The temples comprise a square garbhagriha, or sanctum sanctorum, and a verandah in front. The temples had a flat roof. Such temples were also found in Sanchi.
The stone pillar at Lathiya was a dhwajasthambh or a religious pillar erected in front of one of the temples.
The temples could have been Vaishnavaite, dedicated to Vishnu, said Mani.
The temples faced the west and not the east. "This was so that the rays of the setting sun would light up the temple and also when devotees entered the temple they would be facing eastwards," said Mani.
After the temple walls were vandalised over the years, the local villagers began worshipping the pillar as a symbol dedicated to a Devi or goddess.
A house complex was also discovered near the temples - albeit only through the ghost walls. "People attached to the temples would have probably been staying there," he said.
Among the many antiquities discovered at the site is a terracotta human figure, typical of the Gupta period. Many broken pottery shards were also found, including many with spouts with the figure of the varaha, or boar. "These were ritualistic pottery," said Mani.
There was also evidence that the temple performed sacrifice, said Mani, adding that animal bones were found in a pit.
The archaeologists found evidence of an earlier Chalcolithic (1800 - 1000 BC) period beneath the Gupta remains, through pottery remains.
How is the site maintained?
The ASI has placed huge plastic sheets over the site and covered it with sand and also erected fencing around the area, said Mani.
