Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi – The Temple

Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi – The Temple

This is a double shrined temple (dvikuta). This twin temple might be joined by a mandapa at some point of time and covered with a roof above it. The shrine facing east is dedicated to Kasivisvesvara (Hindu god Shiva) whose universal symbol, a Linga, stands three feet tall in the sanctum. It has a garbhagriha, antarala, mandapa and a porch. Entrance to the mandapa is provided on its east and south. Inside the mandapa are found Sapta Matrikas and Ganesha on either side of the antarala doorway.

The garbhagriha doorway lintel has Shiva in middle with Brahma and Vishnu on either side. Shiva is shown with Parvati. Below these figures are placed fighting scenes of horses and elephants having rider on few. Inside the garbhagriha is a Shivalinga. The god is referred as Kavatalesvara and Kavatala-chamundeshvara in inscriptions.

The external walls of the temple are decorated with various sculptures. Among these Ravana lifting mount Kailasa, Shiva slaying Gajasura, Bhima fighting with Bhagadatta, Ravana fighting with Indra etc. are notable. These sculptures are much mutilated and spoiled. Noteworthy are the majority of elephant fight themed sculptures on these external walls and presence of elephants on the lintel of the garbhagriha.

The Kasivisvesvara temple epitomizes the shift in Chalukyan artistic achievements, towards sharper and crisper stone work not seen in earlier constructions, taking full advantage of the effect of light and shade. Special attention was paid to mouldings, arches and other details on the tower, and decorations on doorjambs and lintels.

The other shrine, which faces the main shrine is dedicated to the sun god Surya and is called Suryanarayana. The Surya shrine faces west, an unusual occurrence among Surya temples, which normally face east. Mandapa doorway lintel depicts Surya with Usha and Pratyusha. Surya is shown in his high boots. Around the vimana, on central niches of all sides, horses of Surya are still intact though the niches are empty now. Inside the garbhagriha is a pedestal over which seven horses of Surya with charioteer Aruna are left but image of Surya is missing.

The architects in the Karnataka region seem to have been inspired by architectural developments in northern India. This is evidenced by the fact that they incorporated decorative miniature towers (multi-aedicular towers depicting superstructures) of the Sekhari and Bhumija types, supported on pilasters, almost simultaneously with these developments in the temples in northern India.

The miniature towers represented shrines, which in turn represented deities. Sculptural depictions of deities were generally discreet although not uncommon. Other northern ideas they incorporated were the pillar bodies that appeared as wall projections. Well-known constructions incorporating these features are found at the Kasivisvesvara Temple and the nearby Nannesvara Temple.

The doorpost mouldings on the southern and eastern doorway are worthy of mention. On both sides of the southern doorway are four inner bands of scrolls which run up the sides and around the lower part of the entablature above. Next to these bands, on either side, in the centre, are tall columns or pilasters supporting the lower cornice above. Beyond these columns, on either side, are four more bands of decorative mouldings. 

On the lintel of the doorway is a dedicatory block containing an image of Gaja-Lakshmi with an elephant on either side. In fact, in the Kannada spoken regions, it is common to find the image of Lakshmi in the dedicatory block on the lintel irrespective of the temple's original dedication; whether the principal deity was Shiva, Vishnu or Jaina. Above the lower cornice, the entablature consists of small figures, now numbering only three (must have been eleven originally) standing under cusped arches.

Above these figures is a valance of beads hanging in festoons. The decoration on the eastern doorway, though not a fine as on the southern doorway, is worthy of praise for its filigree work. The doorway to the shrine (sanctum) rivals the exterior ones in finish. The dedicatory block on the lintel has an image of Gaja-Lakshmi and her elephants. Above the cornice is a procession of men and animals. These images, which are barely six inches tall, include horsemen and musicians.

Above these images are the trinity of Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The ornamentation on the outer wall of the shrine consists of prominent central niches above which is a miniature tower (shikhara or aedicule) which is purely nagara (north Indian) in style and cuts through the principal cornice. The decorative arch above the miniature tower is a conspicuous ornamental feature of the superstructure. The miniature tower–arch combination is repeated up the superstructure of the shrine.

The finial (kalasha) and the capping structure of the tower is missing. In the temple hall, the pillars, their capital, and brackets figures above the capital (which include little lions, kirtimukhas and scrolls) are evidence of expert workmanship, the kind found on ivory or silver. The artisans fully availed the workable properties of finely grained stone (soapstone) to produce polished pillars whose shafts have a rounded appearance obtained by using a lathe.