Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 4

...continued from Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 3.

In the previous chapters we saw the 3-temple island site of Vakkund, the exterior of temples-1 & temple-1, and then the interior of temple-1. In this chapter, we'll see the interior of temple-2. The below picture is the north-facing entrance of temple-2. On the right hand side there seems to be another door, which in fact a gap in the walls. It seems like incomplete construction. Had it been complete, we would've seen another mesh window on the right hand side as well.

Before we step in I would like you to see the site layout again. The site, situated on a hillock, has three temples, numbered 1 to 3. Temple-1 and temple-2 form a L in plan. Temple-3 stands on its own. Temple-1 is north-facing while 2 & 3 are east-facing.

This is the diagonal view of temple-2. As mentioned earlier the north-east corner of the structure is missing, either it was never built or it collapsed in natural course of time. I incline more towards incomplete theory because the structure overall is in the middle stages of construction. The exterior walls are rough-cut pillars which technically is an inner layer. The outer layer would be smooth-cut.

The same corner's inner view. The interior has taken shape with finished surfaces. The pillars are turned and polished, however these pillars are simpler compared to pillars of temple-1. In fact this temple's plan is quite simple- a Sabhamantapa with one entrance, Antharala and Garbhagudi.

The Sabhamantapa has a central Natya Mantapa i.e. a stage marked by four pillars placed in a square. One of the most prominent features of this temple is the mesh window. Had the north-east corner of this temple been there, the only source of ventilation would be the door and two mesh windows.

The mesh window and the southern wall. Though the walls are plain, the supporting pillars within it have an artistic touch. I feel even these pillars are incomplete.

Silhouette of the mesh pattern formed by a combination of direct sunlight and light reflecting off the water surface. I feel this is the effect the temple designer wanted to achieve. With the north-east corner present, the contrast would be sharper.

View of the Sabhamantapa from the Antharala (vestibule connecting Sabhamantapa and Garbhagudi). Unlike temple-1, this temple floor was cleaner i.e. no bat droppings. Looks like these winged mammals enter structures with cross-ventilation, because they have escape routes.

Anthrala & Garbhagudi door as seen through the Natya Mantapa. This hall can easily seat 35 to 40 adults around the stage. Unlike temple-1 which has Sukhanasi, people here have sit on the floor.

The roof of the Natya Mantapa is adorned with this marvelous sculpture depicting a lotus. This piece of art is made with hard dark stone. The sculpture is a perfect circle, each of the rings are exactly concentric, every petal is of the same size, and the hub is just superb. One could lie on the floor and stare at this lotus for hours... every aspect of this piece is precise and accurate.

The five-tier door-frame including a grand Thorana spans the entire width of the Antharala.

A closer look at the door jamb. This is a miniature mantapa with six pillars. 

Each of the five tiers of the doorframe starts & ends with a human figurines. One has to see this for real to appreciate the detailed sculpturing. The same standards have been maintained be it a large temple or a small temple. Once a feature has been included, its standards are never compromised. That's the commitment of ancient builders.

The Garbhagudi has a sculpture of a pedestal which seems apt for a Linga. Temple-1 is clearly a Jaina shrine but this temple i.e. 2, seems like a temple dedicated to Shiva Linga. Also the Garbhagudi doesn't have features typical to a Jain temple.

Standing at the northeast corner, I take a snap of temple-1 and temple-3, both are confirmed Jaina shrines. With this I was done with seeing temples 1 & 2.

This protected site, under the care of ASI is undergoing development. A small flat ground meant for a garden is covered with coat button flowers. These simple looking flowers create a pretty sight. Behind the 'curtain of coat buttons' is temple-3, our next stop.

This article will continue in Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 5.

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Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 3

...continued from Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 2.

The previous chapters were about reaching the historic site of Vakkund, and at the site, the tour began with a look at temple-1 & temple-2's exterior walls. The walls are generally plain and have mesh windows of different designs. Now lets check the interior of temple-1 i.e. Mukteshwara Gudi. This temple has three entrances, the main entrance being the north, and two side entrances on east and west. This picture below is the view through the western entrance which is a Mantapa. That water seen there is backwaters of Renuka Sagar / Malaprabha river.

While northern and eastern entrances are regular open type, only the western entrance is mantapa type. I'm assuming that during monsoon, westerly wind blows in rainwater, hence a mantapa was added to keep out rainwater. Back then the river flowed its normal course, the site situated about 100 to 300 meters from the shore depending on the season. Post 1972 CE, Navilu Thirtha dam became operational, since then Malaprabha water forms a reservoir called Renuka Sagar. The reservoir waters surrounds the site making the hillock an island. The sight of the backwaters through the mantapa will be a glorious one. Below is the door as seen from inside the temple.

