Pattadakal Group of Monuments, Karnataka

Pattadakal Group of Monuments, Karnataka

Pattadakal Group of Monuments is a major Temple Complex, located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. Pattadakal is also called as Pattadakallu or Raktapura. It is a complex of 7^th and 8^th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka . This complex is on the left bank (west bank) of the Malaprabha River which runs further north to meet the river Krishna. The Chalukyas of Badami (ancient Vatapi) or Early Chalukyas (543-753 CE) built a large complex of temples for royal commemoration and coronation in Pattadakal. Pattadakal is a testament to the architectural prowess of the Chalukya dynasty.

The city was earlier called Pattada Kisuvolal, which translates to ‘City of Crown Rubies’. There are ten major temples at Pattadakal, nine Hindu and one Jain, along with numerous small shrines and plinths. Eight of the major temples are clustered together, a ninth one about half a kilometer south of this cluster, and the tenth, a Jain temple, located about a kilometer to the west of the main cluster. The Jain temple is only dedicated to a single Jina.

The Hindu temples are all connected by a walkway, while the Jain temple has road access. The most sophisticated temples, with complex friezes and a fusion of Northern and Southern styles, are found in the Papanatha and Virupaksha temples. The Virupaksha temple is an active house of Hindu worship. Four temples are constructed in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture, with another 4 temples containing elements of Nagara architecture. The remaining two temples are a confluence of both architectural styles.

The Hindu temples are generally dedicated to Shiva, but elements of Vaishnavism and Shaktism theology and legends are also featured. The friezes in the Hindu temples display various Vedic and Puranic concepts, depict stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, as well as elements of other Hindu texts, such as the Panchatantra and the Kiratarjuniya. 

It is one of UNESCO World Heritage site. It was accorded World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 1987. UNESCO has described Pattadakal as "a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India" and an illustration of "eclectic art" at its height.  The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

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Temple Complex

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Inscriptions

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Significance

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Connectivity

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Location

Jain Narayana Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Jain Narayana Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Jain Narayana Temple is a Jain Temple dedicated to Jain Theerthankar, Parsvanatha located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Jaina temple at Pattadakal was built during the 9^th century, possibly with sponsorship from the Rashtrakuta King Krishna II or the Kalyani Chalukyas. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

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The Temple

It is a three-storied temple with the two lower stories still functional. The square garbhagriha houses an image of Parsvanatha. The adjoining antarala runs into a mandapa and finally a beautifully pillared mukha mandapa graces the visitor. A circumambulatory path, though with collapsed walls, is also present. The superstructure is built in a southern Vimana style with a four-sided amalaka at top. The plinth is decorated with triple mouldings.

The projections and recesses of the mandapa walls contain images of Jina in various postures among other figures. The pillars of the porch are partially lathe turned, and the doorway has on either side an elephant with its rider. A large figure of Makara (crocodile) in florid detail marks the entrance to the garbha griha.

Unlike the other temples in the Pattadakal complex, the Jain Narayana temple lacks Hindu deities and intricate panels of the other nine, but instead has a statue of a Jina carved into the north side kapota eave. Like the Hindu temples, this temple also features a square sanctum, a circumambulatory path, an antechamber, a mandapa and a porch. The mandapa is divided into seven bays at the north and south walls, with narrow niches containing seated Jinas.

The bays are in the North Indian style, and the tower storey has a carved square shikhara. The mandapa has a row of lathe-turned sand stone pillars. The kakshasana are decorated with the figures of dancers, purna-ghata, nidhis, vyalas but some of the artwork is only partially finished. The entrance features carvings of a life-sized elephant torso with riders. The niches of this Jain temple mandapa may have previously featured images.

The Archaeological Survey of India has conducted excavations at the site yielding evidence of an older temple and Jaina presence. According to the ASI, the excavations uncovered "the remains of a large temple complex built in bricks and also a beautiful sculpture of Tirthankara standing in sama-bhanga indicating the existence of a temple, probably belonging to the pre or beginning of the early Chalukya rule".

