Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 2

..continued from Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 1.

In the first part we covered the Nandi Mantapa and the main temple's (Aghoreshwara Devastana) facade and eastern side. The main temple is north facing, in plan is 35 meters long x 19 meters wide and symmetrical. This is the rear end of the temple. As you see, the rear elevation is symmetrical too. On the left hand side is Parvati Devastana. The Nandi idol head is slightly turned- its left eye looks at Aghoreshwara and right eye looks at Parvati.

Now we move towards the western side of the temple. The floor I was standing on was super heated, it was not possible to stand at a spot for more than 10 seconds. In fact people ran in search of shade.I somehow tolerated the discomfort trying to get some decent shots. The corner view of the Garbhagudi is a handsome sight. It has three shrines on its outer walls, did not really check out the deities inside.

The temple's Mukhamandapa is wider than the Garbhagriha. The other difference is the canopy which is present only in the Mukhamandapa.

The Garbhagriha walls are made of smaller blocks, even the corner are blocks instead of columns. The sub-shrine on this face is vacant.  At the lintel level, there are five gutters to drain our water on the roof. Have to see this temple after a heavy downpour.

Compared to Chalukyan and Hoysala architecture, Keladi Nayaka architecture seems simplified. Probably, humans changes, their qualities were diluted, thereby diluting the dedication to their profession and the sense of quality. The base level of this temple is very simple compared to Chalukyan temples. Nevertheless, ancient stonework is admirable.

Moving on to the front of the temple, I notice this moon and encircled horse on the wall. Along the base of the wall is a strip of peacocks, flowers and sitting lions ~ beautiful, gentle and strong.

Row of Kirtimukha in the base level of the Mukhamandapa. They look fierce when lit with bright sunlight. In shade they looks less fierce.

Balustrade flanking the steps at the western door. The imaginary creature is identical to the ones on the other side. The angle of light has enhanced the sculpture's features nicely. The circular shadow of the tongue has matched the curvature of the hind quarters.

Each balustrade must be weighing 350 kgs. Did one sculptor make all of of them or many were involved. How many sculptors worked on this entire temple and for how long? Who cleared out the waste material and what happened to it? As I know, heaps of waste stone (chips from carving) hasn't been discovered near any of the temples. How was it disposed?

Taking a closer look at one balustrade. The man seems to be blowing a conch. What could be the purpose of the spiral. Does it hint people to focus inwards, into a single point?

 Side view of the Mukhamantapa is quite elegant. Were there windows on the right hand side, it would've looked balanced. Surely the builders had reason for adding windows there.

The door and perforated windows are the only source of direct light inside at this point of time. Shafts of light entering through the small openings will have an interesting effect inside.. light would scatter instead of one bright patch. Lets go in and check out.

These three windows are the same ones seem in the above picture. Light is so bright, it has blurred the corners. With a DSLR, one can get the right shot. Also, had I shot it straight ahead the effect would've been better. For that, the door had to be shut.

These are the last two windows. The corner is less bright hence the contrast is better. The effect would be better when Sun is lower, around 4-30 or 5-00 pm.

These windows are on the eastern side. Squares, rhombus and stepped rhombus. There are few more patterns which aren't included here.

I'll end this part with a view of the Mukhmantapa. The hall has a central Mantapa supported by four columns, ten columns around the four and more columns along the periphery wall. The columns are quite high, floor to ceiling height should be 14 to 15 feet. The hall is quite spacious and it was cool despite the hot weather outside. These columns have been standing here, bearing the load of beams and roof for the last 500 years.

This article will continue in the following post- Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 3.
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Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 1

Ikkeri, Keladi, Humcha and Nagara fort have been on my list for years. Somehow the time came for the first two, Pushpa and I were travelling from Dharwad to Bangalore. I wanted to avoid NH48 because of the ongoing repair work, the drive between Hubli and Chitradurga has too many diversions and rough patches. So I decided to drive down via Sirsi and see few places on the way. Ikkeri was the last of the three places of our list.

