Panchalingeshwara Temple (also spelt Panchalingeshvara) in

Govindanahalli Govindanahalli is a small village in Mandya district of Karnataka state, southern India. Location Govindanahalli village is located 4.9 kilometers west of Kikkeri town in Mandya district of Karnataka. Tourism Panchalingeshwara Temple (als ...

Mandya district Mandya District is an administrative district of Karnataka, India. The district is bordered on the south by Mysore and Chamarajangar districts, on the west by Hassan District, on the north by Tumkur District and on the east by Ramanagara ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

state, India, was constructed around 1238 A.D. during the reign of the

Hoysala empire The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

King Vira Someshwara. The name "Panchalingeshwara" literally means "five linga" (''pancha'' - five and ''

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 ...

'' - the universal symbol of the god

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

). The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. The famous sculptor of Hoysala times, Ruvari Mallitamma, is known to have made contributions to the temple.

Temple plan

According to art historian Gerard Foekema, the Panchalingeshwara temple is a rare example of a ''panchakuta'' (''lit'', five shrines with five towers) construction in

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 state of India. Hoysala influence was at its pe ...

.Foekema (1996), p.25 The five shrines are built on a north-south axial plan with the sanctums face east. In each shrine, the 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 ' ...

'') is connected to a hall (''

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, ...

'' or ''navaranga'') by a ''

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

'' with ''

sukanasi In Hindu temple architecture a sukanasa ( sa, शुकनास, IAST: śukanāsa) or sukanasi is an external ornamented feature over the entrance to the garbhagriha or inner shrine. It sits on the face of the sikhara tower (in South India, the v ...

'' above. A long pillared hall on the east connects the individual ''mantapa'' together. The entrance to the temple complex is via two

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

ed entrances whose ceiling are supported by lathe turned pillars. Irrespective of the number of shrines in the complex, these are standard features in Hoysala temples.Foekema (1996), pp.21-25Brown in Kamath (2001), pp.134-136 The porches are located in front of the second and third shrines. The decoration (articulation) on the outer walls of the shrines (''

vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also men ...

'') is modest and comprises miniature decorative towers (''

aedicula In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, ...

'') on

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s. The wall panel of images between the eave and the base moldings ('' adhisthana'') include some depictions from the Hindu epics. According to Gerard Foekema, this form of treatment is common to Hoysala art.Foekema (1996), pp.28-29 The tower over each shrine (''

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'' chambe ...

'') comprises the standard three tiers of roofs with each vertically ascending tier diminishing in height. Above this is a structure called the '' stupi'' that holds the

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 of a dome, spire, towe ...

, a decorative water-pot like structure 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 ...

''.Foekema (2001), pp.27-28 The vestibule of each shrine has a low protruding tower (also called ''sukanasi'', meaning "nose"). This tower is shorter than the main tower over the shrine and hence appears like an extension of it.Foekema (1996), p.22 The inner walls of the each ''mantapa'' have seventeen niches many of which house sculptures of merit.

Image gallery

File:Panchlingeshvara temple at Govindanahalli southern wall relief carvings.jpg, Relief on southern shrine wall File:Panchlingeshvara temple at Govindanahalli in the Mandya district of Karnataka state India southwestern relief carvings.jpg, Another view of the Panchalingeshwara temple Image:Saptamatrika (seven mothers) in Panchalingeshvara Temple at Govindanahalli.jpg,

Matrikas Matrikas (Sanskrit: मातृका (singular), IAST: mātṝkās, lit. "divine mothers") also called Matar or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses who are always depicted together in Hinduism. The Matrikas are often depicted in a group ...

sculpture in relief File:Govindanahalli (3).jpg, Temple Entrance File:Govindanahalli (5).jpg, View of the temple from the east

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 . * * {{Hindu temples in Karnataka Hindu temples in Mandya district 13th-century Hindu temples

Temple plan

Image gallery

See also

Notes

References