Tarakeshwara Devastana, Hangal - part-4

..continued from Tarakeshwara Devastana, Hangal - part-3

I'm standing at the center of the front hall, right under the dome and chandelier, looking towards the Garbhagudi in the far end. Extra columns have been placed to support the beams, Probably the weight of the chandelier and Shikhara were underestimated hence the need for extra columns.

There it is.. the chandelier is a complex collection of heavily detailed circular forms. Its is approximately 12 to 15 feet in diameter.

A closer look at the core of the chandelier. It looks like the smaller ones are individually fixed around the stem of the central piece. This is one amazing creation. Wonder how the sculptors created it and assembled it so precisely.

This is the front portion, those are the columns of the very first row. They seem to have a woody look because of the brownish hue. The pillars are handsome and proud to be carrying the load all these years.

As I move inwards, another pair of extra columns are seen. These were added in the early stages of the temple, as and when the need for extra support under the beam was felt. The additional pillars are slim, nicely done but they do seem out of place. Notice the difference in the pillars on the opposite side? I guess the builders added them during the finishing stages, sensing the need for additional support. Two such pairs have been added to the beams on either ends of this hall.

A closer look at one of the columns. Its color makes it look wooden. The design is quite complex with so many types of sections. Wondering if the columns were painted.. hope not.

This picture was shot with my mobile to get a wider shot. The circular disc like part seen at the top of the column is an independent object between the column and beam, held in place by the weight of the roof. Its a self-aligning part which allows flexibility in the structure to absorb seismic shocks.

This picture too is from my mobile phone, view of the same hall from another spot. I wonder of the pillar design has anything to do with the flow of cosmic energy.

The chandelier of central hall, the largest of three chandeliers of Tarakeshwara Devastana.

From the central hall, we move on towards the western part of the temple. If you look at the plan of the temple, this was the original entrance of the temple, the portion behind me must be the extension. As you see, the four columns form the Mukha Mantapa, there is Sukhnasi (seating platform) and the grand door frame is the entrance. The door opens into the Natya Mantapa which itself is formed by four grand columns.

Before stepping into the Mukhamantapa, lets check out the six images on the Sukhanasi backrest. The first one from left is a man and serpent, they seem to be friends. The second image is a man with multi-headed serpent. Then a man hugging a deer, a young girl, another serpent and lastly a seated man and a child.

On the other side is  five characters, three women and two men. The extreme right one is the most striking of all, a tall sexy looking girl.

Before we step into the Natya Mantapa, lets take a look at the Mukha Mantapa ceiling. Its a standard pattern, a 3 x 3 grid forming 9 cells. The cells are usually filled with images of gods or lotus. At the center and corners are full lotuses and the sides have half lotuses. The pleasant form of the lots is a warm welcome to visitors entering the temple. Shifting our view from the ceiling, lets take a look at the door frame. The door frame is crowned by seven miniature temples. Each of the temple is formed by a set of pillars and a crown. The central temple being the largest, right below which is the image of Gajalaxmi. The door frame has seven layers, each if the layer emerges from the crown, flowing downwards.

The symmetrical door frame of seven layers. For some reason there is some misalignment on the right hand side. Anyway, each of the layers has its own characteristics.

Each of the seven layers merge into their respective bases which rest on the threshold. Each of the bases have a niche with a bejeweled girl standing gracefully as though welcoming visitors. If you notice carefully, on the right hand side are seven such girls and on the left hand side are six. The seventh one is incomplete. I suspect it has been left incomplete intentionally. The threshold is grand too, wider in the middle and narrower at the sides. So when one enters or exits, it has to be from a side.

Here's a zoomed in view of the seven distinct layers. If you observe carefully, the images with human forms in unique stances.

Finally, we enter the Natya Mantapa. These are the two of four pillars. The pillar bases are richly decorated, the mid portions are polished to mirror finish. Between the four pillars is Nandi, sitting patiently in front of his lord. In the background is the Garbhagudi door frame and the flanking mesh screen. In the middle is the mesh screen wooden door.

Another view of the Garbagudi wall.

Notice the Natya Mantapa's circular stage. A temple visitor peeps through a gap for a Darshan of lord Tarakeshwara, a form of Shiva in his role as a psychopomp, a deliverer of the soul into freedom from rebirth - as per Wikipedia. Rituals are performed daily, then the door is closed for most of the day and opens again for evening rituals.

On the southern side of the Natya Mantapa is another Mantapa with a Shiva Linga in the center.

Having seen most of the temple, there's one set of images to to be seen at the eastern tip. These sculptures are on the back of the Sukhanasi. The images depict erotic scenes, couple engaged in sexual activity. Such images can be seen in many Hindu temples. I'd asked a person the purpose of such images. The answer was to ward off evil eyes on the temple. There could be other reasons.

With this we are done with the tour of this great temple. There's another temple within this site. Its a temple dedicated to Ganapati. We'll see that temple in the following post- Ganapati Devastana, Hangal.
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