takriban tin sau varshon tak bihar, bangal v jharkhand kshetra men shasan satta sthapit kar apne gaurvnama ka paracham lahrane vala palvansh bhartiya kala sanskriti ke abhyuday kal ke svarup ka spasht digdarshan hai. is yug men jahan ek or tathagat aur unse jure mutrt vigrah v sthal ka uddhar hua to hindu dharm se jure smarkon ka bhi shriuday hua . inmen shiv mandir yatra-tatra-sarvatra virajman hain.
rajkiya shasan kshetra men rahne ke karan, rajmarg par avasthit hone ke karan, rajkiya samaroh sthal hone ke karan athva angrej sarveyar ki nigah parne se kitne hi shivalay ka svatah prachar-prasar ho gaya par kuch utkrishtata ke bavjud sthaniya star tak hi charchit ho paya. aisa hi ek beshkimti shivalay gaya jile ke tankupa prakhand ke chovar ganv men sthit hai jise ‘jata-shankr’, ‘jatajut mahadev’ ya ‘jatadhari sthan’ kaha jata hai. chovar ka shiv mandir apni vishishtata, prachinta, puratatvik mahatva v acharaj bhare dastan ke lie pradesh prasiddh hai jahan shivling ke nam par prachin anagarh pashan khand garbhagrih ke ardhe ke bich men andar ki or virajman hain. mandir se jure vrittant ka adhyayan v ganv men mandir v garh kshetra ka darshan yah spasht karta hai
ki magadh kshetriya shivalyon men chovar ka mahatva apratim hai. fatehpur marg par avasthit pathra mor (bartara mor se dhai kimi. age mukhya marg par hi) se chah kimi. andar akar is shiv mandir ka darshan labh kiya ja sakta hai jiske darshan se hi bite jamane ki yad jivant ho jati hai. magadh ka vah kshetra jo puratan kal men kolgrhi prakshetra ke rup men abad raha usmen chovar bhi ek hai. chovar ke chaturdik bhi garh kshetra ka bahulya hai jinmen tankupa, jaypur, tivar, kandhriya, fatehpur, punavan adi ka nam liya ja sakta hai. kol rajaon ke param aradhya shiv shankar ka devalay kitne hi garh kshetra ke samip milta hai par yahan ka devalay nirman ki drishti se ek utkrisht kriti hai. bhale hi iska prachar-prasar iske nam v yashahkriti ke anurup nahin ho paya. lal gerue rang se ranga yah shiv mandir ek aytakar pletfaerm par bana hai jiske thik samne ek prachin kup hai.
yahin par kuch prachin murtiyon ke khandit ansh v manauti stup dekhe ja sakte hain. mandir ke bahri divar par bhi shivling, manauti stup v pashan khand ka alankrit rup dekha ja sakta hai aur ye sab ke sab pal kalin hain. yah mandir do tal vibhajya rup men hai jahan se pravesh kar garbh grih tak jaya ja sakta hai. mandir ke pravesh dvar ka chaikhat 1.58 mitar uncha aur 68 se.mi. chaira hai. samne garbhagrih 2.16 mitar ka vargakar hai jiske ishan kon men shivling ki akriti ke pashan khand v ganesh ji ka sthan dekha ja sakta hai. yahan ka pradhan shivling anagarh pashan khand ka bana hai jo ardhe ke andar hai. is ling ke ardhe ki lanbai 1.25 mitar v chairai 1.4 mitar hai. shivling hetu bane golakar khand ka vyas 34 se. mi. hai. is garbhagrih ke bahar ke kaksh men barah pashan stanbhon ko amne-samne lagakar chat ko sahara pradan kiya gaya hai. is pratham pravesh kaksh men dahini or uncha takha banakar vishnu, buddh, manauti stup bhairav, umashankar, vishal falak, bara mitti ke gagar sahit kul 36 puravshesh ya to rakhe hain ya divar ke takhe men sthapit kar die gae hain.
chovar ke shivalay men buddh murti athva manauti stup ka milna is bat ka praman hai ki kabhi yah sthan bauddh sthaviron se bhi abad raha. aise yah bat janne yogya hai ki prachin rajgrih v bodhgya marg ke ekadam sannikat hai chovar, atah bahut sanbhav hai ki marg vishram sthal ke rup men chovar ki mahatta varshon kayam rahi. mandir kshetra se uttar ki or 1/2 kimi. chalne par vishalagarh ka avlokan kiya ja sakta hai jo bhu-tal se 92 fit tak uncha hai. yahan ke tile par bani divaren aj bhi iski vishalta ki katha kahti hain. is garh kshetra ke chaturdik krishn lauhit mridbhand, chitrit mridbhand, lauhit mridbhand v bahut kam matra men en. bi. pi. bhi prapt hote hain. gramin kahte hain kabhi yahan tin manjila raj bhavan tha jahan kol raja nivas karte the.
yahan se age barhakar marg tak ane men ek prachin devi sthan aur uske age guru nanak ke jamane ka upekshit sangat darshaniya hai. vivaran hai ki apni dharmayatra ke silsile men shri nanak dev 1508 imen gaya ae aur isi raste rajauli (navada) gae. jahan unhonne ratri vishram kiya, vahin aj sangat hai. yahan bhi ek prachin v vishal kup hai aur pas men ek aur ashcharya ki ek tar ke per se nikli panchon shakha punah jar men pravesh kar gayi hai. gaya kshetra ke chaturdik dvadash pradhan shiv kshetra men chovar ki ganna prachya kal se ki jati hai. par paryatan ki drishti se iske nav uddhar ka prayas abhi tak nahin kiya jana dukhad hai.
sal ke kisi bhi parva-tyohar men khasakar pura shravan, sarasvati puja,anant chaturdashi aur shivratri men yahan ki gahmaghmi dekhte banti hai. chovar ane ke lie gaya ke manpur bas staind se jana sahaj hai. aise niji gari se bhi dur-desh ke bhakt yahan akar baba ke darbar men hajiri jarur lagate hain. jankar vidvan kavivar pan. dhananjay mishra ka manna hai ki sanpurn magadh hi nahin varan pure uttar bharat men aisa shaiv sthal anutha hi nahin durlabh hai.
sachmuch apni purasanpda ke karan ‘chovar’ ek aitihasik ganv ke rup men sthapit ho gaya hai jahan ke shivalay aur palkalin murtiyan shilpakala ka behtrin udaharan hanai jahan kisi bhi shiv parva men dur-dur se logon ke ane ke karan mela lag jata hai.