February 22, 2020
After a lunch break on the outskirts of Sagar town, we drove into the town. It took 30 minutes to come out the labyrinth of narrow streets. As usual we must've taken the shortest route suggested by Google Maps. Ikkeri is about 4 kms south of Sagar. The temple is easy to find. There's plenty of parking space available near the temple but for a shaded spot you'll have to park 100 meters away. The day was bright and warm, this won't be a comfortable tour. No foot wear even around the temple, we had to taken them off at the gate. Super heated slabs greeted us to this monument.

The man in green shirt here is the temple's caretaker. The moment he saw my camera bag he said no shooting with DSLR, mobile phones are okay. I asked him of the instruction was put in writing no. Requested him to connect me to his officer. He called from his phone, my request to shoot with DSLR was declined. All of sudden ASI officers are behaving strange- only verbal instructions, nothing in writing. So I had to shoot with my phone. All these pictures are shot in Moto Z.

This structure is the Nandi Mantapa. It works like a screen for the main structure. Visitors approaching the temple will not see it straight ahead,, they'll have to go around the Nandi Mantapa and see the side of the main temple. I'm guessing the builder did this on purpose, to prevent ketta drishti ~ evil eyes. I could be wrong though.

Aghoreshvara Devastana is a protected monument. ASI board planted here reads as folows:
Ikkeri grew into a powerful independent kingdom with capital at Keladi under the early Vijayanagara chiefs. During the reign of Chaudappa Mayaka (A.D. 1499-1544), the capital was shifted from Keladi to Ikkeri.
The north-south orientated Aghoreshvara temple, built in granite, during the time of Nayakas of Keladi, is a classic example of the Nayaka style of architecture. Stylistically it is datable to sixteenth century A.D.
On plan it has a Garbhagriha, an Ardhamandapa and a large Mukhamandapa with separate pavilion for Nandi. Interiorly the floor in front of the shrine has effigies of three Keladi chiefs doing obeisance. The Garbhagriha contains a gigantic pedestal sculpted with 32 seated female figures. The temple has a metal image of 32 handed Aghoreshvara. In the Ardhamandapa is a small translucent Nandi carved out of white spar. Flanking the Ardhamandapa doorway, on either side are two niches, containing sculptures of Ganesa and Kartikeya to right and Mahishamardini and Bhairava to left. The front Mukhamandapa is supported by carved, pillars. Exteriorly the sanctum has a huge Sikhara in the Dravida order. The walls of the sanctum have double pilaster turrets. The walls of Mukhamandapa are pierced with three ornate doorways approached by balustraded steps. The northern main entrance is flanked by caparisoned elephants. The available space of the walls is provided with nearly twenty perforated windows with ornamental arches interspersed with figure sculptures. The Nandimandapa has a huge couchant bull with Yali-balustraded steps at south. The pavilion has lion-based pillars. Towards the west is Parvati shrine built on similar lines to the main temple with lesser dimensions and fewer sculptures.

Ikkeri being located in Western Ghats received lot of rain. The ancient builders designed buildings such that it stayed as dry as possible. Hence the sloped roof on all sides.

Looking back towards the entrance for a moment. A simple rectangular arch to mark the entrance. The ornate structure in the foreground is about 5½ feet tall. I have no idea what its purpose is. I sometimes feel its akin to Buddhist Stupas which are usually much bigger.

Nandi Mantapa as seen from Aghoreshwara temple steps. The flight of steps leading in are flanked by ornate balustrades (Khatanjali in Kannada). Being a long weekend, the place buzzed with tourists. The number of people inside the cramped Nandi Mantapa was crazy. The bad part was women with kids, they were forcing the toddlers to pass under Nandi's raised foreleg. It was clear the kids weren't enjoying the ordeal but the moms and aunts were ecstatic. Some older kids were placed on Nandi's back. Not to forget their photography.. all were selfie experts. What madness!

The caretaker's attitude- he was fine with people all over the monument but he had problem with DSLRs!!

Nandi idol is approximately 6 feet tall. Its made of granite, almost mirror like finish. One can describe this Nandi with the word caparisoned - be decked out in rich decorative coverings. Nandi is sitting looking towards Aghoreshwara with left eye and the right eye is towards Parvati temple which is right next to the main temple.

The bell chain around its body is magnificent. Every little detail is perfect. The three hanging bells are almost real. I'm sure live bulls were decorated with such fine jewelry back then. The  jewelry could be made of brass, silver or gold too. Such was the respect oxen had. Same with elephants and horses.

