Hemavathi Group of Temples – History

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 8^th and 10^th 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 8^th and 10^th 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.