Mahadeva Temple, Itagi

The Mahadeva Temple is located in the town of Itagi in Yelburga Taluk, in the Koppal District of Karnataka state, India. It is about from Kuknur and from Lakkundi.

Mahadeva Temple

The Mahadeva Temple was built based on the general plan of the Amruteshwara Temple at Annigeri (used as the prototype). The Mahadeva Temple has the same architectural components; there is a difference in their articulation.

The Mahadeva Temple at Itagi was built circa 1112 CE by Mahadeva, a commander (''dandanayaka'') in the army of the Western Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI. Itagi is about east of Gadag and west of Hampi. The temple is dedicated to Hindu God Shiva. The well-executed sculptures, finely crafted carvings on walls, pillars and the tower make it a good example of complete Western Chalukyan art which speaks volumes about the taste of the Chalukyan artisans. An inscription dated 1112 CE in the temple calls it "Emperor among Temples" (''Devalaya Chakravarti'').Cousens (1926), p. 101Kamath (2001), pp. 117–118 Art historian Henry Cousens called this monument the "finest in Kannada country after Halebidu".Quote:"A title it fully deserves, for it is probably the finest temple in Kanarese districts, after Halebidu" (Cousens 1926, p101) These Western Chalukya monuments, regional variants of existing dravida (South Indian) temples, defined the ''Karnata dravida'' tradition.Hardy (1995), pp. 6–7 The Mahadeva temple is officially protected as a national monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Details

Temple plan

The temple plan consists of a shrine (cella) which is connected to a closed '' mantapa'' (hall) by a vestibule (antechamber). The closed ''mantapa'' leads to an open pillared ''mantapa'', with the temple as a whole facing the east. Some parts of the temple, such as the cornice and parapet over the outer edge of the roof of the open ''mantapa'' are missing.Cousens (1926), p. 100 The main temple, the sanctum of which has a ''linga'' (symbol of Shiva), is surrounded by thirteen minor shrines, each with its own ''linga''. The temple has two other shrines, dedicated to Murthinarayana and Chandraleshwari, parents of Mahadeva, the Chalukya commander who consecrated the temple.

The closed ''mantapa'' has a doorway on each side, with the eastern doorway leading to the open ''mantapa'' and the western doorway to the sanctum. The door panels are well wrought and the ceiling of the porches have a ribbed design in them. The decoration of the outer walls follows the same pattern as that of the shrine. The great open ''mantapa'' has 64 pillars, 24 of which are full pillars which start from the floor and support the main ceiling. The remaining are half pillars (or "dwarf pillars") which start from the bench (parapet wall) that surrounds the ''mantapa'' and support the sloping eaves. The pillars in this hall bear similarities to the porch pillars at the Dodda Basappa Temple at Dambal and the lathe-turned pillars (whose rounded sections are lathe-turned) at the Kasivisvesvara Temple at Lakkundi.

The square ceiling of the open ''mantapa'' which are supported by the four central pillars exhibits interesting fretted stonework. The ceiling here has been worked into a decorative arabesque foliage and ''makara''s (mythical beasts) which flow from the mouth of a '' Kirtimukha'' (gargoyle or demon face). This type of stonework is considered as high a quality as any. In stark contrast, the interior of the closed ''mantapa'' and the sanctum are plain and simple. It is believed that bracket figures that once adorned the outside pillars are now missing. These forward leaning bracket figures ( Salabhanjika), which normally represent female forms in various poses (such as dancing or adorning themselves), would have rested on small blocks on the shaft of the pillars (capital), finding support from the underside of the overhanging cornice via a slot in their upper end.Cousens (1926), p. 102

Gallery

File:Kirthimukha at Mahadeva Temple in Itagi.jpg, '' Kirtimukha'' on superstructure of ''Vimana''
File:Ornate pillared mantapa leading to the shrine in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi.jpg, ''Mantapa'' (hall) with lathe turned pillars at the Mahadeva Temple
File:Vesara shrine and superstructure in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, ''Vimana'' of Mahadeva temple with decorative articulation
Image:Mahadeva_temple_Itagi_5.jpg, Mahadeva Temple at Itagi (or Ittagi) in the Koppal district, Karnataka
Image:Ornate_porch_entrance_with_decorative_door_jamb,_lintel_and_domical_ceiling_in_Mahadeva_temple_at_Itagi.jpg, Porch entrance with ornate pillars and domical ceiling at Mahadeva Temple, Itagi
Image:Old Kannada inscription (1112 CE) of King Vikramaditya VI in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi.jpg, ''Old Kannada'' inscription (1112 CE) honouring the temple as "Emperor among temples"
Image:Door panel decoration at Mahadeva Temple in Itagi.jpg, Doorjamb decoration on porch at Mahadeva Temple
File:A minor shrine on the mantapa inner wall in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, Minor shrine inside the closed mantapa of the Mahadeva temple at Itagi
File:Decorative lintel and door jamb with domical ceiling in the lateral entrance to the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, Decorative lintel and door jamb with domical ceiling in the lateral entrance to the Mahadeva temple at Itagi
File:Decorative door jamb and lintel over the entrance to the sanctum in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, Decorative door jamb and lintel over the entrance to the sanctum in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi
File:Lintel relief over entrance to sanctum in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, Lintel relief over entrance to sanctum in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi
File:Hall pillar pedestal relief in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, Hall pillar pedestal relief in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi
File:Profile of Vesara tower and shrine in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district 1.JPG, Profile of Vesara tower and shrine in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi
File:Profile of wall relief in the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district.JPG, Profile of wall relief in the Mahadeva temple at Itagi

See also

*Hampi
* Anegondi
* Kuknur
* Kanakagiri
* Yelburga
*Koppal
*Karnataka

Notes

References

*
*
*
*
*

External links

{{Koppal

Buildings and structures completed in 1112
Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1110s
12th-century Hindu temples
Hindu temples in Koppal district
History of Karnataka
Chalukya dynasty
Shiva temples in Karnataka