This is the main door of Aghoreshwara temple, flanked by a pair of caparisoned elephants. This is a north-facing temple with three doors. The other two doors are on the sides. In plan the temple is symmetric.

The front wall more or less flat. The walls are decorated with relief sculptures and perforated windows, The door frame is elaborate with a pair of the Dwarapalas at the base.

This is the north-eastern corner of the temple. The roof overhangs by 3 to 4 feet on each side. The overhang is needed for the heady downpour during monsoons. Perforated windows on side walls as well.

A row of lion heads (Kirtimukha) around the base of the temple.

The temple floor is 6 feet above ground level. The main shrine building in plan is '35 meters long X 19 meters wide' and the sub-shrine building is '12 meters long X 7.5 meters wide.' The side entrances' steps have spiral balustrades. The imaginary creature depicted on the balustrade has horse's body, and lion's head & legs. The creature is symbolizes great strength.

This is the other side of the balustrade. The flower emerging out from the spiral is a nice touch. The stones which are exposed to rain have turned grey. I guess the grey matter is dried lichen.

This the eastern door. The jamb is ornate and had Dwarapalas. For some reason the door frame has been painted red, probably during some festival.

In plan the building's rear half is narrower than the front half. The rear side of the building has these solid projections. There are some interesting sculptures on these projections.

Many of the human figurines are depicted with long hair, nicely combed. In this case even teeth are clearly visible. There's one such character in the balustrade.. hair nicely combed.

Two more images one woman and a round face with popping eyes in a circle. The rough finish and dried lichen blurs the images features.

This is the Garbhagriha gutter, a highly ornate piece of sculpturing this is. In fact this looks like a water tap. Below the gutter inside the niche is an elephant, it looks as though it is bearing the weight of the gutter.

All the while we walked on shaded floor. The sunlit stone slabs were so hot that it was little shock. Unable to bear the heat, fellow tourists run towards shade. I found a small patch of shade next to these bushes. It was much cooler there. The temple's rear view is quite a sight. There's a sub-shrine against the rear wall, can't remember if there was any idol inside it.

I'll stop here and continue the article in the following post- Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 2
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Keladi Rameshwara Devastana - part-2

...continued from Keladi Rameshwara Devastana - part-1.

In the first part we covered the exterior of the three temples in the enclosure. The three temples are Rameshwara Devastana, Veera BHadreshwara Devastana nd Parvati Aalaya. The first two temples are merged into one structure, but their Garbhagrihas are separate, even their Navaranga Mantapas are separate. Parvati Aalaya's Garbhagudi is built of stone but its Navaranga Mantapa is made of stone, brick & mortar and covered in off-white lime.

This is the Navaranga Mantapa of Veera Bhadra Devastana. This the aisle between two lines of columns. On the far end is Garbhagudi wall, on it is a sculpture of Naigamesha, a character from Hindu legend who has human body with goat's head.

The interior walls, just like the external walls are covered with models of temples. Different types of Shikharas have been featured here.

Wondering if the sculptors tried to represent any of the temples that existed or is these are imaginary.

The temple's ceiling is also covered with interesting artwork such as this serpent maze. The sculptor has cleverly looped the serpent's body into a circular maze. One can actually trace the body from head to tail. I tried three times but lost track. May be I must print it on paper and trace the path with a pencil or pen. The diameter of this maze could be 3 feet. If the serpent's body is laid in a straight line it could be 25 feet long. I'm  sure there's science and math behind this maze.

Another serpent maze, this time its lopped into an octagon. This maze is tighter compared to the circular one, my attempt to trace the body went in vain. Let me try it some other time. The other image features six Langur (long tailed monkey), a man and a plant. The top four monkeys seem to be worried of something, even the man is lost in thoughts. The monkeys sitting besides the man are distracted from their worrisome thought. This is a peculiar image, no idea what it conveys.

Probably this is the most important artwork in the ceiling. Gandaberunda, the imaginary two-headed bird which is much more powerful than a lion or an elephant. The bird has held lions in its beaks and elephants in its talons. Gandaberunda is the royal insignia of Mysore Kingdom and offical emblem of Karnataka state government.