Connectivity

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Location

Monolithic Stone Pillar, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Monolithic Stone Pillar, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Monolithic Stone Pillar is a monument located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This Pillar is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pattadakal Group of Monuments is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. This pillar stands in front of the Mallikarjuna Temple. The inscription is in Siddhamatrika and Kannada – Tamil characters of 8^th century CE. It starts with invocations of Shiva and Hara Gauri and refers to the reigns of Kings Vijayaditya and Vikramaditya II. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Connectivity

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Location

Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Virupaksha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattadakal in Bagalkot District of Karnataka, India. This temple is part of Pattadakal Group of Monuments, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple complex is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River. The Virupaksha temple, located to the immediate south of the Mallikarjuna temple, is the largest and most sophisticated of the monuments at Pattadakal. 

This is the only functioning shrine in the temple complex. In inscriptions, it is referred to as "Shri Lokeshvara Mahasila Prasada", after its sponsor Queen Lokmahadevi, and is dated to about 740 CE. The famous Kailasha temple at Ellora Caves was modeled after this temple, although the Virupaksha temple was itself modeled after the Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

History

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The Temple

As is common with other temples at Pattadakal, the Virupaksha temple was built facing east centered around a square garbha griha (sanctum), with a Shiva Linga, surrounded by a covered circumambulatory path (pradakshina patha). In front of the sanctum is an antarala with two small shrines within which are facing images of Ganesha and Parvati, in her Durga aspect as Mahishasuramardini killing the buffalo demon. The external Nandi pavilion is aligned on an east-west axis, as are the mandapa and antechamber. 

The temple site forms a rectangle consisting of fused squares bounded by walls, which are decorated with carvings. Within the compound are smaller shrines, of which there were once 32, based on the foundation footprint layout, but most have since been lost. The entrance leads to a mandapa with 18 columns (4-5-aisle-5-4, with a 4x4 set forming the inner mandapa and two leading to the Darshana space).

The tower above the sanctum is a three-storey pyramidal structure, with each storey bearing motifs that reflect those in the sanctum below. However, for clarity of composition, the artisans had simplified the themes in the pilastered projections and intricate carvings. The third storey is the simplest, having only parapet kutas, a kuta roof with each face decorated with kudus – a structure common in later Dravidian architecture Hindu temples.

A kalasha-like pot, found in festivals, social ceremonies and personal rituals such as weddings, crowns the temple. The top of this pot is 17.5 metres (57 ft) above the temple pavement, the highest for any pre-9^th century South Indian temple. The sukanasa on the tower is large, exceeding half the height of the superstructure, to aid visibility from a distance. The sanctum walls, and those of the nearby mandapa space, are decorated with intricately detailed carvings.

These carvings depict images of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism deities, and themes, such as Narasimha and Varaha (Vaishnavism), Bhairava and Nataraja (Shaivism), Harihara (half Shiva-half Vishnu), Lakulisa (Shaivism), Brahma, Durga, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and others. Other than Hindu gods and goddesses, numerous panels show depict people either as couples, in courtship and mithuna, or as individuals wearing jewelry or carrying work implements.

The temple has numerous friezes spanning a variety of topics such as, for example, two men wrestling, rishi with Vishnu, rishi with Shiva, Vishnu rescuing Gajendra elephant trapped by a crocodile in a lotus pond, scenes of hermitages, and sadhus seated in meditative yoga posture. Vedic deities such as Surya riding the chariot with Aruna, Indra on elephant and others are carved in stone.

A few depict scenes from the Ramayana such as those involving golden deer, Hanuman, Sugriva, Vali, Ravana and Jatayu bird, Sita being abducted, the struggles of Rama and Lakshmana. Other friezes show scenes from the Mahabharata, Krishna's playful life story in the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa as well as fables from the Panchatantra and other Hindu texts.

There is a large Nandi mandapam opposite to the shrine with black stone monolithic Nandi. The walls of the Nandi mandapa have few beautiful carvings of female images. The temple contains historically significant inscriptions that provide hints about the society and culture of 8^th century India. The epigraphy reveals this to have been built by Queen Loka Mahadevi (originally named as Lokeswara) after the successful military campaigns of King Vikramaditya II against the Pallavas (4^th - 9^th centuries CE).

In ground plan it resembles the Kailasanatha temple of Kanchipuram, citadel of the Pallavas, but in stone it is a realization of the fully mature Early Chalukyan architecture in all its glory. The temple is notable for its range, and quality, of construction exemplifying a well-developed Dravidian architectural style, as well as the inscribed names of the artists beneath the panels they worked on.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

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Location | Photos