Chikaleshwar Devastana, Konnur

Chikaleshwara Devastana of Konnur is one of the least known Chalukyan temples. This is a group of temples in one compound, dedicated to Chikadeva, Mahalakshmi, Hanumanta, Mahadeva and Basavanna. The main temple is said to be Chikadeva aka Chikaleshwar was built by during Chalukyan rule in the X or XI Century CE. I learned about this temple from the website of ASI, Dharwad Circle.

September 23, 2022

The agenda for the day was to visit relatives at Yelimunnoli village near Hukkeri, then visit two historic places near Gokak on the way back to Dharwad. The two historic places were Arbhavimata and Konnur. The former is an ancient Lingayath monastery where the mortal remains of Raja Mallasarja Desai of Kittur lie buried. The latter i.e. Konnur is known for Chikaleshwar Devastana and prehistoric megalithic tombs (dolmen). We reached Arbhavimata around 12-30 pm. As we were looking at the impressive buildings of the monastery, we were asked to partake meals (Anna Prasada) along with few other visitors. After lunch we headed towards Konnur which is a short drive away. Just before Konnur is another village called Dhupdal where we stopped for a minute to take snaps of a 112 year old church. Few minutes later we entered Konnur village, a narrow street lead to the village square which is the access point for the temple complex.

At the square, as we asked directions to Chikaleshwara Gudi, we happened to bump into the caretaker Shankar Jiddimani and his son Shivu. I parked the car at the square and followed Shankar by walk. As mentioned before, this temple complex has five shrines, surely all are ancient. However, all shrines have been renovated with modern materials except Chikaleshwara Gudi which is a protected monument. So, here we are looking at the sandstone structure built in the X or XI Century CE.

This east facing temple is a fully enclosed shrine with one entrance and four ventilators on the sides. This is a standard design in Chalukyan architecture.

This is the rear diagonal view. The lines flowing vertically is an indication of the good workmanship of ancient builders.

Quoting the description of this temple from ASI Dharwad Circle website:

The Chikaleshvar or Chikadeva temple, which is in the later Chalukyan style has a garbhagriha, an ardhamandapa and a renovated navaranga. The garbhagriha is star-shaped and has a Kadamba Nagara shikhara with a shukanasa. The navaranga was renovated in 1973. An inscription of Chalukya Someshwar – I, speaks of a grant of land to a temple, whose name is lost and inscription is dated saka 955 (C. 1033 CE).

The sculpted block on the roof is an interesting piece. It is trapezium shaped and elegantly ornate. At the center is an image of Dhyanasta Shiva enclosed in three concentric tiers of different themes. The concentric circles are held gracefully by creepers. This sculpture is akin to a bindi on forehead.

It was nice to see the well maintained temple, both interior and exterior were clean and tidy. The interior is simple but has standard features of a Chalukyan temple.... Navaranga Mantapa, Anthrala with a perforated screen, and a pair of niches flanking the Garbhagudi. The columns of this temple are functional, aesthetically they are plain but elegant.

Diagonal views of the Navaranga.

A closer look at the sanctum. Along with the deity, Shiva Linga is Nandi as well. I think originally Nandi was in the Navaranga, for some reason Nandi has been moved into the sanctum when the temple was reconditioned.

That's it. We head back towards the car with a quick look at Lakshmi Gudi. This temple seems to attract huge crowds hence the arrangements for people to sit in shade.

A closer view of the shrine. The original components have been replaced or modified. The modifications have been done neatly, the whiteness of the shrine gives it a peaceful feel.

Back at the village square, I asked Shankar about the dolmen. Apparently local people call it Shantisagar Gufa. The word "gufa" means cave in Hindi. It seems an ascetic named Shantisagar practiced dhyana there, hence the name. Shankar appointed his son Shivu to take me to the dolmen site which was a couple kilometers from here. I thanked Shankar and left Konnur... very excited to be visiting another prehistoric site.