This is an elegant piece of artwork. The artiest has made a maze of a creeper. The creeper is looped gracefully and fit into a circle. At the center is a lotus. In fact the ceiling is covered with eye pleasing, clever works of art..

This sculpture features the beauty of geometrical designs. The panel is quite large, probably 40 or 50 such flowers. Ech flower is enclosed in an octagram which in turn is inside an octagon. Four such octagons form an Isotoxal (four pointed star) and each isotoxal holds a flower. Each octagon and  octagram together form eight rhombuses. Even to draw this on paper is not an easy task for us and our ancient sculptors drew it on stone.

One has to sit and look up to these sculptures. Something like day time sky gazing. One can get engrossed in those art and mazes, it can be as good as meditation.

The priests were busy wit the ritual, meaning busy chanting Slokas. So the musical team was taking a break. In think its a family team, father and sons. In the background is the Dhwajastambha. This face features Ganapathi. The other three faces have Veerabhadreshwara, Parvati and Shiva astride Nandi.

This image could be representation of Veerabhadreshwara, an incarnation of Shiva. Veerbhadra depicts anger and ferocity of Shiva. The image features Sun & Moon, locks of matted hair, Trishula, Damaru and a staff like object. Also, there are two other characters- 1. warrior wielding shield and machete and 2. creature with human head on dog's body. They could be Bhringi and his dog. Before moving on, let me point out the scorpion on the pedestal. The scorpion image is quite realistic. If its seen in moonlight, it might looks like a real one.

At the south-east corner of the enclosure are two hero-stones. The larger one is in memory of a warrior who gave up life in a battle. The smaller one is also dedicated to a warrior.

We were done with the tour of the temple and came towards the exit. I noticed a big wooden tank like structure. On checking with one of the temple staff members, I learnt it was a granary to store paddy or rice. Originally there were two such tanks. The temple's lands produced enough paddy to fill in both tanks. The second tank was dismantled few years ago since paddy production is much lesser.

Lastly, the four figurines - two couples of this temple. The two fierce looking characters and two gentle looking female partners. The pegs below their feet indicated they are detachable. I'm guessing these figurines would be mounted on the Devastana Theru ~ temple chariot, during the procession. In fact the chariot was being decorated on this day. The figurines look freshly painted and ready for the annual fair.

Outside, the temple garden is dominated by this Aaladamara.

One last look at the temple before we said bye. Oh, almost forgot telling that the temple entrance has two open halls on either sides. Comfortable place to relax there. Also the wooden beams and rafters of the roof is impressive. There was a man sitting in the hall, suddenly he said photography is not allowed in Hindi. Apparently he was ASI caretaker of this temple, did not speak Kannada. I suggested him to learn Kannada since he's working in Karnataka. His response- its not mandatory to know Kannada. Why are such people even employed where tourism is involved. They need to be trained appropriately. And why restrict photography? Quite baffling.

Stone's throw from the temple is Keladi museum. It looked closed and even were not a mood to inquire. We were hungry, went in search of a spot for lunch.

A kilometer before Sagar town, we saw a new housing layout. We found a spot under a tree, parked the car and pulled out the lunch bag. We sat on the ground, spread newspapers, unpacked jolada rotti, chatni, curds, tomato and cucumber. It was a satisfying lunch followed by yeli-adkee.

Our next stop would be Agoreshwara Devastana at Ikkeri.
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Keladi Rameshwara Devastana - part-1

February 22, 2020
The drive between Banavasi and Keladi was scenic with green forests, hills, ponds and green tunnels. Roads were in good condition, journey was comfortable. We reached Keladi by 12-30 pm. The temple is situated right next to the main road, close to the government school, can be located easily. Sun was beating down and any car parked in open would be an oven in 15 minutes. Luckily the temple's chariot shed was open and vacant. Parked the car inside. Now I can go around the temple peacefully.

A flight of steps takes you up the mound on which the temple is situated. The enclosure has two separate structures but three shrines, all are east-facing. The larger structure is the main temple is a merger of Rameshwara Devastana and Veerabhadreshwara Devastana. The smaller structure houses Parvati Aalaya. The main temple is a built in stone but the smaller structure is built of stone, brick & mortar and painted. The below picture is of the main temple. It has four entrances, two in the front and two on the sides.

