Maraleswara Temple, Talakadu – History

Maraleswara Temple, Talakadu – History

Talakadu was known as Dalavanapura and Gajaranya in Sanskrit. Talakadu was the capital of the Gangas, who ruled present day Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, Bangalore and Kolar districts from the fourth to tenth century CE., under Gangavadi 96,000. As per an ancient record, Harivarma, an ancestor of Gangas, had been ruling from Skandapura near where the Moyar river flows into the Bhavani river (in the present-day Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu).

He moved from Skandapura to Dalavanapura (Talakadu) and made it their imperial capital. Towards the end of the 10^th century, the Chola Dynasty who were seeing a resurgence of power under Rajaraja Chola I conquered Gangavadi around the year 1000, bringing the Western Ganga dynasty to an end. After capturing Talakadu, Cholas named it as Rajarajapura after the Chola Emperor Rajaraja Chola I.

The Cholas were expelled from Talakadu nearly after 100 years by Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. Talakadu flourished under Hoysalas and it remained under their control till 14^th century CE. Then, it passed into the hands of Vijayanagara Kingdom and Wadiyar Dynasty of Mysore. Talakadu was mysteriously submerged under sand dunes several meters deep after the rule of Wadiyar Dynasty of Mysore.

Archaeological excavations of the sand dunes at Talakadu have shown the existence of several ruined temples built during the rule of the Gangas, Cholas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara Kingdoms and Wadiyar Dynasty of Mysore. The Sand dunes of Talakad are protected by the Karnataka state division of the ASI. This temple was built by Cholas and extensively renovated by Hoysalas, Vijayanagara Kingdom and Wadiyar Dynasty of Mysore.

The temple is believed to have been built during the reign of King Rachamalla Satyavakya IV (975 CE – 986 CE). The round pillars in its Maha Mandapa and the rounded cornice on the outside of its basement and the Tamil inscription on its outer wall at the south west corner confirms that the temple was extensively renovated or even built by Cholas. The temple is protected as monument of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.