Balligavi a town in

Shikaripura Shikaripur or Shikaripura is a major town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Shikaripur taluk and is known as the land of shivasharanas. Geography Shikaripur is located at . It has an average elevatio ...

taluk Shivamogga district of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, is today known as Belagami or Balagame. Its ancient names are Baligrama, Dakshina Kedara, Valliggame and Valligrame. Dakshina Kedara means Kedarnath of the South. A place of antiquity, it is known for its ancient monuments. Balligavi is located 72 km from Shivamogga city and 21 km from Shikaripura town and 2.3 km from Shiralakoppa in Shikaripura taluk. in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

means creeper or vine. Archaeologically, Balligavi dates from the

Satavahana The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the l ...

- Kadamba era and the ''Chaturmukha'' ''linga'' (four faced ''linga'') here is in that style. The area came under the

Banavasi Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in Karnataka. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kannada empire Kadamba that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka t ...

province of the Kadamba Dynasty in 4-5th century AD. Important Kadamba inscriptions like the Talagunda inscriptions, near Balligavi have been collected by the Archaeological Survey of India.The Talagunda inscription gives the most plausible explanation to the birth of the Kadamba kingdom and the reasons surrounding the coronation of Mayurasharma as the founder of the kingdom, Dr. S.U. Kamath, ''Concise history of Karnataka'' pp 30

Golden age

The golden age of Balligavi was during the rule of the

Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...

during the 10th-12th centuries. The earliest inscription mentioning the name Balligavi is a 685 CE

Badami Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monuments ...

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynast ...

inscription. Balligavi during these times had six

matha A ''matha'' (; sa, मठ, ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

s, three ''pura''s "extensions", five ''vidyapitha''s "places of learning", and seven ''Brahmapuris''. The mathas belonged to Shaivas, Vaishnavas,

Jainas Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

s. The Kedareshwara matha belonging to the

Kalamukha The Kalamukha were a medieval Shaivite sect of the Deccan Plateau who were among the first professional monks of India. Their earliest monasteries were built in Mysore. Origin and etymology Information regarding the Kalamukha sect takes the fo ...

Shaivas and the Kodiya matha was well known and had the patronage of the Hoysala emperors, marking the place as one of religious activity. Records also indicate that an ancient University existed here. The town also had 54 temples and supported 60,000 residents during that time. Several Inscriptions reveas that it was very prominent and stronghold capital of the Vira Bananju warrior merchant community, i.e. modern day Banajigara or Banajiga or Balija community. Today, Balligavi is a quiet town much of whose daily routines revolve around agriculture and the famous 11th century Kedaresvara Temple and

Tripurantakesvara Temple The Tripurantaka Temple (also called Tripurantakesvara or Tripurantakeshwara) was built around c. 1070 CE by the Western Chalukyas. This temple, which is in a dilapidated state, is in the historically important town of Balligavi (also called Bal ...

Legend

Legend has it that Balligavi was the capital of an ''Asura'' king (demon) and hence was called ''Balipura'' (city of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...

). The

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

came here while on their ''Vanavasa'' (forest sojourn) and installed the ''Panchalinga'' (five ''lingas''); hence the name Panchalingeswara to the well known temple here. ''Linga'' is the universal symbol of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

Personalities

Balligavi is also the birthplace of the great

Virashaiva Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and '' Veerashaivism'' have bee ...

saint

Allama Prabhu Allamaprabhu ( kn, ಅಲ್ಲಮಪ್ರಭು) was a 12th-century mystic-saint and ''Vachana'' poet (called ''Vachanakara'') of the Kannada language, propagating the unitary consciousness of Self and Shiva. Allamaprabhu is one of the cele ...

and is closely associated with Vachana poet Akka Mahadevi who was born in nearby Udugani (also known as Udutadi). She was a contemporary of Allama Prabhu and Basavanna, the founder of the

movement. Balligavi is also the birthplace of Shantala Devi, queen of

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

king

Vishnuvardhana Vishnuvardhana (r. 1108–1152 CE) was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the modern state of Karnataka, India. He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in c.1108. Originally a followe ...

. Many famous Hoysala sculptors like Dasoja, Malloja, Nadoja, Siddoja hailed from here.