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Sri Duradundishwara Punyaranya Siddasansthana, Arabhavi Mata

A few years ago I heard that Raja Mallasarja Desai, king of Kittur kingdom and husband of Rani Chennamma, died at Arabhavi Mata. His mortal remains are said to be buried within the Mata premises. Besides the Mata's own history, Raja Mallasarja's connection makes this even more important place. A visit to Arabhavi Mata was on the list of places to visit until the day we planned to visit Hukkeri. Since we were traveling by car I added a few historical places to the plan- Arabhavimata, Chikaleshwara Gudi and prehistoric dolmen at Konnur.

September 23, 2022

We left Dharwad around 6-15 AM, drove straight to Yelimunnoli, a village near Hukkeri town. During that visit, November 2015, I happened to see the three Mohamadden tombs of Hukkeri built in the XVI Century. The purpose of the visit was to meet Pushpa's relatives at Yelimunnoli. Around noon we left Yelimunnoli / Hukkeri and headed towards Gokak, Arabhavi Mata was our destination. The monastery is adjacent to Ghataprabha-Gokak highway. We turn off the main road,, into a side road which lead to the monastery. This imposing gateway comes into view. I had least expected to see a building of this size. Wow! This is like a palace's gateway.

The board over the doorway states the formal name of this monastery- Sri Duradundishwara Punyaranya Siddasansthana, Arabhamvimata. People commonly refer to this place as Arabhavi Mata. It is said that this monastery is 500 to 600 years old. The present head of this monastery is the eleventh seer. This structure made of dressed sandstone blocks seems to be approximately 200 to 300 years old.

View through the gateway... The gateway is a sheltered structure with platform on either sides. Probably in the olden days there used to be guards stationed here. The pillared structure is the main shrine of this premises, its is the temple dedicated to the founder i.e. Shivayogi Duradundishwara. Inside the temple is his Samadhi.

In the present there aren't any sentries guarding the entrance. However, a part of this gateway is being used as a post office. So this is officially Arabhavi Mata post office with its own pin code 591310. Its always nice to see a red postbox in this age of digital technology.

The Samadhi building is an impressive structure. First of all, has a high base, its almost 6' high. Then the pillars & beams, over them is the roof. The overall height could a little over 20 feet. The line of pillars goes around  perimeter. I'm guessing there are approximately 44 pillars. Between the pillars and the sanctum wall is the circumbulatory path i.e. people who wish to go around the Gadduge can walk in that space. Another interesting thing is the pair of identical idols on either sides. They are idols of larger than life, man sitting cross-legged in a seat.

A quick turn around to take a look at the inner side of the gateway and a row of tiles roof rooms. These rooms seems to be the seer's residence-office. This courtyard would be covered with temporary shelters during the annaul fair or any special occasion. 

A diagonal view of the Sri Duradundishwara Gadduge. The pillars are more or less identical except for minor variations in murals. We couldn't enter the steps and go up to the sanctum entrance since a team of men were washing the walls and floor of the circumbulation path. Cleaning was part of preparation for Navaratri. Until now I hadn't paid much attention to the pair of larger than life idols.

For a moment I was taken back on noticing the genitals. There must be a story behind these idols... well built, huge belly, handlebar mustache, a turban, saffron cloth around the neck, a lungi ties around the waist and genitals exposed. I was curious about the unusual idols but people were really busy, didn't feel like interrupting them. Hopefully one day I'll unravel the story behind these dressed yet naked depiction.

Since the Gadduge was out of bounds for the next few hors we decided to check out Raja Mallasarja's memorial which was behind the main shrine.

The rear part of the Gadduge building seems to have several rooms in two levels. I guess these are rooms for the priests and other staff here. Probably few of the rooms are store rooms as well. I think the monastery had immense financial support in the past, probably still has.

Behind the main shrine are several smaller structures. Inside this long building with two doors are Gadduge of seers of this monastery. I took a quick peep inside, there were three or four Gadduge inside. Opposite this is a smaller shrine, not sure of the deity inside. 

