Champawat: Ancient Capital and Temple Architecture of Chand Dynasty

Champawat in Champawat district was the ancient capital of the Chand kings of Kumaon before they moved to Almora. The town preserves remarkable examples of Kumaoni Nagara-style temple architecture from the 11th-15th centuries. The Nagnath temple, Champawat's principal Shiva shrine, features characteristic Kumaoni temple elements: a square mandapa (hall), a curved shikhara tower, and intricate stone carvings on the doorway (torana). The Baleshwar temple complex, built in the 12th century, is architecturally one of the finest in Kumaon, with detailed sculptural panels depicting Shaiva deities and cosmological diagrams. The Chand rulers' patronage of temple art created a distinctive Kumaoni sculptural tradition that synthesised Gupta-period classical sculpture with local Himalayan iconographic conventions. ASI has documented and partially restored the Champawat temple complex as a protected heritage site.