Itagi Mahadeva Devasthana - part 3

....continued from Itagi Mahadeva Devasthana - part 2

August 15, 2018

Having covered the dozen odd temples and the well in this complex, lets take closer look at some of the sculptures of the main temple starting with a column embedded into a wall. Simply marvelous design.. what kind of a mind could imagine such shapes and produce them as well. Wondering if they were humans. Or has man degraded with passage of time?

Different view of the above. Perfect lines, perfect angles and graceful curves.. repetitions are exactly same, no difference at all.

Here's a comparison of two contrasting forms of artwork - while one is full of curves and bumps, the other is lines and angles. Chalukyan sculptors were equally comfortable with both types. Not sure if sculptors specialized in one type though. This ferocious looking face is known as Keerthimukha. The mural dropping from the head is perfectly symmetrical. The curvy portions are very detailed, every little bump is similar. This temple has atleast two dozen Keerthimukha and they are exactly same. Talking about the pillar, I tend to think of a machined component. This pillar design is seriously captivating. There are two projections in this pillar, wondering what thy are for. There are hundreds of such cubical projections around this temple.

Here we have a third form of artwork.. combination of curves and lines.This is one of the best pillar designs I've ever seen. Personally I think, Chalukyan temples demonstrate better designs compared to Hoysala and Vijayanagara. Need to compare Kadamba and Chalkyan art some time.

These two blocks are pillar bases positioned atop a wall. Miniature pillars on a pillar base. On the rim of the seating platform are miniature Keerthimukha

Keerthimukha enclosed in a triangle. This is inside the main temple, on the ceiling, positioned at the four corners of square base of a circular dome. You can see the dome in part-1 of this article.

Back to the temple exterior, close to the roof is this handsome sculpture consisting of contrasting features.. ferocious face and the peaceful lotus. I think Keerthimukha are like Drishti Gombe.. to keep protect the temple from evil eyes. 

Yet another form of Keerthimukha on the walls. This is damaged, parts of the jaw has chipped away. The popping eye depicts the heights of anger.

If I'm not mistaken this too is called Keerthimukha. An imaginary creature with a long tongue and strong set of teeth. Going by the teeth, this creature must be herbivorous. This type of face is also seen where water flows out such as Garbhagudi drain and rooftop rainwater outlets.

Here's a richly decorated rainwater drain.. the imaginary creature looks like an elephant. So it seems the previous sculpture is a modified form of elephant head.

Turning our attention to a voluptuous girl attired in jewelry and stylish headgear. On her sides are pedestals with the elephant like creature. A dwarf is her attendant.

The main temple is east facing, the main entrance opens directly to the Sabhamantapa, there's no door frame in the front. However, it's side entrances are grand. Both looks same by form and dimensions but each is unique in design. A portico shelters the door frame. The portico roof has a concave dome with carvings which looks like wood work. This picture below shows just a part of the wall above the door frame. See the bottom right of the picture, just above the frame is hollow sculpture, like box made of wire frame. This is one of the sculptures which makes Itagi Mahadeva temple special.

A closer look at the wire frame box in the door frame. Amazing work! What tools were used to carve stone to this form.

Another view of the wire frame box. Its hollow inside. You can see this type of sculpture in other door frames as well. At places the length is two or three feet. Sculpting a 9' x 9' (approximate dimension) monolith into a door frame with such details is an incredibly extraordinary feat. No scope for any errors, pure perfection!

Top left corner of the frame.. such complex design.

Having visited this temple two times, I want to see it one more time, probably spend an entire day staring at its walls and pillars.

At one of the smaller temples, noticed these grooves and rust marks on floor slabs. Its known that Chalukyan builders did use steel strips to bind blocks in certain situations. I remember seeing such strips at Malgitti Shivalaya in Badami.

Lastly, before I close this post, I want to share this picture a series of pits on floor of the main temple. This is handiwork of people who loved playing games. You can see this pattern of pits in few other ancient temples of North Karnataka. Seems like it was a popular game.. probably the players used split tamarind seeds or cowries as dice and pebbles or seeds for pawns. Good to play games to keep the mind sharp.

If you are travelling between Koppal and Gadag, do visit Itagi. Its barely 10 kms from the highway. Note there's another Itagi in Gadag district which is known for Itagi Beemavva temple. Itagi Mahadeva temple is in Koppal district.
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