Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 3

...continued from Ikkeri Aghoreshvara Devastana - part 2

In the first and second parts of this article, the temple's exterior and perforated windows from the inside were covered. Now, I'm in the Mukhamantapa, the pillared hall of this temple. Behind these doors are Ardhamandapa and Garbhagriha. The seven layered door frame is ornate, its a grand one. Despite the grandness of this temple, the choice of raw material (stone) in this temple is questionable. The texture is not consistent. Probably it was consistent during the time of construction, something changed later on. Or it be a recent happening.. result of chemical treatment.

This is the four pillared central Mantapa within the Mukhamandapa. It's a stage for meetings or dance performance. The columns are heavy and ornate. The base of the columns is square section, the four faces are plain. There weren't any inscription on it. May be it was kept blank for future sculptors to exhibit their skill.

The central Manatapa's ceiling. A matrix of nine lotus. The way the nine lotus are separated is clever. Mid-April I received a puzzle in one of my Whatsapp groups. The puzzle was to quarantine nine dogs (arranged in 3x3 matrix) using two squares. One of the members drew two squares exactly as shown here. What a coincidence!

Apart from the nine lotuses, the ceiling has not other ornamentation. Lets take a look at some of the columns. The bottom most figure is the scene of Krishna slaying Aghasura the demon. Aghasura had taken the form of an enormous serpent. Krishna's friends, the cowherd boys, entered Aghasura's mouth mistaking it for a cavern. Krishna rescued the boys and slayed Aghasura. The bird in the middle must be a peacock. The image of a man with rope around his legs and torso seems to be performing a Aasana.

Another pillar with Krishna slaying Aghasura and squatting man with rope. The columns' corners are carved into a complex set of curves. Every column is hall has such carvings.The bottom figure is a man dancing gleefully. He seems to be holding some musical instrument in his hands.

Here we have a monkey eating some round object, a peacock and squatting Ganesha. The corner carvings are slightly more complex compared the previous picture.

The corner carvings depicts an imaginary creature, its jaws apart and teeth exposed. The column face has two figurines- one male and one female. The man is playing a stringed musical instrument like a Veena, only the gourd is missing. The well built woman is holding a mace, she must be a warrior. The woman is flanked by two lions.

Here we have a long flat face with a niche at its bottom. Inside the nice is a well built woman holding a baby in her left hand. The image is disproportionate.. her left feet is oversize. The female character could be Poothani (Putana) the female demon who killed infants.

This column features a wheel.. it could be a lotus or Sudharshana Chakra. The woman at the top is holding a yak-hair fan, the type used in temples and Mathas. The bottom figure is a young boy playing a drum. He looks like Krishna.

This column features a long floral strip. The corner carvings are asymmetrical here. There's a difference in the curvature lengths. Below the corner carvings, on both sides are vertical strips with repetitive shapes. Its a nice touch.

Another column with floral ornamentation. Comparing this picture to the previous one, there's a difference in the radii of the curvatures. Wondering if this inconsistency is real or only in the images.

One of the columns featured this image- three parrots entangled into a tight circle. Each of the columns have many interesting images, brilliant patterns and designs. To see all one will need hald a day. With this our tour of the main shrine comes to an end.

This is the sub-shrine besides the main temple, dedicated to Parvati, In plan, Aghoreshwara temple is 35 meters long x 19 meters wide and Parvati temple 12 meters long x 7.5 meters wide. The Nandi inside the Mantapa is positioned in such a way that it's left eye is aimed at Aghoreshwara and its right eye is towards Parvati.

This is Parvati temple's Garbhagudi gutter. This is a beautiful piece, very graceful. Because of its color, it looks like cast iron. In ancient times, the pooja water and milk used to be consumed as Theertha by people and cattle. The collection used to be well maintained so that Theerta is fit for consumption. However, in the present time, that's not the case. Some places the liquid stays stagnant for days, decomposing and giving out foul stink. Temple priests must ensure holy/sacred water isn't wasted. At least it should be let off to plants.

We were done with Ikkeri Aghoreshwara Devatsana. Before we leave, lets take a quick look at this small tower besides the temple gate. This structure is made of laterite blocks, its top surface is covered with stone slabs. There could be a well at the center or may be this is just a small tower.

With the sun beating down, we did not want to stand here any more than required. We headed back to the car, washed my arms and face and resumed out journey.
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