Kedaresvara Temple

This is an excellent example of a ''trikuta'' "triple towers" temple in a transitional Western Chalukya-Hoysala architecture.Most Hoysala temples are either ''ekakuta'' (one tower), ''dvikuta'' (two tower) or ''trikuta'', ''A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples'', Gerard Foekema, pp 25 It is the oldest example of such a combinational style in Karnataka according to reports from the Mysore archaeological department. The temple faces east and has a stepped entrance on three sides. The entrance on the sides is a Western Chalukya idiom.According to Dr. S.U. Kamath, ''A Concise History of Karnataka'', pp 116 The central shrine has a ''linga'' (universal symbol of Shiva) made from black marble (''Krishnashila''). The shrine to the south has a ''linga'' called

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

and the shrine to the north has a statue of ''Janardhana'' (

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

). The temple's outside plan is in "staggered-square" style with many projections and recesses which is a Hoysala design.According to Gerard Foekema, ''A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples'', pp 21 The outer walls of the open ''

mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples ...

'' (hall) have carvings of women wearing fine jewellery. Two Hoysala emblems were added in 1060 CE by Vinayaditya.The Hoysala emblem depicts Sala, the mythical founder of the empire fighting a Tiger, according to historians C. Hayavadhana Rao, J. D. M. Derrett, B. R Joshi, Sala was a mythical founder of the empire, ''A Concise history of Karnataka'' pp 123, Dr. S.U. Kamath, The superstructure (tower) of the ''

vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also men ...

'' are very well decorated with sculptures of ''Tandaveshwara'', ''Varaha'', ''Uma Narasimha'', ''Bhairava'' etc. (

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

s of Shiva and Vishnu) and the ''sukanasi'' of all three towers still exist.The ''sukanasi'' is the tower on top of vestibule connecting hall and shrine and this is where the hoysala emblem is located, Gerard Foekema, ''A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples'' pp 22 The western shrine is the oldest dating from the 7th or 8th century. Attached to the vestibule that connects the shrines is a well designed open ''mantapa'' with two rows of pillars. The outer row of pillars are 16 faced while the inner row of pillars are lathe turned with bell shaped mouldings, a style popular with both Western Chalukys and Hoysalas.This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples, ''A Concise History of Karnataka'', pp 117, Dr. S.U. Kamath The ceiling of the ''mantapa'' is flat and the inner ceiling is well carved with lotuses in them. The central ceiling has the carving of ''Tandaveshwara'' (dancing Shiva) with eight ''dikpalakas'' (guards). The entrance to the shrine which faces east has a

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afric ...

, the bull and a celestial attendant of Shiva.

Tripurantaka Temple

The 'Tripurantaka Temple (also called Tripurantakesvara or Tripurantakeshwara) was built around c. 1070 CE by the

Western Chalukyas The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in th ...

. This temple, which is in a dilapidated state, is in the historically important town of Balligavi (also called Balagamve), modern Shivamogga district,

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

. The exterior walls of the temple have erotic sculptures on

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

s. These depictions are considered rare in Chalukyan art. Being miniature in size, these are visible only upon close examination.Cousens (1926), p. 107 During medieval times, Balligavi was a seat of learning to multiple religious faiths and was home to many monuments and structures built by the Chalukyas. More than 80 medieval inscriptions have been discovered in Balligavi and belong to the Hindu (

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

and

traditions. These inscriptions describe, among other things, the building of temples.Cousens (1926), p. 108

Notes

References

* Gerard Foekema, ''A Complete Guide To Hoysala Temples'', 1996, Abhinav, * Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath, ''Concise history of Karnataka'', 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002) * * * * *

External links

Balligavi, India9.com

Article in ''The Hindu'', 16 November 2004 * A unique sculpture of

Gandaberunda Gandaberunda () or Bheruṇḍa (Sanskrit: भेरुण्ड, lit. ''terrible'') is a two-headed bird in Hindu mythology, believed to possess immense magical strength. Later Vaishnava traditions hold it to be a form of Vishnu to fight Sharabha ...

or berunda from Balligavi

* A side view of the temple

{{Karnataka topics Archaeological sites in Karnataka Villages in Shimoga district