Tarakeshwara Temple, Hangal – The Temple

Tarakeshwara Temple, Hangal – The Temple

The temple is built with grey green chloritic schist and follows Chalukyan style of architecture with influences of Dravidian and Nagara styles. This temple is facing towards east with an entrance arch. There is a tall stone pillar known as Garuda Kamba in front of the mukha mandapa. It is about 15 feet tall. There is a circular balipeedam outside the temple, with intricate carvings in the courtyard. 

The temple consists of sanctum, antrala, navaranga, sabha mandapa and mukha mandapa. Nandi can be found in the mukha mandapa facing towards the sanctum. The mukha mandapa is supported by twelve pillars. The sabha mandapa is supported by fifty-two pillars and is provided with four entrance ways. The central ceiling of the sabha mandapa is carved with an octagonal structure in the form of beautiful hanging lotus bud.

This structure is famously called as Lotus of Hangal. The structure is 9 metres in diameter and a huge stone is 6 metres in diameter, forms the ceiling of this structure. The structure is supported by eight sculpted pillars placed at the corners of an octagon. There are further eight smaller pillars next to the major eight pillars to provide further support. Reliefs of ashta dikpalas can be seen on the capital of these pillars.

The pillars are lathe-turned, polished and carved with animals, floral motifs and geometric designs. The mukha mandapa and sabha mandapa are enclosed with low parapet walls with kakasanas in the interior for sitting. The half pillars supporting the mukha mandapa and sabha mandapa are placed on the kakasanas. The exterior of the parapet walls are profusely ornamented with sculptures of miniature temples, Krishna Lila, scenes from the Ramayana and other images.

The sabha mandapa houses three memorial stones. Two of these hero stones display fighting scene inside and outside a fort. It also shows contemporary battle weapons. Two broken dvarapalas and one broken image of Mahishasura Mardini images are also placed in the sabha mandapa. There is a loose Sapta Matrikas panel can be seen outside the temple entrance.

The Sapta Matrikas and Mahishasura Mardini panels might have been adorned in the niches inside the antarala as found common in many Kalyana Chalukya temples. The mukha mandapa and sabha mandapa are crowned with stepped pyramid roofs. The navaranga originally had entrance porches on north, south and eastern sides. The entrance porches on the northern and southern sides have been converted into shrines.

The antrala is supported by four intricately carved pillars. The doorjamb has six bands of decoration. The lintel has makara torana with carvings of Ganesha, Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu and Kartikeya. Nandi can be found in the middle of the antrala facing towards sanctum. A Shiva Linga and sculpture of Parvati can be seen in the antrala. The antrala has a superstructure called sukhanasi. It looks like a shorter extension of the main tower.

The Hoysala crest (emblem of the Sala stabbing a lion) can be seen on top of it. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Tarakeshwara is in the form of a Shiva Linga installed on a Panipitha. The doorjamb of the sanctum has five bands of decoration. The sanctum is crowned with kadamba nagara style shikara.

The exterior walls of the sanctum have various representations of the shikara itself in miniature form and images Chamunda, Chaturmukha Brahma, Ugra Narasimha & Bhairava. An inscription dated to 1121 CE records about the construction of Tailesvara temple. It records the land grants made to the it by the Mahaprashana Masana.

Ganesha Temple:

There is a Ganesha Temple situated to the north east of the main temple. This temple is facing towards the south. The temple consists of sanctum, antrala and mukha mandapa. The shikara follows nagara style of architecture with several miniature shikaras in north Indian style. The mukha mandapa is enclosed by parapet walls on all sides. The parapet walls are carved with many intricate carvings. The sanctum enshrines an image of Ganesha housed on a high lotus pedestal.