The Group of temples at

Talakadu Talakādu is a town on the left bank of the Kaveri river 45 km (28 miles) from Mysore and 133 km (82 miles) from Bangalore in Karnataka, India. Latinizations of the towns name vary, but include Talkād, Talakadu, Talakkadu, or Thalakad ...

, located about 45 km south-east of the culturally important city of

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

in the Karnataka state of India are ancient Hindu temples built by multiple South Indian dynasties. Archaeological excavations of the sand dunes at Talakad (or Talakadu) have shown the existence of several ruined temples built during the rule of the

Western Ganga dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 999 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Eastern Gangas who in later centuries r ...

(c.345-999). However, according to historian I. K. Sarma, only two temples, the Pataleshvara (also spelt Patalesvara) and Maraleshvara (also spelt Maralesvara), built during the reign of King Rachamalla Satyavakya IV (r.975-986) are intact.Sarma (1992), pp111-113 According to 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 ...

(ASI), the Vaidyeshvara temple (also spelt Vaidyesvara), the largest, the most intact and ornate of the group bears

Ganga The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

Hoysala The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries Common Era, CE. The c ...

architectural features. Its consecration is assignable to the 10th century with improvements made up to the 14th century. According to the art historian Adam Hardy, the Kirtinarayana temple (also spelt Keertinarayana) was built in 1117 A.D. by the famous Hoysala 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 ...

to celebrate his victory over the Cholas in the battle of Talakad.Hardy (1995, p347 It has currently been dismantled by the ASI for renovation. Only its ''mahadwara'' ("grand entrance") is intact. The Sand dunes of Talakad are protected by the Karnataka state division of the ASI. The Vaidyeshvara and Kirtinarayana temples are protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.

Plan of the temple

Both the Pataleshvara and Maraleshvara temples have on their original base (''adhishsthana'') a sanctum (''

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 ...

'') and a vestibule (''ardha mantapa'') from the Ganga period. The tower over the shrine may be a Chola period renovation. The pillars and the pilasters in the main hall (''maha-mantapa'') are similar to those in the Rameshvara Temple, Narasamangala. High quality Ganga workmanship with late

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The ...

influences is seen in the images of Hindu gods in these temples. These images include the four handed

Mahavishnu Mahavishnu () is an aspect of Vishnu, the principal deity in Vaishnavism. In his capacity as Mahavishnu, the deity is known as the Supreme Purusha, the absolute protector and sustainer of the universe, the one who is beyond human comprehensio ...

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

standing on the horned head of the demon king (''

Asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

'') Mahisha and

Kartikeya Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...

in the Maraleshvara temple; and the images of Dakshinamurthy (a form of Shiva), Trimurti Brahma (three faced Brahma), Simhavahini Durga (Durga riding a lion) and Shiva at the Pataleshvara temple.Sarma(1992), p113 The Vaidyeshvara temple comprises a sanctum with a ''

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 ...

'' tower (a ''

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 ...

'' which is a fusion of south and north Indian styles) in

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

, a vestibule that connects the sanctum to a short hall (''ardhamanadapa'', ''lit'', "half-hall"), a six-pillared hall (''mahamandapa'' or ''navaranga'') and two entrance

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

s (''mukhamandapa'') facing east-west and southern directions. To the north, within the temple is another large hall (''mahamantapa'') with shrines for deities. The entire complex is built on a platform (''jagati''). The outer walls of the temple are articulated with

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, deities from the

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 ...

faith and

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 ...

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

. The ornate

doorjamb In architecture, a jamb (), is the side-post or lining of a doorway or other aperture. The jambs of a window outside the frame are called . Small shafts to doors and windows with caps and bases are called ; when in the inside arris of the jamb o ...

and

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

over the entrance doorway to the pillared hall, with the 2 m tall reliefs of door-keepers (''dwarapala'') on either side is typically Hoysala in workmanship. At the rear of the complex is a large bounding wall (''

prakara A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. ...

'') that houses independent sculptures from the Ganga, Hoysala and

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

periods. According to Adam Hardy, The Kirtinarayana temple is a granite, single ''vimana'' plan (tower over shrine), an ''ekakuta'' (single shrine) construction, with an open ''mantapa'' (hall). The temple is similar in plan to the famous
Chennakesava Temple Chennakeshava Temple may refer to the following buildings in Karnataka, India: * Chennakeshava Temple, Aralaguppe * Chennakeshava Temple, Belur * Chennakeshava Temple, Hullekere * Chennakeshava Temple, Somanathapura * Chennakeshava Temple, Tur ...
at Belur. The temple has a typical stellate (star-shaped) plan with the sanctum, vestibule and open hall (''navaranga'' or just ''mantapa'') mounted on a platform called '' jagati''. These features are, according to historian Suryanath Kamath, standard to
Hoysala architecture Hoysala architecture is the building style in Hindu temple architecture developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a States and territories of India, state of Indi ...
. The platform serves a dual purpose: improves visual effect as well as provides a path for ritual
Circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in ...
(''
Parikrama Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indian religions, Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only ...
'' or ''Pradakshina'') around the temple for devotees.Kamath (2001), p135Foekema (1996), p25 The sanctum has an image of
Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is also known as Pu ...
(another name for Vishnu). The decorative features in the temple are notable. At the entrance to the sanctum, the
doorjamb In architecture, a jamb (), is the side-post or lining of a doorway or other aperture. The jambs of a window outside the frame are called . Small shafts to doors and windows with caps and bases are called ; when in the inside arris of the jamb o ...
and
lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...
are ornate, and the lathe turned pillars in the spacious hall support a ceiling that is decorated with floral designs. Mallikarjuna temple at Mudukuthore and Sri Arkeshwaraswamy Temple are located little far from the main Talakadu village.

Notes

Gallery
File:Pataleshvara temple at Talakad, Mysore district.JPG, The 10th century Pataleshvara temple at Talakad has been excavated from the sand dunes. File:Profile of Kirtinarayana Temple at Talakad.jpg, profile of the renovated Keertinarayana temple, Talakad File:Dwarapalaka (door keeper to shrine) in Vaidyeshvara temple at Talakad.jpg, ''Dwarapalaka'' (door keeper) and a profile of the ''mantapa'' at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Dwarapalakas (door keepers to the shrine) in Vaidyeshvara temple at Talakad.JPG, Ornate doorjamb at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Profile of Dwarapalakas (door keepers to the shrine) in Vaidyeshwara temple at Talakad.jpg, Profile of ''Dwarapalakas'' (door keepers) at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Stone vessel in Vaidyeshvara temple at Talakad.jpg, Stone vessel at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Monolithic chain in stone in Vaidyeshwara temple at Talakad.jpg, Five headed snake and monolithic stone chain at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Close up view of tower over shrine in Vaidyeshwara temple at Talakad.jpg, Close up view of ''Vesara'' shrine tower (''vimana'') made of stucco at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Vaidyeshvara Temple, profile of outer wall and mouldings at Talakad.JPG, A profile of the outer wall of the mantapa at the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:View of shrine and porch with ornate pillars in Vaidyeshwara temple at Talakad.jpg, A view of the Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Ornate porch entrance into the Vaidyeshwara temple at Talakad.jpg, Ornate porch (south) entrance to Vaidyeshvara temple, Talakad File:Nandi (bull) at the Keertinarayana temple at Talakad.JPG, Nandi (bull) near the Kirtinarayana temple at Talakad

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 * * * * *

External links
{{Commons category, Group of temples at Talakadu, Karnataka Hindu temples in Mysore district