This temple is a protected monument. A board planted by ASI reads as follows:
Rameswara Temple, Keladi
Keladi was the first capital of the illustrious Keladi Nayakas. The capital was subsequently shifted to Ikkeri under Chandrappa Nayaka (AD 1499-1544) and to Bidanur in AD 1639 by Virabhadra Nayaka (AD 1629-1645).
The temple of Ramesvara, is of medium size constructed out of greenish grey schist. It is built in sixteenth century in mixed Hoysala and Dravida styles in east-west orientation, It has a small Garbhagriha with its own Pradakshina, a small Mahamandapa (Navaranga) and a Mukhamandapa, The Mahamandapa has relief sculptures or devotees at east and western ends.
Similarly built is the Virabhadra temple next to it which has a projected porch. Both the Ramesvara and Virabhadra temples have a common Mukhamandapa with Jagati. One of the ceilings of Virabhadra temple has a mythical twin-headed bird Gandabherunda. The shrines are enclosed by a tile-roofed cloister supported by wooden pillar.

Lets go around the temples and see the exterior. All round the enclosure is the tiled roof, its one long open hall where visitors can rest or perform rituals. The Dhwajastambha seen here is a monolithic pillar. It is situated opposite Veera Bhadreshwara shrine.

The temple's side entrance. The external walls have relief works depicting temple Shikhara and miniature columns. The sculpturing work are simple but well done.

Afternoon Pooja was being done. Its customary to hold an umbrella over the deity. The man in white carrying an oil lamp is one of many assistants.

A group of five priests were going around the temples carrying a deity and offerings. A group of musicians accompanied the priests, in fact the musicians took the lead while going the temple.

This is the rear side of the main temple. The Garbhagriha parts of the buildings are separate, no common wall. The Shikharas are brick & mortar constructions. The side and rear walls are plain except for one sculpture.

This is the sculpture behind Veera Bhadreshwara temple. The central image is an imaginary creature, its extraordinary even when compared with other imaginary creatures seen in Hindu temples. This is hybrid beast in humanoid posture. Lion's head on a fish's body. (body has scales, hence fish). Its legs are elephant legs and arms are elephant trunks. The weirdest creature ever seen. According to my friend Sudhin this creature is called Yali, Quoting Sudhin's description here "Its an imaginary animal. Believed as more powerful than lion. Strength as elephant, can fly as bird, run as horse and lions majesty." All in one. Having checked the page on Wikipedia, this creature is not Yali. Accompanying this creature are four women. Flanking the central image are eight individual images depicting humans in various postures. Can't identify the characters.

Moving on to Parvati Aalaya. The Garbhagrihs walls are made of stone, only its Mukhamantapa is brick & mortar construction. Also it has a tile roof and no Shikhara. Its three doorways are all arched. The rear wall has a single sculpture in the center.

I guess this is Shiva-Parvati but I'm not sure. Instead of Trishula there's an axe with spearhead. Also the presence of two birds is unusual for Shiva's images. However, since this is Parvati's shrine, it has to be Shiva-Parvati.

This is the interior of Parvati Aalaya. Behind the mesh work is the Garbhgriha. The two dark colored objects on either sides look like dumb-bells. This hall seems to be an extension of the main temple.

The cream colored temple is Parvati Aalaya, Its looks reminds me of temples of Goa and coastal Karnataka. The stone building with steps is Rameshwara Devastana.

This is Rameshwara Devasthana Navaranga. The columns look heavy and solid, Vijayanagara architecture.

View of Veera Bhadreshwara Navaranga. The floor is four or five steps lower than Rameshwara Devasthana. This Navaranga is has more open space and seating platforms of the sides.

Veera Bhadreshwara Garbhagriha entrance. On either sides, little away from the door, are two life size statues of two theriocephalic (human body with animal's head) creatures- 1. human body with lion head and 2. human body with goat head. The doorway itself is manned by a pair of Dwarapalas.

A closer look at the theriocephalic creatures- the one with goat's head is Naigamesha, And the one with lion's head is Narasimha?

The narrow space between two rows across the length of Navaranga. The walls and columns are mostly covered Shikharas and Stamnhas.

This article will continue in the following post- Keladi Rameshwara Devastana - part-2.
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