Did You Know About The Unique Frog Temple Of India?

Did You Know About The Unique Frog Temple Of India?

Hinduism is full of surprises. In Hinduism, animals are often worshipped as the vehicles of deities or as deities themselves. Thus, we have the rat temple in Bikaner, the dog temple in Karnataka, and many snake temples. However, did you know that we also have a Frog Temple in the country?

We were on our way to Lucknow after visiting the spectacular and magical Dudhwa National Park. After crossing the town of Lakhimpur, we had to move for a short distance towards Sitapur before we took a left turn towards the Frog Temple of Oel.

Very few people know about this temple. Extensive searches over the internet prior to our tour had yielded me some information about it. I was determined to visit it during our tour as I was sure it was one of a kind in the world!

As we took a left turn and our car moved through the winding roads of the small town of Oel, we were given directions by the locals to the temple. It is called the Mendak Mandir by the locals.

As we reached the temple site, we climbed a short flight of stairs to enter the temple. What a sight it was!! I have visited numerous temples across India but this one was definitely one of a kind!

There in the middle of the large temple complex, the giant stone sculpture of a frog met your eyes. On the back of the frog rose the massive temple with four towers in each side. The architecture of the temple is so unique that you keep looking at it in awe.

As we tried to figure out our way to the shrine of the temple, I started explaining the history of the temple to my husband (as I had done my homework already).

According to local legends, the temple was created by the local Rajpur ruler named Bakhat Singh about 200 years back. It is believed that a frog brought him great luck, prosperity, and healthy children.

Even today, the descendants of Bakhat Singh continue to fund the temple and participate in its festivals and rituals. The frog is regarded as a symbol of prosperity and fertility. The royals believe that their family has been blessed by the frog. The locals also believe that if one merely visits the temple, one is sure to be blessed with children and wealth.

Arijit was quite fascinated by this story. We opened our shores below the temple, and move up the flight of stairs to visit the actual Shiva shrine in the temple. On our way up, we admired at the beautiful sculptures and motifs carved on the walls of the temple and its towers. 

The sanctum sanctorum or garbagriha of the temple is situated on a “yantra” (Tantric device) that is placed on the back of the frog sculpture. The design is based on the permutation of Tantra (occult practices of Hinduism). 

The outer wall of the temple is studded with sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses and occult practices like Tantrik rituals performed using dead bodies. 

Although the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is Shakti or power in the form of Devi that prevails over the temple (Tantrism worships the Devi or Shakti as the supreme deity). Devi is represented everywhere in the temple including the outer and the inner walls. 

As we stepped into the inner sanctum of the temple, we were dumbstruck at its beauty. A Shiva lingam was located inside with a standing Nandi bull statue near it. It is said that the lingam was discovered in the Narmada River and brought to the temple. Hence, it is named Narmadeshwar Shiva. The priest of the temple explained to us that the Frog Temple is Hinduism’s only temple where you can see a standing Nandi instead of a sitting one. Although the priest asked us to click a photograph inside the temple, we refrained from doing so out of respect. 

As we looked up and around the interiors, we could see the walls of the seven-tiered finial of the temple portrayed embellished colorful paintings in vegetable colors. The finial of the temple reaches almost 100 feet above the ground. 

As we exited the inner shrine, we also noticed an extremely deep well built in front of the sanctum sanctorum. It did give us some shivers to look down into the deep, narrow well of the temple.

As we climbed down the stairs and prepared to exit the temple, we took some final glances at it. Indeed, the Frog Temple of Oel is a hidden gem of India, a one of a kind that needs to be protected for the future generations to see and admire.