The board planted here reads the names of the eleven seers of this monastery. Following is the transcript of the board:

ಶ್ರೀಮನ್ ನಿರಂಜನ ಜಗದ್ಗುರು ಶ್ರೀ ದುರದುಂಡೀಶ್ವರ ಪುಣ್ಯಾರಣ್ಯ ಸಿದ್ದ ಸಂಸ್ಥಾನ ಮಠ ಆರಭಾಂವಿ 

ಶ್ರೀ ಮಠದ ಪೀಠಾಧಿಪತಿಗಳು:-

1. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಆದಿಕರ್ತೃ ದುರದುಂಡೀಶ್ವರ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

2. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಕೊಳ್ಳದಾರ್ಯರು ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

3. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

4. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಘಟವಾಳಯ್ಯ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

5. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಸಿದ್ದಲಿಂಗ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

6. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಹಗ್ಗದಾರ್ಯ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

7. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಶಿವಲಿಂಗ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

8. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಸಿದ್ದಲಿಂಗ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

9. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಮಹಾಂತ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

10. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಶಿವಾನಂದ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

11. ಶ್ರೀ ಮ. ನೀ. ಪ್ರ. ಸ್ತ. ಜ. ಸಿದ್ದಲಿಂಗ ಶಿವಯೋಗಿಗಳು 

This Mantapa is Raja Mallasarja memorial. The memorial has a fresh look, definitely a recent paint work. However I'm not sure how old the Mantapa is. Anyway, this is a historical site of importance.

Inside the Mantapa is a stone slab on which Raja Mallasarja is said to have drawn his final breath. Thanks to the people who took the initiative of preserving this slab. 

A board planted next to the Mantapa briefly states the last days of Raja Mallasarja in a few lines. Transcript of the board:

ರಾಜಾ ಮಲ್ಲಸರ್ಜರ ಕಟ್ಟೆ

ಭಾರತದ ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ಸಂಗ್ರಾಮದ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ಚುಕ್ಕೆ ಕಿತ್ತೂರು ರಾಣಿ ಚೆನ್ನಾಮ್ಮಾಜಿಯ ಪತಿ ಮಲ್ಲಸರ್ಜ ದೇಸಾಯಿ. ಶ್ರೀ ದುರದುಂಡೀಶ್ವರ ಕಾರುಣ್ಯದ ಕಂದನಾಗಿ ಭಕ್ತಿ ಶಿರೋಮಣಿ ಜಂಗಮ ಪ್ರಿಯ ಧಾರ್ಮ ಪಾರಾಯದ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಕಾರಿ ಪುರುಷ. ಇವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಕೊನೆಯ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ದುರದುಂಡೀಶ್ವರರ ಪಾದಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ದೆಹ ಲೀನವಾಗಲಿ ಎಂದು ಸಂಕಲ್ಪ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಆಗ ಮಲ್ಲಸರ್ಜರನ್ನು ಪೇಶ್ವೇಯರು ಪೂಣೆಯ ಕಾರಾಗ್ರಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದಿಸಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದರು. ದೊರೆಗಳ ದೇಹ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಹದೆಗೆಟ್ಟಾಗ ಅವರನ್ನು ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಪೂಣೆಯಿಂದ ಅರಭಾವಿ ಮಠಕ್ಕೆ ಕರೆತರಲಾಯಿತು. ಈ ಆಘಾತದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿದು ರಾಣಿ ರುದ್ರಮ್ಮ, ರಾಣಿ ಚನ್ನಮ್ಮ ಕಿತ್ತೂರಿನಿಂದ ಧಾವಿಸಿ ಬಂದರು. ಆಗ ಮಲ್ಲಸರ್ಜ ದೇಸಾಯಿಯರು ಶ್ರೀ ದುರದುಂಡೀಶ್ವರರ ದರ್ಶನ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ ಪಡೆದು, ಪಾದೋದಕ ಅಂಬಲಿ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿ ಈ ಕಟ್ಟೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಲಿಂಗೈಕ್ಯರಾದರು (ಕ್ರಿ ಶ ೧೮೧೬)  ಅಂದಿನಿಂದ ಈ ಸ್ಥಳ ಕಿತ್ತೂರಿನ ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕ ಕೇಂದ್ರಬಿಂದುವಾಗಿದೆ.

