Kedareshvara Temple, Balligavi
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The Kedareshvara temple (also spelt Kedareshwara or Kedaresvara) is located in the town of Balligavi (known variously in ancient inscriptions as Belagami, Belligave, Ballagamve and Ballipura), near Shikaripura in the
Shimoga district Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a Districts of India, district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Western Ghats, Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its adminis ...
of
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
state,
India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Dotted with centres of learning (''agrahara''), Balligavi was an important city during the 11th - 12th century
Western Chalukya The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan i ...
rule. The term ''Anadi Rajadhani'' (ancient capital) used in
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
inscriptions to describe this town tells a tale of great antiquity. Art historian Adam Hardy classifies the style involved in the construction of the temple as "Later Chalukya, non mainstream, relatively close to mainstream". He dates the temple to late 11th century, with inscriptional evidence of additions made up to 1131, by the
Hoysalas The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries CE. The capital of the Hoysalas was i ...
during their control over the region. The building material used is
soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...
. The
Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
classifies the style of architecture as distinctly Hoysala.Hardy (1995), p324 The Hoysala ruling family was during this period a powerful feudatory of the imperial
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 dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's ...
, gaining the trappings of independence only from the period of King
Vishnuvardhana Vishnuvardhana () was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the state of Karnataka, India. He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in 1108. Originally a follower of Jainism and known as ...
(1108-1152 A.D).During the rule of King Vinyaditya (1047–1098), the Hoysalas established themselves as a powerful Chalukya feudatory (Chopra 2003, p151, part 1)Sen (1999), p498Foekema (1996), p14 The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.


Deity

The
cella In Classical architecture, a or naos () is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extended meanings: of a hermit's or monk's cell, and (since the 17th century) of a biological cell ...
(''
garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...
'') in the shrines to the west and south contain the ''
Shivalinga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...
'' (the universal symbol of the Hindu god
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
) and the cella to the north has an image of the god
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
. The temple is connected with the legend of demon
Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, 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 o ...
according to some lithic records. In its heyday, the temple attracted a large number of followers of the Kalamukha sect of
Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...
. A four faced image of the god
Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
, which at one time may have been inside the temple, is on display in a museum within the temple complex.


Temple plan

The temple is in ''trikuta'' style (three shrined, each with a superstructure or ''
shikhara ''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...
''Foekema (1996), p25) with the shrines facing east, north and south. The western shrine has a vestibule where as the other two shrines have a "half hall" (''ardha
mantapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...
''). All shrines open up to a six-pillared hall called ''mahamantapa'' which is preceded by a large ornate open "gathering hall" called ''sabhamantapa''. The layout of the gathering hall is "staggered square" which has the effect of creating projections and recesses. Each projection of the wall has a complete "architectural articulation" (achieved by repetitive decoration).Foekema (1996), pp 21-22 The gathering hall has entrances from the north, south and eastern directions.


Decoration

The outer walls of the shrines are quite austere save for the
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s that are capped by miniature decorative towers (
aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...
).Foekema (1996), p28 The superstructures over the shrines are 3-tiered (''tritala arpita'') ''
vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture that combines Dravidian Southern Indian site layouts with shape details characteristic of the Nagara style of North India. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architectur ...
'' (combination of south and north Indian style) with the sculptural details being repeated in each tier. The temple exhibits other standard features present in a Hoysala style temple: the large decorative domed roof over the tower; the ''
kalasha A kalasha, also called Pūrṇa-Kalaśa, Pūrṇa-Kumbha, Pūrṇa-Ghaṭa, also called ghat or ghot or kumbh ( , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large ...
'' on top of it (the decorative water-pot at the apex of the dome); and the Hoysala crest (emblem of the Hoysala warrior stabbing a lion) over the ''sukhanasi'' (tower over the vestibule). The dome is the largest sculptural piece in the temple with ground surface area of about 2x2 meters and is called the "helmet" or ''amalaka''. Its shape usually follows that of the shrine (square or star shape). The tower over the vestibules of the three shrines appear as low protrusions of the main tower and is hence called the "nose".Foekema (1996), p22Foekema (1996), p27


Notes


Gallery

File:About_Kedaresvara_temple_at_Balligavi.JPG, About Kedaresvara temple, Balligavi File:Frontal view of Kedareshvara temple (late 11th century) at Balligavi.JPG, A frontal view displays the staggered square layout of ''mantapa'' (hall) in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi File:Ornate ceiling in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi.JPG, Ornate bay ceiling in Kedaresvhara temple at Balligavi File:Satigal (sati stone) in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi.JPG, A Sati stone (''satigal'') with old Kannada inscription of 1206 in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi File:Old Kannada inscription in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi 1.JPG,
Old Kannada Old Kannada or Halegannada () is the Kannada language which transformed from ''Purvada halegannada'' or ''Pre-old Kannada'' during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi (ancient royal dynasty of Karnataka 345–525 CE). The Modern Kannada la ...
inscription (1161) of Southern Kalachuri King Bijjala at the Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi File:Virgal (hero stone) in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi 3.JPG,
Hero stone A hero stone (Vīragallu in Kannada, Naṭukal in Tamil) is a memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero in battle. Erected between the second half of the first millennium BCE and the 18th century CE, hero stones are found all over In ...
(''virgal'') with old Kannada inscription of 1263 from the rule of
Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...
King Ramachandra in Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi File:Kirtimukha (gargoyle) sculpture on vesara tower in the Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi.jpg,
Kirtimukha Kirtimukha (Sanskrit: कीर्तिमुख ,', also ', a bahuvrihi compound translating to "glorious face") is the name of a swallowing fierce face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, very common in the iconography of Hindu temple architectu ...
(demon face) on
shikhara ''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...
(tower) of Kedareshvara temple at Balligavi File:Chaturmukha (four faces) Brahma at the museum in Kedareshwara temple complex at Balligavi.jpg, ''Chaturmukha'' Brahma image at museum on temple premises File:Sculpture of a multi-hooded Naga at museum in Kedareshvara temple in Balligavi.jpg, ''Dev Naga'' (god snake) image at museum on temple premises File:Zoophilia_carving_on_Rock_with_Old_Kannada_script_engraved_at_Kedareshwara_Temple.JPG, Old Kannada inscription File:Museum at Kedareshwara Temple, Belligavi.JPG, Museum at Kedareshvara temple premises, Balligavi


References

* *Adam Hardy, Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation : the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries, Abhinav, 1995 . * * * *Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 {{coord missing, Karnataka Hindu temples in Shimoga district Shiva temples in Karnataka Vishnu temples