Dodda Basappa Devastana, Dambal

April 30, 2011

The main items on the agenda of the day were two forts- Srimantgad fort and Savanur fort, I stopped at Dambal since we were passing through the village. It was early morning when we reached Dambal, probably around 7 AM. Dambal is known for its two Chalukyan temples namely Someshwara Devastana and Dodda Basappa Devastana, they are situated almost opposite to each other, across the road. Besides these two temples, there are few other monuments-  1. a stepped well of Chalukyan times, local people call Japada Bavi, 2. ruins of a fort, 3. Ganesha Gudi, 4. Tontadarya Siddalingeshwar Math and several nameless monuments. Going by the number of monuments here, it looks like Dambal was a very important center during its heydays.

During my stop at Dambal I happened to see most of the places but I did not take proper pictures of any of these beautiful monuments. For some reason, I shot just a handful pictures. Here are few pictures shot at Dodda Basappa Devastana. The temple is an amazing structure, in fact this one of the few complete temples in good condition. When I say complete I mean its construction is complete including its Shikhara. The Shikhara is a handsome structure towering over the walls of the Garbhagudi. However, I could not get a proper picture of the temple itself because I was shooting directly into sunrays. Anyway, let's talk about the pictures.

Besides the temple Shikhara, Nandi is also a star attraction here. The lifesize Nandi is almost life like. Look at the stone's texture, the uneven shading makes the skin look so realistic. Nandi is placed directly opposite the temple's main entrance... facing the Shivalingu inside the Garbhagudi. 

Usually Nandi idols depict calves or young bulls. This one seems like a young bull, a very muscular one. The features are very realistic. Makes me wonder how one could sculpt a statue so realistic. I think the sculptor's hands worked involuntarily to the commands of the brain. The sculptor's mind is in complete control of his physical aspect.

This was shot against sunlight hence the haziness. In northern Karnataka, its a practice to keep Nandi idols covered in cloth since they are open to sky. I guess its a way to prevent unwanted stuff from falling on the idol.

This humanoid idol must be of a warrior queen who ruled over this area. I have no idea who it depicts but the idol is well made. Its a young lady, probably in her youth, a brave one who was adept with a sword.

This is the only picture of Dodda Basappa Devastana. As I mentioned earlier, the Shikhara is an amazing creation, in fact its much taller than the temple walls. I think the crown of the Shikhara is missing. There should've been a round ridged sculpture sitting atop the Shikhara. Probably that's the only missing bit.

The sight of these pictures is tempting me to visit Dambal very soon.

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