Below is the rough translation:

Mallasarja Desai, husband of Kittur Rani Chennammaji, is the silver dot of India's freedom struggle. He was a great disciple of Shivayogi Duradundishwara. He had resolved to spend his last days in the company of His Holiness Shivayogi Duradundishwara. Raja Mallasarja was imprisoned at Pune jail by the Peshwa. When Raja Mallasarja's health deteriorated he was released from Pune prison and brought to Arabhavimata. Hearing this news, his queens Rudramma and Chennamma rushed from Kittur to Arabhavimata. At that time, with the divine grace of Shivayogi Duradundishwara, Raja Mallasarja passed away on this stone bench i.e. in 1816 CE. From that day this remained as an important spot in the history of Kittur kingdom.

The writeup doesn't say that Raja Mallasarja's body was buried here. In earlier times, bodies were buried without delay. It should be okay to assume that it was also the case in Raja Mallasarja's case. The shortest route from Arabhavimata to Kittur is 80+ kilometers with two river crossings. In those days it would easily required a day or two. Transporting a body wouldn't be an option then. Also Mallasarja's queens were present with the body. I guess his last rites were performed at Arabhavimata itself.

This is another Mantapa next to Raja Mallasarja memorial. This seems to be a recent construction, probably 80 to 90 years old. I think this was used for meetings between Swamiji and other important people..

Another important building here is this simple looking structure. This is a memorial to a cow which was here during the time of Shivayogi Duradundishwara. The board seen in this pictures reads as below:

ಆಕಳ ಗದ್ದುಗೆ

ಆದಿ ಕರ್ತ್ಯು ಶ್ರೀ ದುರದುಂಡೀಶ್ವರರಿಗೆ ಆಕಳು ಸತತ ಹಾಲು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಯಾವತ್ತೂ ಗರ್ಭ ಧರಿಸುತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ದೇವಲೋಕದ ನಂದಿನಿ ಇದಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಇದರ ನೆನಪಿಗಾಗಿ ಈ ಮಂದಿರ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣವಾಗಿದೆ.

The Swamiji considered the cow to be divine like the celestial Nandini. Hence it was buried and a building erected in her memory. In the sanctum is an idol of a cow. The team of men cleaning the premises washed this shrine as well. Truly a very dedicated group of people serving this ancient monastery.

Lastly, lets take a quick look of the neighboring shrine namely Sri Kotturu Basaveshwara Devastana. The temple enclosure has two entrances, one in the east and other in the north. The northern entrance is linked to Sri Duradundishwara premises. The larger gateway is the one shown earlier i.e. to the monastery and the smaller gateway is the entrance to Kotturu Basaveshwara Gudi.

This the rear of the temple, the ancient sandstone walls and stepped Shikhara over the Garbhagriha. The didn't take pictures of the front because it was too crowded with metal railings and grills. The deity of this temple is Nandi. The eastern entrance of this enclosure is a smaller version of the monastery entrance.

Three sides of the enclosure is sheltered like this. This is a feature of our ancient temples where travelers could visit the temple and rest. Within this enclosure is a small shrine dedicated to Gangambike, wife of Jagatjyoti Basaveshwara. During the Kalyani revolution, Gagambike along with Akka Nagamma, Channabasaveshwara and other Shivasharanas travel southwards pursued by Bijjala's army. The Shivasharanas were on the run to save Vachana Sahitya. many were martyred during the struggle. In a major battle at Kadrolli, a village on Malaprabha north bank, Bijjala's soldiers were defeated by Shivasharanas, Bijjala's soldiers gave up the pursuit. A short distance from Kadrolli is Gangambike memorial.

