Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam – Sanctum
The Sanctum is situated in the centre of inner courtyard
and faces to the east. The shrine where Mallikarjuna is housed is considered
the oldest in the temple, dating back to 7th century. There are two Copper plated
Dwajasthambams (one at the back apart from front side). This Shrine consists of
Mukhamandapam, Antarala and Garbhagriha.
Mukhamandapam:
The Mukhamandapam is situated to the west of the
Veerasiromandapa. It is an elaborated closed hall consisting of 16 pillars.
This mandapa is also named as Mahamandapam and was built by the Vijayanagara
king, Harihararaya – II in the year 1405 AD. There are three entrance gates
with pillared porches on the east, south and north. All are these have
decorated doorways and covered by the silver ornamented sheets at present. The
Mandapa is extended 41.2 feet in length and 41.4 in width.
The base of this mandapa is a plain structure and the
exterior walls above it are decorated with Devakoshtas. These Koshtas are
narrow and are not having any images. There are also latticed windows on either
side of the porches. The interior of the mandapa has four rows of four pillars
each. The central pillars are standing on a square which is slightly elevated.
The lower part of the ceiling is divided into compartments and a big lotus was
carved in the central one.
At the south – west of this mandapa there is four handed
seated Vinayaka made of fine red stone and named as Rathnagarbha Ganapathi.
Where as in the north – west, forty handed Veerabhadra holding various weapons
and four handed Bhadrakali can be found, both of these are made from black
stone and are in standing posture. This Veerabhadra is called as Sudarshana
Veerabhadra. At the east of this mandapa there is a Nandi of black stone faces
to the self-emanated Jyotirlinga of Mallikarjuna.
Antarala:
Unlike the Mukhamandapam, the antarala is simple and
plain structure. Even though the mukhamandapam and antarala are not separated
by any specific entrance, it contains a two-pillared entrance like structure.
The front portion of the pillars are decorated with a silver covering having
Dwarapalakas on either side and several forms of Siva such as
Chandrasekaramurthy, Arthanareeswaramurthy, Gangadaramurthy, Lingodhbavamurthy,
Somaskandamurthy, Nandikeswaramurthy and Nataraja one above the other. The
antarala is roughly hundred square feet dimension in extent.
Garbhagriha:
Presiding Deity is called as Mallikarjuna Swamy. Lord
Shiva of the Srisailam hill is a Swayambulinga (self-manifested) and is revered
as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India. The Mallikarjuna Linga is accessible to
each and every devotee and anybody can go into the sanctum sanctorum of
Mallikarjuna, touch him and perform Abishekam and Archana himself to recitation
of Mantras by Archakas without caste or creed or religion. The Garbhagriha with
sixty square feet structure is having an ornamental entrance.
On the lower horizontal jamb, a purnakumba along with a
female deity holding a lotus bud is depicted whereas on the top Gajalakshmi is
shown. On the two vertical jambs, foliage is very artistically depicted. At the
centre of the structure is located the self-emanated Jyotirlinga on a
Panavattam. This Panavattam appears to be a latter addition around the
Shivalinga which is about 25 cms. in height. The interior portion of the
Shikhara of the Sanctum Sanctorum is plain without any artistic decorations.
The
Vimana:
This structure speaks about the relative antiquity of
the temple proper. These in the form of a stepped pyramidal structure
containing nine tiers gradually receding towards the top. A total of nine tiers
are visible and at the central portion on all sides each pair of receding tiers
are joined with Simhalalata sculptures. Just below the pinnacle, on all four
sides, four Nandi sculptures are arranged. Below the purnakumba on the top, an
eight-pedaled lotus is engraved.
This type of stepped pyramidal structures became popular
during the western Chalukyan period and continuing in the succeeding periods of
Kalyani Chalukyas and Kakatiyas in Andhra Pradesh. There is a Trisula on the
top of the Gopuram instead of kalasa. The Chaya Someswara temple at Paanagal in
Nalgonda District, the Swayambu temple in Warangal fort, and most of the
trikuta temples of the Kakatiya period, have these types of super structure.
Because of these similarities, historians are of the opinion that, the
Srisailam temple might have been constructed in 10th century A.D.
However, on the basis of the Bayyaram Tank inscription
of the Kakatiya times, the present Garbhagriha was constructed by the Kakatiya
queen Mailamamba in 1220-30 A.D. This queen, who was the sister of Kakatiya
Ganapathi Deva, in the above-mentioned inscription gloriously proclaims that,
she constructed a temple for Siva, which is like virtual Kailasa. On the basis
of her donative constructions at other places like Kolanupaka, Tripurantakam
etc. It can be safely presumed that, the present Garbhagriha of the Srisailam
was constructed by her in 13th century. At present this Vimana
Gopuram was gilded with Gold plates.
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