The Mahakuta group of temples is located in Mahakuta, a village in the Bagalkot district 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. It is an important place of worship for

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and the location of a well-known

Shaiva Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

monastery. The temples are dated to the 6th or 7th century CE and were constructed by the early kings of the

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

of Badami. The dating of the temples is based on the style of architecture which is similar to that of the temples in nearby AiholeCousens (1926), p. 51 and the information in two notable inscriptions in the complex: the Mahakuta Pillar inscription dated between 595–602 CE (written in the

Sanskrit language Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

Kannada script The Kannada script ( IAST: ''Kannaḍa lipi''; obsolete: Kanarese or Canarese script in English) is an abugida of the Brahmic family, used to write Kannada, one of the Dravidian languages of South India especially in the state of Karnataka. I ...

); and an inscription of Vinapoti, a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

of king

Vijayaditya Vijayaditya (696–733 CE) followed his father, Vinayaditya on to the 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. Durin ...

, dated between 696–733 CE and written in the

Kannada language Kannada () is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, an ...

and script.Cousens (1926), p. 52

Basic plan

The Karnataka artisans of the 7th century achieved a certain eclectism in their architecture by building south Indian ''dravida'' style temples adjacent to north Indian ''nagara'' style temples.Sinha (2000), p. 34 Further, their ''dravida'' and ''nagara'' styles were local, indigenous variants and unrelated to the architectural styles that prevailed in modern

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

to the south, and

Central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...

("Madhyadesha") to the north.Sinha (2000), p. 35 They achieved this by combining the basic plan of one style with characteristics of the other. The ''dravida'' style temples here have a tiered tower over the shrine which is capped with a dome like structure. The ''nagara'' style temples use a curvilinear tower over a shrine which has a square plan, and is capped by a ribbed stone. The development of this hybrid style, achieved by combining the typological features of the two basic architectural styles, is considered a peculiarity of the Karnataka region and defines the beginnings of the Vesara style of architecture.Sinha (2000), p. 38 A natural mountain spring flows within the temple complex and feeds fresh water into a large tank called the ''Vishnu Pushkarni'' (" Lotus pool of 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 ( ...

") and an ablution tank called ''Papavinasha Tirtha'' ("Tank of Ablution"). Among the several shrines in the complex, the Mahakuteshvara temple, built in the ''dravida'' style, and the Mallikarjuna temple are the largest. There is a small shrine in the centre of the ''Vishnu Pushkarni'' tank and in it is a

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 ...

linga 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 ...

'' (universal symbol of god Shiva) called ''Panchamukha linga'' ("five faced linga"), one face for each direction and one on top.

Inscriptions

The Mahakuta complex has provided historians two important 7th century inscriptions. The Mahakuta Pillar inscription, dated variously between 595–602 CE records a grant made by Durlabhadevi, a queen of Pulakeshin I (the father of king Mangalesha). The queen supplemented an earlier grant with an endowment of ten villages, including

Pattadakal Pattadakal (Pattadakallu), also called Raktapura, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka, India. Located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district, this UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

and Aihole to god Mahkuteshvara Natha. In addition, the inscription provides important information about the Chalukyan lineage, their military expeditions, their conquests and early monuments.''The Mahakuta Pillar and Its Temples'', p. 253, Carol Radcliffe Bolon The pillar goes by the name ''Dharma-jayastambha'' ("Pillar of victory of religion") and is on exhibition at a Bijapur archaeological museum.Cousens (1926), p. 52 The other inscription, ascribed to Vinapoti, king Vijayaditya's concubine, is inscribed in the porch of the Mahakuteshvara temple. It describes a grant of rubies and a silver umbrella to the deity ''Mahakuteshvara'' in addition to a piece of land.

Gallery

Mahakuta group of temples2 at Mahakuta.jpg, Vishnu temple with ''nagara'' superstructure (left) and a shrine with Kadamba Dynasty, Kadamba superstructure (right) at Mahakuta Mahakuta group of temples at Mahakuta.jpg, Mahakuteshvara temple (painted white) in the ''dravida'' style (rear) and Sangameshvara temple in ''nagara'' style (front) Mahakuta group of temples3 at Mahakuta.jpg, Sangameshvara temple with ''nagara'' superstructure at Mahakuta 7th century Kannada inscription at Mahakutesvara temple in Mahakuta.jpg, 7th century Kannada inscription of Vinapoti, concubine of Badami Chalukya King Vijayaditya Wall relief sculpture at the Mahakuta group of temples at Mahakuta.jpg, Sculpture of ''Ardhanareeshvara'' (form of the Hindu god Shiva) at the Mahakuta temples File:Mahakuta 3.jpg, Mahakuta temple tank

Notes

External links

Mahakuta on Google Maps

Relive 6th century at Mahakuta

References