaya dates it to the 6th century, Maitraka period (Burgess 1876; Sarmaya). Burgess himself said he could not yet tell how much older it might be (Burgess 1876).
Which deity is the Gop temple dedicated to?
The sources consulted do not establish the original dedication (Burgess 1876). Burgess noted a Ganapati figure in a roof arch and two figures inside that villagers named Rama and Lakshmana (Burgess 1876; British Library).
Who first documented the temple?
James Burgess examined Gop in 1874-75 during his survey of Kathiawar and Kutch, and photographed it (Sarmaya). His 1875 plan of the temple is in the British Library (British Library).
How tall is the Gop temple?
The shrine stands about 23 feet high and is about 10 ft 9 in square inside (Burgess 1876; Sarmaya).
Why are parts of the temple missing?
Burgess found that the shrine had last been used as a corner tower of a small fort, and that stones of the old temple had been reused in the fort walls (Burgess 1876).
Sources and attribution
- © OpenStreetMap contributors — location data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Wikidata Q26708817 — structured data (CC0)
- Wikipedia — Gop Temple — text facts from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
- Archaeological Survey of Western India (Burgess 1876) — Report on the Antiquities of Kathiawad and Kachh, 1874-75, ch. XIII 'Gop' (James Burgess, India Museum, London, 1876)
- British Library — Plan of temple, Gop (Kathiawar), WD1496, Burgess Collection
- British Library — Photo 1000/4: Archaeological Survey of Western India album (items 382, 383, 409, 433: Gop)
- Sarmaya — Old Temple from the North West, Gop (James Burgess, 1874; accession 2018.16.54)
Further reading: Old Temple at Gop (Gop Temple) on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Write to info@hindutone.com — see our editorial policy.