January 26, 2023. The plan for the second half of the day was to see as many as possible of the five historical places namely- 1. Kadaba, 2. Nagalapura, 3. Turuvekere, 4. Araluguppe and 5. Vignasante. I had a quick look at Kailasnatha Devastana at Kadaba, a temple which was built by Rastrakuta king Krishna II, son & successor of Amoghavarsha Nrupatunga. From Kadaba I decided to go to Nagalapura which is about 32 km away. I overshot a turn, then turned back, wasted about 45 minutes. The interior roads are almost deserted, with no sign boards and no one to ask for directions, its easy to feel lost. I managed to reach Nagalapura, a name board at the village entrance welcomes visitors. What an irony... name board where one could find people. Anyway, I stopped at Chennakeshava Devastana, the gate was locked, one of the villagers told me I could find the caretaker at Kedareshwara Devastana which is situated at the opposite end of the village. So, here we are... a Shiva temple with a Bilwa Patri tree.
The caretaker, an elderly man, was resting under this ancient shelter. The moment he saw me approaching the temple, he got up, ready to issue a warning that DSLR photography is not allowed. There's not a single board about any rules and the caretakers in the name of ASI behave as though its their personal property. This is the story at most ASI protected monuments. I fail to understand their problem with handheld DSLR shooting.
Turning our attention back to the mantapa, it could be at least 5 centuries old. The pillars are free standing atop which the beams and slabs are assembled. No binding material between any of the components in this structure.
This temple is a Ekakuta meaning a temple with one sanctum. The sanctum is east-facing but the temple's entrance is south-facing. Being a Hoysala creation, this temple could be built any time in the XII or XIII Century CE. Going by the looks of the structure, it must've been in ruins before it was restored to its present condition. Also, many of the sculptures are drafts i.e. far from completion. So overall this temple's construction was abandoned well before it was completed.
The caretaker reluctantly allowed me t shoot a few pictures of the interior. As a tourist, I had spent considerable resources to reach this place and then I had to face a cribbing caretaker, it was disappointing.
The interior has all the hallmarks of Hoysala architecture and workmanship.. the turned pillars of the central Ranga Mantapa, the grand door frame of the Garbhagriha, Dwarapala flanking the Garbhagriha, and so on. The basic design of the components are same across centuries i.e. from Chalukya to Rastrakuta to Kadamba to Hoysala. For example- the ribbed pillars on the side walls or the form of the turned pillars are more or less same.
Nandi resting in front of this master Shiva. The fresh red Hibiscus says that pooja was performed in the morning. May be its correct to assume that pooja is performed daily. Nandi is heavily bejeweled, head turned to right. It is said that Nandi's left eye sees Shiva while the right eye looks at Parvati. One of the two mantapas flanking the sanctum entrance must be dedicated to Parvati.
A closer look at one of the pillar-beam junction. I think Hoysala version is grander compared to Chalukyan version. On the side wall, opposite to the door is a an idol of a four armed male god. The idol's arms and hands are missing. I'm unable to identify but it could be Shiva.
There are two or three domes in the ceiling with highly ornate sculpture. This looks like an assembly of bars riveted together to form an octagonal web. The hub looks like a subassembly of gears. Truly this is a very complex piece of engineering.
Compared to the previous dome, this second dome is more complex. The former has five tiers and latter has seven tiers. The outermost / lowermost tier has miniature mantapas, each housing an idol of some legendary character. The hub is elongated and multi-tiered. With a DSLR one could capture the details and learn more about the stories hidden in these amazing artwork.
Unable to capture much inside, I decided to step out and check the exterior. The exterior walls have three horizontal sections- base, mid and top. Each of the section has its own theme. The top has miniature or model mantapas and temples. The proportions of the components are exactly the same as actual structures. The mid section is a series of individual idols representing legendary characters, each one of them telling a story. Below and above every idol is a ornate base and an ornate arch. The lowest section i.e. the base, is divided into five tiers. Actually its six but only five of them carry sculptures while one is blank. Let's take a look at the six tiers starting with the lowest. Tier-1 consists of royal elephants signifying strength. Tier-2 has cavalry and infantry signifying speed/agility. Tier-3 is Kirtimukha between creepers. Tier-4 is blank. If I remember correctly, according to a guide, any other sculpture could sculpt anything better than what is already here. Tier- 5 consists of Yali, an imaginary creature with mixed features. And the last, Tier-6 is peacocks signifying grace.
In the above picture, from right to left; a group of musicians are seen. Then there's Arjuna aiming at the fish, the fish's eye in particular. The next idol is Shiva slaying Gajasura, the scene is commonly known as Gajasura Samhara.
A closer look at the musicians group.
The temple as seen from north-western corner. The walls closest to the camera is Garbhagudi and farther is the Sabhamantapa. The Garbhagudi in plan is star-shaped while the Sabhamantapa is rectangular. Above the three sections are ornate canopies. The temple has no Shikhara, obviously this is an incomplete work.
After Gajasura Samhara, the next important idol is standing Shiva holding a Damaru and Trisul. Close to Shiva is Brahma, identifiable by the three bearded faces. In fact in this view one can see several idols of Shiva holding Damaru & Trishul. One particular image is special here, Shiva & Parvati astride Nandi. This very image is the deity at Someshwara Gudi, Lakshmeshwara in Gadag district.
A closer look at the creator Brahma. To his right is a pair, with horse heads, holding an egg-shaped object - wondering what story this is from.
Then we have Bhringi, the three legged sage.
This is the western view of the temple. The canopy portion of the structure is better preserved in this side than in the front. Here we have images of Mahishamardhini, Ganesha, and others I can't identify.
A sitting Ganapathi. The sword wielding warrior carrying a couple on his shoulder is?
Here we have Mahishasura Mardhini, Natya Shiva and a seated Shiva.
As we move towards rthe northern side of the temple, we have Shiva-Parvati riding a Yali, Parvati sitting on Shiva's lap and Karthikeya among other idols.
Also there's a fire holding Shiva, Shiva riding Nandi among other idols. The voluptuous girl next to Nandi-Shiva idol is an interesting one. She's holding a snake with both hands raised over her head. She'd clad only in jewelry and a pair of platform slippers. It is often said that many of the popular fashions clothing & footwear already existed centuries ago, nothing is new, and we have proof here.
We come around to the front of the temple. This is the south-eastern corner. This part of the temple is less finished and also more damage can be seen here. The idol in the middle of the picture is Shiva-Parvati riding Nandi. This image and the neighboring ones are still draft versions.
The first idol from the left is Shiva dancing on the dwarf Apasmara. Apasmara represents negativity and Shiva stomps out negative forces by dancing on Apasmara's back.
In the final image there's an idol depicting a fashionable robe and high-heel footwear.
With the sun beating down fiercely, I decided to call it a tour. After a short break I along with the caretaker headed towards Chennakeshava Devastana.
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