The Kalleshvara temple (also spelt Kalleshwara or Kallesvara) is located in the town of Ambali in

Bellary district Ballari, formerly Bellary (pronounced ), is a major district in Karnataka. It is located at north-eastern part of Karnataka. This district belongs to Kalyana-Karnataka. This district was one of the biggest districts in Karnataka until the Vi ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. According to an

Old Kannada Old Kannada or Halegannada () is the Kannada language which transformed from ''Purvada halegannada'' or ''Pre-old Kannada'' during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi (ancient royal dynasty of Karnataka 345–525 CE). The Modern Kannada la ...

inscription (dated 1083) placed in the ''sabhamantapa'' (''lit'', "gathering hall"), the temple was constructed during the reign of the

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

King

Vikramaditya VI Vikramaditya VI (r. 1076 – 1126 CE) became the Western Chalukya King after deposing his elder brother Someshvara II, a political move he made by gaining the support of Chalukya vassals during the Chola invasion of Chalukya territory.Sen ...

(also called Tribhuvana Malla). This temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

Temple plan

Art historian Adam Hardy categorizes the architectural style of the temple as "12th century, trans-Tungabhadra branch of the Lakkundi school, related to Kuruvatti (Mallikarjuna temple) with some non-mainstream affinities". The temple is a single shrine (''

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 menti ...

'') construction with an adjoining hall (''

mantapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

''). The basic building material is

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 Subdu ...

. The original superstructure over the shrine is lost.Hardy (1995), p.320 The temple which faces east comprises a sanctum (''

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...

''), an antechamber (or vestibule or ''

antarala ''Antarala'' (Sanskrit: अन्तराल; ) is a small antechamber or foyer between the ''garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum ...

'' whose tower is called the ''sukhanasi'') that connects the sanctum to a gathering hall (''sabhamantapa'') which is preceded by a main hall (''mukha

''). The walls of the shrine and the ''sabhamantapa'' are articulated with projections and recesses creating niches which carry miniature decorative tower or turrets (

Aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

) in ''

vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture that combines Dravidian Southern Indian site layouts with shape details characteristic of the Nagara style of North India. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architectur ...

'' style (a fusion of south and north Indian styles). The

doorjamb In architecture, a jamb (), is the side-post or lining of a doorway or other aperture. The jambs of a window outside the frame are called . Small shafts to doors and windows with caps and bases are called ; when in the inside arris of the jamb o ...

of the sanctum and antechamber are crafted with decorative motifs, and the

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

(''lalata'') depicts

Gajalakshmi Gajalakshmi (), also spelt as Gajalaxmi, is a prominent representation of the goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, prosperity, and fertility, depicted with two elephants on either side. This representation symbolises not only the divine bl ...

(the Hindu goddess

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

flanked by elephants on either side). The square bases of pillars in the ''sabhamantapa'' and ''mukhamantapa'' have the characteristic decoration with reliefs, depicting various Hindu

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

such as

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

(the sun god),

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

(a version of the god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

) and

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

Notes

Gallery

File:Old Kannada inscription (1083 AD) in Kalleshvara temple at Ambali.JPG, Old Kannada inscription of King Vikramaditya VI dated 1083 in open hall of Kalleshvara temple at Ambali File:Door Jamb relief in Kalleshvara temple at Ambali.JPG, Doorjamb relief in Kalleshvara temple at Ambali File:Kalleshvara temple shrine and tower at Ambali.JPG, ''

Vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture that combines Dravidian Southern Indian site layouts with shape details characteristic of the Nagara style of North India. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architectur ...

'' vimana (shrine and tower or ''

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 ...

'') at Kalleshvara temple, Ambali File:Ornate mantapa(hall) pillars in Kalleshvara temple at Ambali.JPG, Ornate ''mantapa'' (hall) and lathe turned pillars with decorative base containing relief

References

* * *Adam Hardy, Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation : the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries, Abhinav, 1995, New Delhi, . {{coord missing, Karnataka Hindu temples in Vijayanagara district 11th-century Hindu temples

Temple plan

See also

Notes

Gallery

References