This is the view of the mantapa from the outside, on the other end is the eastern entrance.

The western entrance as seen from the northern side. On the left are two of four pillars of Natya Mantapa. On the right is part of Sukhanasi, the raised seating platform with backrest. The doorframe is ornamental and flanked by a pair of incomplete mesh windows.

This picture was shot from the eastern entrance, directly ahead is the western entrance. At the center is the four-pillared Natya Mantapa. The temple is a plus mark in plan with the Natya Mantapa at the intersection. The pillars are of complex designs, a combination of circular and square sections. On the flat square faces are floral designs. The circular sections are inlaid with bead like designs and other interesting forms, The workmanship of the pillars is superb, highly talented minds & hands have produced these works of art.

On the south-western corner of the Sabha Mantaps is a smaller mantapa in which is an idol of Nagadeva, The walls flanking the Nagadeva mantapa feature incomplete perforations. This design is a standard in Chalukya, Kadamba and Kakatiya temples.

Before I go into the details of the Garbhagudi, I'll quote this temple's description from ASI Dharwad Circle website: The monument is located on the southern side at a distance of 3km from the village Wakkund on an island of Navilu Tirtha dam. There are three temples of which the Jaina temple located on top of the hillock is important. Facing North, this temple has on plan a garbhagriha, an antarala, an ardhamandapa (pillared hall) and a porch. The garbhagriha may have had housed an image of Jain Tirthankara; the pedestal of which is only remaining now. The door frame of the garbhagriha is divided into five shakhas of floral and mythical animals. The lower portion of the doorframe is depicted with the river Goddesses of Ganga and Yamuna. The lintel is adorned with Gajalakshmi. A pradakshinapatha goes around the garbhagriha.

A narrow antarala opens into the ardhamandapa. The door frame of the antarala is similar to the garbhagriha. The ardhamandapa (pillared hall) is supported by four pillars and twelve pilasters. The beams of the ardhamandapa are depicted with the Jain Tirthankaras. On stylistic grounds and based on the characters of the inscriptions it may belong to 11th or 12th century CE.

Stright ahead is the Antharala, the passage connecting Sabha-Mantapa and Garbhagudi. 

A closer look at the Antharala. Here we have two pairs of pillars, two on the outside and two inside. The outer pillars are regular size, similar to the rest of the pillars in the Sabha Mantapa. However the inner pillars are slimmer, also they are connected with a beam having three inverted domes. I guess the beam with domes is a Thorana.

Before we enter the Antharala, lets take a quick look at the Nayta Mantapa. These four pillars are the most ornate at this site. Closer shots of the pillars can be seen towards the end of this post. The white patches on the floor are bird droppings. This temple is deserted as long as this hillock is an island. That's when water birds seems to rest here, probably they rest here during midday sun.

View of the Natya Mantapa and northern entrance from the Antharala. At the center of the Natya Mantapa is a pair of feet (see inset).

Zooming out a bit, the Thorana pillars come into view. This would be the view an archaka would've seen for hours in a day... disciples coming and going. Imagine the hall filled with people assembled here for a meeting. Wish there was a way to capture scenes of the past.

Unlike other temples, the Antharala doesn't connect directly with the Garbhagudi since there is a Pradakshinapatha around the sanctum. The Pradakshinapatha (circumbulatory) is about 3' wide. The space is enclosed tightly except for small openings which allow ample light, and little air. I was little hesitant to step into this space because the floor was littered with bat droppings, a fairly strong odor filled the space too. The Garbhagudi door frame is an amazing piece of work. Look how heavy the Thorana part looks, its just too grand. The sanctum is bare i.e. there's no deity inside.

This is the circumbulation space. On the left hand side is Antharala and on the right is Garbhagudi. The ventilator there lets in light from the eastern side. The richness of the door frame is seen even in the side view. And on the floor, patches of dark stuff is bat droppings. I remember one bat hovering around for a minute before it vanished.

The wall on the right is probably the Garbhagudi rear wall. The walls are plain but the pillars have some basic engraving in the middle. Stepping over bat droppings and dusty floor was an uneasy thing to do, so I quickly shot a few snaps and came out, back into the Sabha Mantapa.

A symmetric silhouette of the eastern entrance. There's something in the design of the pillars, something deep, something mysterious about them... the profile, the precise grooves, the subtle designs. They seem like some highly sophisticated parts of some machine.

A part of the backrest of a Sukhnasi is visible here, it carries ornate murals. The pillars along the hall perimeter are shorter since they rest on the seating platform. 

A closer look at one of the outer pillars. The look of the pillar makes me think thus pillar functions likde a spring, as if the pillar has the ability to absorb shocks during an earthquake.

