The Tarakeshwara or Tarakeshvara Temple is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple complex dedicated to Shiva as ''Tarakeswara'' located in Hangal, Karnataka, in India. It also houses a temple to Shiva's '' vahana,''

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 ...

, and his son Ganesha. The complex is a

listed monument Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of cultural conservation, restoration, museology, arch ...

of the Archaeological Survey of India. It also has three memorial stones which are sculpted with religious and military scenes and inscribed with text in the

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

. Its octagonal hall has a diameter

lotus Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

carving as its ceiling.

History

The Chalukyas of Kalyana reigned in the Deccan from the 10th to the 12th century. They built

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in Ittagi, Gadag and Lakkundi as well as in Hangal. The Tarakeshwara Temple was also built by them . or the mid-12th century. The Tarakeshwara temple is a listed monument of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Architecture

The temple is built with grey-green chloritic schist. in the Hoysala style. More specifically, it is said to be one of the best edifices erected in the Kalyana Chalukyan style influenced by Hoysala architecture. Opposite the idol, there is an octagonal structure known as the "

of Hangal". The elaborately-carved structure is in diameter.. A huge stone, in diameter, forms the ceiling of this structure. The stone, cut into the shape of a lotus, is supported by eight pillars. Next to each of the eight pillars, there are sculpted stone pillars which mark the Guardians of the Directions (''ashtadikpalaka''). Large domical ceiling in the open mantapa facing sanctum of the Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal.JPG , Part of the octagonal hall Decorative work in large domical ceiling in the open mantapa of the Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal.JPG , Lotus ceiling Decorative relief in the center of the domical ceiling in the open mantapa of the Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal.JPG , Lotus ceiling close-up Near the main temple, there is a hall supported by 12 pillars worshipping

, the bull ridden by Shiva. It and an adjacent hall are provided with an inclined balcony for sitting. The columns are made in a "lathe-turned" octagonal polished form and carved with geometric designs. The two halls are topped by stepped-pyramid roofs. The exterior walls are profusely ornamented with sculptures of miniature temples and other images. The Ganesha temple is located northeast of the main temple and oriented to the south. The temple has a "stepped plan" with a sanctum preceded by a square-shaped open hall. Done in the

Nagara style Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many varieties of style, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the ''garbha griha'' or womb-chamber, where ...

, The tower (''shikhara'') is made of several miniature towers in north Indian style. The hall has a parapet with many carvings. Outer wall relief Kirtimukha on half pilaster in the Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal.JPG , Exterior wall reliefs Parapet wall relief sculpture in the Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal.JPG , Parapet wall reliefs Ganesha temple with Nagara type shikara (tower) in the Tarakeshwara temple complex at Hangal.jpg , Miniature towers Old Kannada inscriptions of Kadamba king Kamadeva (c.1180) and Hoysala king Veera Ballala II (c.1196) in the open mantapa of the Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal.JPG , Three memorial stones Hero stone (virgal) with old Kannada inscription at the Tarakeshvara temple at Hangal.jpg , Hero stone The temple complex has three memorial stones sculpted with religious and military scenes, located in front of the halls. It also has a 12th-century

hero stone A hero stone (Vīragallu in Kannada, Naṭukal in Tamil) is a memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero in battle. Erected between the second half of the first millennium BC and the 18th century AD, hero stones are found all over India ...

which shows contemporary battle weapons.

References

Citations

Bibliography

*. *. *.

External links

* {{commons category-inline, Tarakesvara Temple, Hangal, Tarakeshwara Temple Shiva temples in Karnataka