Hemavathi Group of Temples – History
Nolamba dynasty was a minor
Southern Indian dynasty which held sway over 32,000 villages. Nolambas commonly
referred themselves as Nolamba Pallava in several inscriptions. Nolambas might
have been related to the Pallava family. Their earlier capital was Chitradurga
which they later shifted to Hemavathi in modern Andhra Pradesh. Hemavathi was
the capital of Nolamba Dynasty between 8th and 10th century
AD. The town was known as Henjeri during the Nolamba Dynasty.
They possessed land that spanned
nearly one-third of Karnataka, parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Their
rule extended slightly more than 300 years, first as feudatories to Pallavas,
Chalukyas of Badami, Gangas and Rashtrakutas and later to Chalukyas of Kalyani.
The region ruled by Nolamba was called Nolambavadi. Mangala Nomabathi Raja (735
– 785 A.D) was considered as the founder of Nolamba dynasty.
Nolambas were overrun by the
Ganga king Marasimha, who boasts of having destroyed the Nolamba family and had
the title Nolambakulantaka. Hemavathi is home to a remarkable group of temples
built between 8th and 10th century AD under the reign of
the Nolamba Dynasty. It is believed that Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola was so impressed
with the massive and intricately carved pillars of Doddeswara Temple. Rajendra
Chola removed around 44 pillars from this temple and decorated a temple with these
pillars in Chola Kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment