The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Our trip to Pattadakal was a hurried one, and we had time only to visit some of the main temples. Come along with me as I go over the same path once more..... We started at the northern end of the temple complex, and this was the board which greeted us...
The Kadasiddheshwara Temple is the first temple we come to, and it is believed to have been built in the middle of the seventh century.
The temple is quite a simple structure, with the front mandapa having a flat, closed roof and no pillars.
The ornate doorway is flanked by the Dwarapalakas - or gatekeepers...
But there is a wealth of detail even in this 'simple' temple... just take a look!
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| Ardhanareeshwara |
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| Detail on the shikara |
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| Window-holes or works of art? |
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| The main sanctum - Atop the doorway, at the centre is Shiva with Parvati, on the left is Vishnu and on the right is Brahma! |
The second temple is the Jambulinga temple, which is almost exactly the same as the first one....
The Galaganatha Temple is the third one, and it must have been a much bigger temple when it was built around the year 750AD.
Built on a raised platform, the imposing shikara stands tall even today, while part of the outer walls have succumbed to weather, disuse and neglect.
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| The doorway to the sanctum has this beautiful figure of a dancing Shiva |
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| I wonder which figure once stood here. must have been a form of Shiva, for the Ganas are depicted at the bottom! |
These pillars are probably part of the original temple, and they are lying around while the ASI tries to put them together... Meanwhile, we are able to take a closer look at the beautiful work....
and we are also able to get an idea of how the artisans managed to put such a beautiful temple together! See the way the stone has been cut? These will fit perfectly into another section! And to think, all this was done completely by handheld tools, bereft of any machines!
This section shows us how the stones have been fixed on to each other.... Our guide seemed an enthusiastic person, and he told us all the technical terms for these things, but its been almost a year since I returned, and unfortunately, the technical terms elude me. So please make do with just admiring the beauty and the resourcefulness of these talented architects and craftsmen!
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| A beautiful piece of work... wonder where it fit originally! |
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| This was once part of the ceiling. Today, it lies on the ground... |
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| With so many stones lying around, how could he resist clambering up a couple? |
Pattadakal Quick Facts
Getting there:
Nearest Airport: Hubli
(about 120 Km )
Nearest Railway Station: Badami
(29 Km)
Pattadakal is well
connected by road to Badami (29 Km) and Aihole (24 Km).
Where to stay: There is
practically no accommodation available at Pattadakal. The nearest city is Badami,
where the KSRTC Mayura Chalukya is the best option. There are also other hotels
and lodges in Badami.
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Looks like you went at the golden hour, the pictures have a very nice glow.
ReplyDeleteLoved the little imp on the wall! The temples have sadly gone the same way as others -- look at the defacement and neglect, despite being such a treasure trove of art. As for the missing pics, looks like it was done by divine intent as one is not supposed to take pics inside the sanctum sanctorum!
ReplyDeleteA great site to visit to learn more about temple architecture
ReplyDeleteS is looking so grown up, and semma pose:))
ReplyDeletelovely to see the world through your eyes...Thanks
Lovely post and great shots. Would love to visit this place sometime.
ReplyDeletewww.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com
Enjoyed the post. Waiting for the next one.
ReplyDeleteIt was so hot, Mridula! we spent almost the whole afternoon roaming around these temples!
ReplyDeleteApparently, these temples were completely forgotten until they were discovered by some British explorer! and thanks to the UNESCO world heritage site status, it is just now that it is being taken care of! its a pity, but thats how it seems to be everywhere I go! as for divine intent, ha ha! i have taken so many snaps of the other sanctums! only this one seems to have gotten the axe!
ReplyDeleteOh absolutely!!! in fact, there were so many art and architecture students there, taking notes and drawing the temples!
ReplyDeletegrown up! he is going to be thrilled when he sees this comment!! as for pose, well, this is one of the last pics with such a cute pose! these days, its all 'salman khan' style!
ReplyDeleteyou should def go! would love to see the place again thru ur lens!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, PNS! theres lot more coming up!
ReplyDeleteNice pics of the temple. But where is Pattadkal??
ReplyDeleteSorry Abha! forgot to add the 'quick facts' at the foot of the post! pattadakal is in karnataka, near Badami.. we went there from hampi.. have added the details now
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the photo tour. Was unaware of the existence of these temples. Yes there is an amalgamation of East & South Temple architecture. The temples are small but the ornamentation is superb & sculptures are marvelous. And you have furnished such detailed information. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot! most ppl are unware of these temples, unfortunately!
ReplyDeleteGood looking blog with nice and interesting information. I always keep in touch with your blog and going to bookmark also.
ReplyDeleteThanks