Architrave at Navalinga Temple at Kukkanur

The Navalinga temple is a cluster of

Hindu 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 ...

temples built in the 9th century, during the reign of King

Amoghavarsha I Amoghavarsha I (also known as Amoghavarsha Nrupatunga I) (r. 814 – 878 CE) is considered by many historians to be the greatest emperor of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. His reign of 64 years is one of the longest precisely dated monarchical reign ...

or his son

Krishna II Krishna II (r. 878–914 CE) ascended the Rashtrakuta throne after the demise of his illustrious father Amoghavarsha I Nrupatunga. His Kannada name was Kannara.Reu (1933), p75 His queen was a Haihaya princess of Chedi called Mahadevi. From ...

of the

Rashtrakuta Dynasty The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapu ...

. The temple is located in the town of

Kukkanur Kuknoor (also known as Kuknur, Kukkanur or Kukanoor) is a town in Kukanoor taluk in the Koppal District of the Indian state of Karnataka, which is located about 40 km northwest of Hospet and 7 km from the Mahadeva Temple in Itagi. Ku ...

(also called Kuknur), north of Itagi in

Koppal district Koppala district, officially known as Koppala district is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. In the past Koppal was referred to as 'Kopana Nagara'. Hampi, a World heritage center, covers some areas of Koppala District ...

and east of

Gadag Gadaga-Betageri is a city municipal council in Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. The original city of Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or ''Betgeri'') have a combined ...

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. Built in the

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

n '' dravida'' style, each of the nine temples in the cluster has a ''

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 ...

'', the universal symbol of

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 hence the name ''Navalinga'' (literally, 'nine ').Cousens (1926), p. 74

General plan

A clusters of temples, the ''Navalinga'' group appears to have been placed asymmetrically, without any particular order. Despite being constructed from inferior quality

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, the decorative finish is rich, though much of it is lost due to degradation of the shrine walls.Cousens (1926), p. 75 Each of the shrines has a South Indian style ''

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 ...

'' (superstructure). The ensemble has four ''

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 ...

s'' (hall) in all, three of which are in a line going east-west and open to the shrines. Each of the shrines has a Shiva ''linga'' in the sanctum, though the lintel above the entrance has an image of

Gajalakshmi Gajalakshmi (), also spelt as Gajalaxmi, is a prominent representation of the goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, prosperity, and fertility, depicted with two elephants on either side. This representation symbolises not only the divine bl ...

, the consort 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 ( ...

Sculpture

Old Kannada inscription in the mantapa of Navalinga temple at Kuknur

Old Kannada inscription at the Navalinga temple in Kuknur

The pillars in the halls are of better quality than seen at

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 ...

, indicating an advancement of this art from the previous centuries.

Architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

s were popular and a very good example has survived and has two '' makaras'' (mythical beasts) with circular scales and florid tails. The temple complex has two well preserved old-Kannada inscriptions. Fifteen inscriptions are found in the town in all which mostly date from 1005 CE to 1186 CE, though a few from the

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.Vijayanagara

period also exist. The inscriptions mention grants to temples of various Hindu goddesses such as Chamundi, Ganga,
Sarasvati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...
, Kalikadevi and Mahamayi as well as God Mallikarjuna. It is proposed that the ''Navalinga'' temples may have originally been consecrated in honor of these goddesses.

Notes

References
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External links
{{Hindu temples in Karnataka 9th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Koppal district Shiva temples in Karnataka