This collage of two images shows mid portion of a pillar and a part of the western entrance doorframe. These sculptures are complex, have intricate details in them. Producing them requires highly experienced and talented minds. 

Another collage of a lower middle section of a column and a portion of the door frame. These engravings are minute, accuracy to the tune of one micron. To achieve that accuracy the sculptor not only must be adept with tools but also know petrology i.e. knowledge of stones.

The most delicate engraving work at this temple is the floral art of four faces of every pillar. I don't think they every face has the same design, with a small variation, each of the engraving could be  unique.

There's a lot more one could see and know about this temple. Perhaps a visit would be more apt. Having said that I'll move on to temple-2 in the following post- Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 3.

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Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 2

...continued from Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 1.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, this site has three temples, which looks like two. With an intention of making the site layout clear I've included screen-shots from Google Maps in this post. This image below shows how the three temples are positioned on the hillock. Temples 1 & 2 are at a higher elevation compared to Temple-3. Coming to orientation, Temple-1 faces north while Temple-2 and Temple-3 face east. The 'tank' is a brick & mortar structure of unknown date. The only opening is at the top, a circular one. However, the hollow is filled with rubble. On inquiring with a local person, I was told it was a well. Hence I guessed it could be a water tank.

The second screen-shot focuses on temples 1 and 2. These two temples are at right angles to each other in plan. To get a sense of orientation, I've marked a few key points with alphabets.

Lets start with temple-1. This north-facing temple has three entrances, the three passages converge into the Ranga Mantapa or the Sabha Mantapa. The entrance seen here is the north one, marked as A in the previous picture. There's a flat space on the eastern side of this temple, which has been leveled artificially for the sake of tourists' convenience. The remaining sides are natural with various degrees of inclinations.

First I'll go clockwise around the exterior covering both temples. The architecture seems Chalukyan. One can see all the features in confirmed Chalukyan creations. The stone used for building this dark and hard type.

This is the eastern projection with an entrance, marked as B. This Mantapa has a central stage and Sukanasi on three sides, providing ample seating space for any gatherings.This region receives fairly good rainfall. Ancient temple builders have provided ample rainwater drain points on the roof.

Another view of the eastern entrance. The corner (marked as C) seen on the left hand side is where the walls of temple-1 and temple-2 meet. Looks like the builders squeezed in the second temple due to limited area.

This is temple-2. Somehow the corner beams and pillar are missing. The actual entrance is on the left hand side.

Marked as D, this is the east facing entrance. I guess, the face of this temple was symmetric i.e. it must have had another window on the door's right side. I'm standing on the southern side of the hillock which is quite steep. These walls encloses a Sabha Mantapa, just a plain hall with no Sukhanasi.

Side view of temple-2. The walls seen here are rough on the outside but smoother on the inside. The exterior is supposed to have another layer of well finished blocks. It seems this temple is incomplete. Its the same with the roof... rough cut blocks is the inner layer. The second layer will make the roof flat and even.

The well finished projecting slabs is a proof that the temple platform was complete. The upper section i.e. the columns, beams and walls were being constructed when work stopped for unknown reasons.

This is where the two temples' walls meet. On the left is temple-1 and on the right is temple-2. Looks like there was a narrow gap between the two which has been filled with small bits of stones. Note the difference in finish of walls. The wall on extreme left is complete with smooth faced blocks.

These walls cover the circumbulatory around the sanctum. There are two meshed ventilators on two walls to allow light and air inti the closed space. I peeped in through the vent holes, it was pretty dark inside, of course with bright sunshine out here, the interior will appear darker.

This view is from the point marked F in the screenshot. Going by the looks, the rear exterior of both temples are incomplete. The builders must have planned to complete the faces first and then work their way to the rear ends.

Behind the wall in the foreground is the Antharala (vestibule) connecting the Rangamantapa and Pradakshinapatha (circumbulatory).

A very picture of the western walls of temple-1. The ground slopes down which means I have to point the camera up to the glare of the bright sunshine.

View of the slope from where I shot the previous picture. The still waters of Renuka Sagar and in the distance is left bank. My back is flat against the vestibule wall, I wanted to capture the shadow so that you get an  idea of the building's form here.

One of the 7 or 8 ventilators in temple-1, each of the designs is unique.

Another bad picture of the western side, here the western entrance is seen. Of the 3 entrances, the western entrance is different, it has an enclosure which can be called as Mukhamantapa. To my knowledge, this is the only temple featuring a special mantapa for one entrance.

A slightly clearer view of the Mantapa. The view of the river from the mantapa is superb and the cool breeze blowing over the water adds to the effect. Surely this mantapa has a purpose to it, I can't imagine what.

Having covered the exterior, I'll close this post here. We'll see the interiors in the following post- Mukteshwara Gudi, Vakkund - chapter 3.

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