Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Dr Mohan Yadav is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of a grand Panchayatana Temple at Ekatm Dham in the sacred town of Omkareshwar on Thursday.

The ceremony, scheduled for 6 am, will mark the commencement of the temple’s construction in the presence of revered saints representing India’s ancient monastic traditions, members of the Shad Darshan Sant Mandal and other distinguished guests.

CM Dr Yadav, along with the saints and dignitaries, will worship 45 sacred stones as part of the foundation-laying ceremony. Vedic rituals will be conducted by scholars from the Sri Venkateshwara Veda Vijnana Peetham in Dharmagiri, Andhra Pradesh, as well as acharyas from the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka and Sri Sri Gurukul.

Reviving Adi Shankaracharya’s Panchayatana tradition

The Panchayatana style of worship was revived by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya to establish harmony among diverse traditions of Hindu worship.

The temple at Ekatm Dham is being constructed to preserve and promote this philosophical legacy. The core concept of Panchayatana worship is that different deities represent distinct manifestations of the same Supreme Brahman.

The tradition brings together five major streams of worship, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakta, Saura and Ganapatya, emphasising spiritual unity amid diversity.

Lord Shiva to occupy the central shrine

The temple is being designed in the ancient Panchayatana architectural tradition, with Lord Shiva’s shrine at the centre and four subsidiary shrines positioned at the four corners.

According to the planned layout, Lord Vishnu will occupy the north-east corner, Lord Surya the south-east, Lord Ganesha the south-west and Goddess Shakti the north-west.

The principal shrine will feature a Somatilaka-style shikhara, while the sanctum sanctorum will follow the Sarvatobhadra design, providing entrances from all four directions. The complex will feature 100 intricately carved pillars and eight smaller Samvarna structures, while ornate gateways will add to its architectural grandeur.

80,000 cubic feet of carved pink sandstone

A still from MP CM Dr Yadav's earlier visit to Omkareshwar Temple

The main mandap will feature a spectacular 26-foot-diameter artistic dome, expected to be one of the temple complex’s key attractions. The entire structure will stand on a 16-foot-high jagati, or raised platform.

Its exterior elevation, known as the mandovar, will incorporate an elaborate sequence of architectural elements, including bhadra, karna, pratiratha and devakoshtha, along with decorative panels. The temple will be adorned with 121 kalashas and is being constructed using approximately 80,000 cubic feet of intricately carved pink sandstone.

Designed in the traditional Nagara architectural style, the Panchayatana Temple is intended to serve not only as a centre of religious devotion but also as a showcase for the revival of India’s ancient architectural and sculptural traditions.

Philosophy of Panchayatana worship

According to the Indian knowledge tradition, the divine is both the creator of the universe and manifests itself through the entire animate and inanimate world.

Adi Shankaracharya re-established the Panchayatana system to foster harmony among different schools of worship. Its central teaching is that every deity is a distinct manifestation of the same infinite reality.

Just as gold remains the essential substance of ornaments made from it, the Panchadev, Shiva, Vishnu, Surya, Ganesha and Shakti, are understood as different embodied forms of the same formless Brahman.