One of the monastery staff asked us to take Anna Prasada which was served close to the monastery kitchen. A simple tasty lunch of sajjaka, rice and thilisaru was on the menu. There were a few students and teachers from nearby school and college. It was a satisfying meal, my hunger was taken care of at the right time. Anna Dasoha is one thing that our temples & monasteries have in practice for centuries. The institutions receive discreet donations from common people. Isn't that a wonderful part our religious culture.

After lunch we stayed in the monastery for about half an hour and left. Our next destination was Konnur to see Chikaleshwara Devastana and the prehistoric dolmen.

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Krishna Deva Raya by Abhijeet Hiliyana

Of all the kings of our country, Krishna Deva Raya is one of the well known. It was under his leadership that Vijayanagara Samrajya reached its peak in terms of prosperity and power. It is said that Krishna Deva Raya was the most learned and talented king of Vijayanagara. He had mastered 64 subjects like administration, military strategy, diplomacy, trade, economics, religion, art & literature, and so on. He had led & fought in countless battles, had seen both triumph and defeat. Poets had dedicated their works to praise Krishna Deva Raya. Travelers from far-off lands have admired Krishna Deva Raya & Vijayanagara Samrajya. Despite a tragic end, the greatness of Krishna Deva Raya lived on well into the XXI Century. A number of books and cinema have been dedicated to the Sri Krishna Deva Raya, making him one of the most read characters.

My knowledge about Krishna Deva Raya was mainly gained from my school text books and Kannada cinema, and a visits to Hampae, Penukonda and other historical monuments of Vijayanagara times. Couple of months ago, I happened to learn about the recently published book "Krishna Deva Raya" by  Abhijeet Hiliyana. As you see in the image below, this is the first part subtitled "the boy who would be king." Before I started reading I guessed this would the younger days of Krishna Deva Raya. Hmm... sounds interesting!

I'm a slow reader, mainly because of my other activities, I rarely read more than 15 minutes at a stretch. However, with this book, I got hooked. It's a gripping story, flows at a steady pace, has sufficient details for a reader to picture the scenes, and character projection is superb. The author has balanced the historical facts and fictional aspects of the story which is what makes it interesting. Suspense, romance, intrigue and twists in the story makes it an ideal read across age groups. As I finished three quarters, I wished the story was longer. Thoroughly enjoyable read. 

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Vaanara leaping across a ravine at Badami

We had spent almost an hour at Badami northern hill walking in sandstone ravines, checking out the massive formations and the Chalukyan monuments built on these rocks- lower Shivalaya, the royal mantapa, upper Shivalaya and fortifications. I remember during my earlier visit more than a decade ago the path was quite rough. Now it was well laid slabs, tourists will walk and climb steps without a care. So looking around or shooting while walking is not as risky as earlier. As we descended the hill I happened to notice a few monkeys high up, some 45 feet above the ravine floor. One of them seem to be looking for a short-cut to the neighboring rock. I senses some action and aimed my camera at the scene with multi-shot mode.

Indeed the monkey was looking for a spot to leap and another spot to land. I was wondering if the monkey would really jump across. The other monkeys went out of sight. They seemed to climbing down the face on the other side,

The monkey after positioning itself at the spot was stationery for several seconds. Probably it was making up its mind, relaxing and flexing its muscles.

Get, set, and...

...go!

A close up of the monkey flying sideways and turning right gradually...

...now its preparing for the impact, making sure it lands on all four limbs at that instant.

Safe landing. A very brave Vaanara!

I think this is a rare sight. At least for tourists who spend a few hours here. Probably locals might see this happen one or two times a week.

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Kunti Gudi complex, Aihole part-2

 ...continued from Kunti Gudi Complex part-1.

