Madhavaraya Temple is a 16th century

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

located in the

Gandikota Fort Gandikota is a village and historical fort on the right bank of the Penna river, 15 km from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The fort was the centre of power for various dynasties, such as the Kalyani Chalukyas, Pem ...

, in the

Kadapa district Kadapa district (officially: YSR district; formerly: Cuddapah district) is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. On 19 August 2005 nomenclature of “Cuddapah” has been changed as “Kadapa” by the Governm ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Dedicated to

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

("Madhava"), it is also known as Madhava Perumal Temple or Madhavaraya Swamy Temple. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

has designated it as a

Monument of National Importance This article contains lists of Monuments of National Importance in India. An Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" as follows: A "Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey o ...

History

An analysis of the art and architectural features of the temple suggests that it was built in the first quarter of the 16th century. Epigraphic evidence also confirms this: the earliest reference to the temple is found in 16th century inscriptions. Several 16th century inscriptions from the Vijayanagara period have been discovered at Gandikota. One of these states that several individuals, including a man named Papa Timmaraju, paid obeisance to the god Madhava-raya ("Lord

") and offered a garland (''tomala'') to the god.

Art and architecture

The temple is located within the

, to the south of the local Jumma Masjid. It is surrounded by a

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. A ...

in a rectangular courtyard. The east side has the entrance, and a pillared

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

runs along the other sides. The pillars feature

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bellary ...

-style

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

s. The main ''

gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

'' (tower) gateway is located in the east, with narrower entrances in the other three directions. Its ornate platform ('' adhishthana'') has carvings of creepers, flowers, lotus petals, elephants, warriors,

vyala Yali ( ta, யாளி, IAST: Yāḷi), also called Vyala, is a Hindu mythological creature, portrayed with the head and the body of a lion, the trunk and the tusks of an elephant, and sometimes bearing equine features. The creature is re ...

s, and other figures. The projections of the lower portions of the ''adhishthana'' contain figures of various deities, including

Venugopala Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

Ganapati Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...

, and Yoga Narasimha. The two vertical projections at the entrance feature a row of figures of deities and two identical sculptures of Vishnu. The ''gopura'' has four levels (''talas''), and its ''

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 ...

'' (top) has fallen. The central passage of the gateway features carvings of ''dvara-palaka''s (male door-keepers) and female figures standing under creepers. The central pillars on the sides of the passage have

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

with vyala figures. The ceiling has lotus medallion at the centre, and other decorative motifs including tortoise, fish, and lizards. A kitchen hall is located in the south-east corner of the courtyard. Its pillars have roll and leaf corbels, and the ceiling has gaps to provide ventilation. The doorway has decorative figures of creepers, flowers, lotus petals, and ''dvara-palika''s (female door-keepers) carrying lotuses. A

mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...

with six pillars is located in front of the kitchen hall. A wedding hall (''kalyana-mandapa'') with 16 pillars is located in the south-west corner of the courtyard. Another ''mandapa'' is located in the north-east corner of the courtyard: it was probably used as a shrine dedicated to the nine planets (''navagraha-mandapa'') or a site to celebrate a festival of the main deity. Its doorways feature carvings of creepers, flowers, lotus petals, and '' Gaja-Lakshmi'' motifs. A shrine with an oblong ''

garbha-griha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ''M ...

'' is also located in the north-east portion, to the east of the ''navagraha-mandapa''. It has no images now, but was probably dedicated to

Alvars The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused ''bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and ...

Saptarishi The Saptarishi () are the seven rishis of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. ...

s. Madhavaraya Swamy Temple Gandikota Kadapa Andhra Pradesh PIC 0095.jpg , The ''

'' gateway Madhavaraya Swamy Temple Gandikota Kadapa Andhra Pradesh PIC 0079.jpg , Ceiling of the ''gopura'' gateway MadhavarayaSwamyTemple-GandikotaFort-AndraPradesh-DSC 0409.jpg , ''mandapa'' pillars with ''gopura'' in background Madhavaraya Swamy Temple Gandikota Kadapa Andhra Pradesh PIC 0080.jpg , A sculpture Madhavaraya Swamy Temple Gandikota Kadapa Andhra Pradesh PIC 0088.jpg , ''

Vyala Yali ( ta, யாளி, IAST: Yāḷi), also called Vyala, is a Hindu mythological creature, portrayed with the head and the body of a lion, the trunk and the tusks of an elephant, and sometimes bearing equine features. The creature is re ...

'' rider Madhavaraya Swamy Temple Gandikota Kadapa Andhra Pradesh PIC 0089.jpg , ''

Surasundari In Indian art, a surasundari (literally "celestial beauty") is a young maiden characterizing feminine beauty and graceful sensuality. Buddhist and Jain shrines have featured sensual figures in form of yakshis and other spirits since 2nd century ...

'' Madhavaraya Swamy Temple Gandikota Kadapa Andhra Pradesh PIC 0097.jpg , Elephant line drawing The main temple at the centre comprises the following parts from east to west: a ''maha-mandapa'' (large pavillion), a ''mukha-mandapa'' (small pavillion), an ''

antarala Antarala (Sanskrit: अन्तराल, lit. ''intermediate space'') is a small antechamber or foyer between the garbhagriha (shrine) and the mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian arch ...

'' (antechamber), and a ''garbha-griha'' (the location of the main deity). The pillared ''maha-mandapa'' is a rectangular hall measuring 18.29 m x 13.72 m. It has several decorative motifs and vyala brackets with riders. It has figures of deities (including Vishnu and Surya),

rishis ''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...

(sages), a woman, animals, and dwarfs playing musical instruments (such as drums, cymbals and flute). The upper portion of the beams has figures of male and female dancers, which suggests that the ''maha-mandapa'' may have been used as a stage for dance and music performances in honour of the deity. The ''mukha-mandapa'' is a slightly rectangular hall measuring 11.18 m X 9.14 m. It has finely carved pillars with lotus corbels at the centre; a stone slab with female figures dancing as a group; brackets with vyala figures; and line drawings (including those of lion, lotus flowers, and monkeys). Its doorways feature ''dvara-palakas'' and ''Gaja-Lakshmi'', and the ceiling has a lotus medallion. The ''antarala'' has a doorway with carvings of creepers, flowers, lotus petals, ''dvara-palakas'', and ''Gaja-Lakshmi''. The ''garbha-griha'' is square-shaped, with each side measuring 4.12 m. It has a

pranala In Hindu temple architecture, a pranala (IAST: praṇāla) is a discharge outlet attached to the wall of the sanctum. It discharges the lustral water or other liquids poured over the idols. History The earliest evidence of the pranalas can ...

set in the north wall. The

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

above the ''garbha-griha'' no longer survives, and the image of the main deity is missing.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{commons category inline, Madhavaperumal Temple, Gandikota Hindu temples in Kadapa district