The Kalayat Ancient Brick Temple Complex, in the small town of Kalayat, is one of Haryana’s most important early Hindu temple sites. A cluster of brick shrines on a raised platform overlooks the town and the old trade routes between Jind and Kaithal. The temples are relatively small but immediately eye-catching because they are built almost entirely of finely carved bricks rather than large stone blocks. Decorative brick patterns, floral motifs and projections on the walls make the structures look like intricate terracotta sculptures. For travellers, Kalayat offers a rare chance to stand beside genuine early-medieval temples in an ordinary market town setting.
About this place
History & highlights
Epigraphic and stylistic study dates the surviving Kalayat temples to around the 8th century CE, placing them in the Gurjara-Pratihara period and making them among the oldest standing brick temples in Haryana. The name “Kalayat” is thought to come from Kapilayatana – the home of sage Kapila, linking the town to ancient philosophical traditions. Only two of the original cluster of temples survive today, but they are protected monuments and form part of the wider 48-kos Kurukshetra parikrama, a traditional pilgrimage circuit. Conservation efforts by the Archaeological Survey of India and the state archaeology department have stabilised the brickwork, helping Kalayat emerge as a key early-architecture stop on Haryana’s heritage map.
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