Kunti Gudi complex, a group of four temples, is situated close to Charantimatha and Trymbakeshwara complexes. These four temples are grouped together closely in a rectangular pit. As one approaches the group from its northeastern corner, the most noticeable thing is the stone step-ladder leaning against the side wall of temple-1. Then the second unique thing here is the tall mantapa connecting temple-1 and temple-2. In the below picture, the mantapa is seen. However, this picture has been shot from the space between temple-3 (on the left) and temple-4 (on the right).

Here's a snap-shot of Kunti group in Google Maps. I've marked the structures with numbers for better understanding of the positioning. 1, 3, 4 and 5 are temples, 2 is the mantapa connecting 1& 2. The temples are positioned on the corners of an imaginary square. Coming to the orientation and configuration of the shrines-

• Temple-1 is a west facing Trikutachala
• Temple-2 is a east-facing Ekatachala
• Temple-3 is a east-facing Ekatachala
• Temple-4 is a north-facing Ekatachala

This is the front-side view of temple-3. All temples of this group have high bases and verandahs. Originally this temple had a canopy for the verandah. Presently only a portion of the canopy is remaining.

This is the left half of the verandah. The wall on the right holds the doorway and four perforated screen windows. The window design is simple; a matrix of square holes. Its designed to provide enough ventilation but maintain privacy as well.

The right half of the verandah. Its a symmetric space. The floor slabs seem rough cut but originally they might have been precisely shaped to form a leveled floor. I think the slab edges have rounded due to natural erosion of sandstone. Same is the case with pillars. For example, the first pillar in this picture has worn out considerably.

These columns have some interesting artworks. A bull-elephant pair sharing the head portion. The bulls head is lifted up as though resting on the elephant's neck. The bulls head & hump forms the elephant's head & trunk. This particular artwork can be seen in several Chalukyan temples.

On another column is the scene of Vishnu in Varaha Avatar rescuing Bhoodevi from Asura Hiranyaksha. This too is seen in most Chalukyan temples.

Lets step into the Sabhamantapa the inner hall between the verandah and the sanctum. This space is a mix of dark areas and bright spots. Eyes need a few seconds to adjust to this lighting. Photography is a little tricky in here but with some effort & luck one should end up with interesting shots. The sanctum is a small space with a narrow doorway. The doorframe is multi-tiered. In fact, the sanctum looks like a small temple by itself, like a temple inside a temple.

Light and shadow effect. A spot lights up a corner in the column top. The two arches in perpendicular planes appears like a semicircle in one plane. Also the outlining of pillar edges and the smaller semicircle are interesting effects.

More light & shadows at play. The perforated window has created symmetric slanting beams on the wall. The beam pointing down are due to direct light while the beams pointing upwards are due to reflected light. In the foreground is a damaged sculpture lying on the floor.

This sculpture, I'm assuming, is Vishnu seated on Garuda. The beak and feathers appear to be an eagle's. Also I feel this sculpture is incomplete. There are many more things to see in here but one has to make time.

Lastly, we come to temple-4, the smallest of the four. While the other three temples have steps ascending directly into the verandahs, temple-4 has sideway steps, the final step lets you step into the verandah. The four pillars in the façade feature amorous couples. The canopy of this temple has survived the forces of nature, looks quite original.

The piece with an wide arch and niche resting on the steps doesn't seem to belong here. Normally such sculptures are seen on the top i.e. on the front of temple Shikharas.

Close ups of two couples. Sadly the lovely sculptures are badly mutilated. From what's remaining we get to know the fashions of those days... for instance the variations in headgear.

Column heads are unique here, the grooves on the curved surface is an interesting variation. The columns in temple 2 are similar but without these grooves.

That's it! There's a lot to see if one has the time, patience & energy. Hopefully, I'll come here again and notice something anew.

Tourists must visit Kunti group while they are at Aihole. Perhaps they should start the tour of Aihole here rather than at Durga temple complex.

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