Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta – The Temple

Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta – The Temple

This temple is facing towards east with five tiered rajagopuram. The temple measures 72 metres in length and 46.4 metres in breadth. The northern and southern entrances are provided with four tiered gopurams. A pillared cloister runs abutting the prakara outside the temple from the southern gopura to the northern gopura covering the western prakara. Dwaja Sthambam and Balipeedam can be seen immediately after the rajagopuram. The main shrine consists of sanctum, antrala, mukha mandapa and maha mandapa.

The maha mandapa is rectangular on plan. The mandapa has thirty two pillars, sixteen of them regularly spaced so as to form a kind of colonnade along its outer edge, while twelve of them form an oblong court in the centre and the remaining four pillars stand on the eastern projected part of the mandapa. The pillars of this mandapa are of two types. The pillars that form the central oblong court have yali brackets while the remaining pillars lying on its outer edge have pillaretts facing outside.

Each pillaret has a bracket figure of Hindu deities namely Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Panduranga, Vishnu, Sridevi, Bhudevi, Venugopala etc. All the pillars have the full blown Vijayanagara lotus corbels. The ceiling over the oblong court in the centre is raised up as a clerestory. This large central bay on the ceiling of the maha mandapa bears a lotus medallion while its vertical sides have sculptures of Hindu deities. Garuda shrine can be seen on the eastern projection of this mandapa.

This shrine is facing towards the sanctum. It houses an image of Garuda in human form. The maha mandapa has two flight of steps one from the south and the other in the north. Each flight of steps has two parapet walls lined by proboscis flowing out of the mouths of the vyalas at the top. The mukha mandapa is square on plan. There are four pillars in the centre of the mukha mandapa. Each pillar has a rectangular base, two square parts and two polygonal parts, crowned by capital with lotus corbels of the Vijayanagara order. These pillars have carvings of Hindu deities, animals, flowers etc.

The ceiling of this mandapa in between the four central pillars is arranged in an ashtakona design with padmasila in the centre. The entrance of the mukha mandapa in the east is guarded by two dvarapalakas of life size and carved in round with usual Vaishnavite features. The door way is of single jambed variety with lotus petal carvings, with dvarapalakas at the base of the jambs and the female figures standing under creepers. The wall that encloses this mandapa surrounds the antrala and the sanctum, thus providing a closed circumambulatory.

The sanctum is square on plan. The sanctum enshrines the images of Kothanda Rama with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. All the images are carved as a composite image, out of a single rock. The Hanuman, who is generally shown with the trio is missing here. However, there is a separate temple for Hanuman here. The walls of the sanctum are decorated with the arrangement of two pilasters, kumbhapanjara, pilaster, salakoshta, a pilaster, kumbhapanjara and a pilaster on each face. The walls of the antarala are also adorned with pilasters and salakoshtas.

The interspaces of the walls are decorated with scenes from Ramayana. The upper register of the walls has lotus petal carvings, while the kapota is decorated with simhamukha gables. The vimana over the sanctum is of single tier. The Kalyana mandapa is situated in the south-west corner of the outer prakaram. This mandapa has sixteen pillars of which the central four pillars stand on a raised platform. All the pillars are of the Vijayanagara order. The cornice has a lower convex portion and upper concave portion.

There are two more mandapas situated in the north-east and north-west portions of the outer prakaram. Each mandapa has four pillars. There is a west facing shrine temple dedicated to Sanjeeviraya / Hanuman situated to the east of the rajagopuram of the Kothandarama shrine. The temple consists of sanctum and mukha mandapa. The mukha mandapa has eight pillars arranged in two rows. The front four pillars have each a pillaret facing outside with a bracket figure.

All the pillars have lotus corbels. The cornice of the mandapa is of double flexure with a lower convex portion and upper concave portion. The sanctum is square on plan. The sanctum houses an image of Anjaneya. The walls of the sanctum are plain. The kapota is decorated with simhamukha gables. The vimana is of ekatala variety crowned by a square griva and sikhara with a kalasa above. Theerthams associated with this temple are Rama theertham and Lakshmana theertham.