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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