The Rameshvara temple is a 12th-century Shiva temple in Kudli, Shimoga district, Karnataka India. It is an early non-ornate,

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...

construction with simpler

Vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture, with South Indian plan and a shape that features North Indian details. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architecture schools of the Dharwad region. It is common in the survi ...

style. The village of

Koodli Koodli, also spelled Kudli or Kudali, is a small historic village in Shimoga District, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is at the ''sangam'' (confluence) of two rivers, the Tunga River and Bhadra River at nearly . They meet here to give ri ...

– also spelled Kudli, Kudali – was a major town through the 14th-century and of great antiquity, with ruins of over eight major Hindu temples and monasteries (Advaita, Dvaita, Shakta). It is located about north-east of Shimoga city, the district headquarters. The town gets its name because it is situated at the confluence of the Tunga and

Bhadra ''Bhadra''Feminine: sa, भद्रा, Bhadrā is a Sanskrit word meaning 'good', 'fortune' or 'auspicious'. It is also the name of many men, women and objects in Hindu mythology. Male Figures King of Chedi Bhadra was a king of Chedi Kingdom ...

tributaries that form the Tungabhadra river.B.L. Rice (1887), p.459 The Ramesvara temple has three entrances and a single ''vimana'' (sanctum and superstructure) with an open ''

mantapa 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, ...

'' (hall). It was built with

Soap stone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the zo ...

.Hardy (1995), p.354 The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

History of Koodli

Archaeological surveys have unearthed tools and other artifacts which indicate that the region in the vicinity of Koodli (and along the nearby banks of the Tunga and Bhadra rivers) had been under habitation during the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

, the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and the

Megalithic A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

periods. Written epigraphs such as the Malavalli pillar inscription is available from the period of the

Chutu dynasty The Chutu dynasty ( IAST: Cuṭu) ruled parts of the Deccan region of South India between first and third centuries CE, with its capital at Banavasi in present-day Karnataka state. The Chutus probably rose to power as Satavahanas feudatories, an ...

, a 2nd-century AD vassal of the

Shatavahana The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the late ...

empire. They were succeeded by the Kadambas of Banavasi in the 4th century, and the

Chalukyas of Badami The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

in the 6th century. The

Rashtrakutas Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

and the

Kalyani Chalukyas The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...

gained power in the region in the succeeding centuries. The

Hoysala empire The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...

made their presence felt in the region from about the 11th century AD. They were followed by the 14th-century

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

. In the 16th century, the

Keladi Nayaka Nayakas of Keladi (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Ikkeri Nayakas, were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medieval Karnata ...

, a Vijayanagara vassal gained independence after the fall of the empire.

Temple plan

The shrine is an ''ekakuta'' construction (single shrine and tower).Foekema (1996), p.25 The material used is Soap stone, a standard in Hoysala constructions.Kamath (2001), p.136. Quote:"The Western Chalukya carvings were done on green schist (

Soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the zo ...

). This technique was adopted by the Hoysalas too." It is built on an east-west axial plan and comprises a sanctum (''

garbhagriha 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 ...

'') which has a ''

vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture, with South Indian plan and a shape that features North Indian details. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architecture schools of the Dharwad region. It is common in the survi ...

'' style superstructure (''

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 ...

''), and a vestibule (''sukanasi'') that connects the closed hall (''

'') to the sanctum. The vestibule also exhibits a tower which from the outside looks like a low protrusion of the main tower over the shrine. Art historian Gerard Foekema calls it the "nose" of the main tower.Foekema (1996), p.22 The entrance to the hall is via three porches; at the north, south and east, each of which is supported by four lathe turned polished pillars, a standard feature in Hoysala temples according to art historian Percy Brown.Kamath (2001), p.117Brown in Kamath (2001), p.134 Inside the temple and facing the sanctum is a platform on which is mounted a sculptured image of

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

the bull (a companion to the god

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

). The sanctum houses a ''

linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , 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. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

'', the universal symbol of the god Shiva.Foekema (1996), p.19 The platform on which the temple stands, the '' jagati'', comprises five plain moldings (without friezes). The outer walls of the shrine are plain but for regularly spaced slender pilasters. The tower of the shrine has a

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

called the ''

kalasha A kalasha, also spelled kalash or kalasa, also called ghat or ghot ( sa, कलश , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large base and small mouth, large eno ...

'' (decorative water-pot like structure). Below the finial is a heavy dome like structure. This is the largest sculptural piece in the temple with a ground surface area of about 2x2 meters and is called the "helmet" or ''

amalaka An amalaka ( sa, आमलक), is a segmented or notched stone disk, usually with ridges on the rim, that sits on the top of a Hindu temple's shikhara or main tower. According to one interpretation, the amalaka represents a lotus, and thus the ...

''. Its shape usually follows that of the shrine (square or star shape). Below the dome the tower comprises three tiers, each descending tier increasing in height.Foekema (2001), p.27Percy Brown in Kamath (2001), p.135 On the protruding tower of the vestibule is the royal Hoysala emblem; a warrior stabbing a lion.Foekema (1996), p.22, p.27

Gallery

File:KudliTemple.jpg, Rear view of the Rameshvara temple, built in the

style File:Ornate entrance to main sanctum in Rameshvara temple at Kudli.JPG, The entrance to the sanctum inside the Rameshvara temple has a decorative doorjamb and lintel relief work File:A small shrine inside the mantapa (hall) in Rameshvara temple at Kudli.JPG, A small shrine inside the ''mantapa'' of Rameshvara temple with decorative relief work

Notes

References

*Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 * * *Adam Hardy, Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation : the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries, Abhinav, 1995 . * * {{refend Hindu temples in Shimoga district