The Kalleshvara temple (also spelt "Kallesvara" or "Kalleshwara") is located in Aralaguppe, a village in the

Tiptur Tiptur is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is one of the three sub-divisional headquarters of Tumakuru district in Karnataka. Capital city Bengaluru is 140 km from Tiptur. Tiptur city is known for its coco ...

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

Tumkur district Tumakuru district is an List of districts of Karnataka, administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the second largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is ...

, in the

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

History

According to historian I. K. Sarma, the temple is a fine example of native Western Ganga art of the 9th century, with influences from the Badami Chalukya and Nolamba architectural idioms.Sarma (1992), p. 88 It is dedicated to the Hindu 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 ...

(also called "Ishvara") and was commissioned by a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

king of the Nolamba dynasty. Historians I.K. Sarma, B.S. Ali and K.V. Soundara Rajan date the temple to the late 9th century to early 10th-century period. B.S. Ali calls this temple one of the finest examples of Western Ganga art while Aschwin Lippe and Soundara Rajan feel the temple is more consistent with contemporary Nolamba style.Ali and Soundara Rajana in Sarma (1992), p. 88, p. 90 The dating of the temple is confirmed by two inscriptions. One inscription in the temple dated 895 C.E. (''saka'' 817) describes the commissioning of the temple by a Nolamba king under his overlord, the Western Ganga King Rachamalla II (r. 870–907 CE). The inscription also records the grant made by King Rachamalla II himself to the construction of this temple (called ''Kalla-degula'' in the inscription). The other inscription, a

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 BCE and the 18th century CE, hero stones are found all over In ...

in the temple tank ('' pushkarni''), confirms that this region was under the overall control of the Western Ganga Dynasty during this period. Historian Sarma argues that the Western Gangas and Nolambas had close links with regards to "cultural art" and they would have, in their commission, common guilds of architects (''sthapatis'') and sculptors (''silpis'').Sarma (1992), p. 90-91 According to Sarma, the three lateral shrines with an enclosure for Nandi the bull (''Nandi-sala''), the vehicle (''vahana'') of the god Shiva, was added during the later

Hoysala The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries Common Era, CE. The c ...

period and this is confirmed by art critic Takeo Kamiya.Sarma (1992), p. 91Kameya in "Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent"

Temple plan and sculptures

Door Jamb in Kalleshvara Temple at Aralaguppe

The plan of the 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 ...

'') is a square pyramidal one, with a plain exterior with simple

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

, a vestibule (''antarala'') separating the sanctum from a closed 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 ...

'') with an exceptionally well sculptured section called the ''mahamantapa'' or ''navaranga''. The superstructure over the 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'' chamber ...

'') and vestibule (''sukanasi'') have been renovated at a later period but the base on which the temple stands (''

Adhiṣṭhāna The Sanskrit term adhiṣṭhāna (; ; ''kaji''; ''àtíttǎan'') is the name for blessings or inspiration that a Buddhist may receive from a Buddha, bodhisattva or guru. The Sanskrit term has various meanings in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism ...

'') is original in construction.Sarma (1992), p. 90 The doorjamb (''sakha'') 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 ...

above the main door have exceptional art. The doorjamb exhibits seated door keepers (''dwarapalas'') at the base, bold scrolls of decorative creepers that run along the sides of the main door and contain ''

Yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...

'' (benevolent spirits from Hindu mythology) and ''Yakshis'' (or ''Yakshinis'', their female counterparts). Above the door, forming the lintel (''lalata'') is a sculpture of

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 ...

(a version of the 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 ...

) with elephants showering her from either side. Sarma feels this sculpture may have inspired the monolithic carving at the main entrance (called ''akhanda bagilu'') on the Vindyagiri hill in the famous Jain heritage town of

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas ...

. The ceiling panel grid ('' ashta-dik-pala'' grid) of images in the ''mahamantapa'' (a section of the ''

'') needs special mention and speaks of the good taste of the Ganga-Nolamba architects. The panel images include a four handed dancing and well ornamented Shiva, and a four tusked elephant (''gaja'') carrying on its back the god

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

and his consort

Sachi Indrani (Sanskrit: इन्द्राणी, IAST: ''Indrāṇī''), also known as Shachi (Sanskrit: शची, IAST: ''Śacī''), is the queen of the devas in Hinduism. Described as tantalisingly beautiful, proud and kind, she is the daug ...

.Sarma (1992), p. 90

Gallery

File:Kalleshvara Temple at Aralaguppe(rear view).JPG, Rear view of Kalleshvara temple complex File:Old Kannada inscription Hero Stone from 9th century AD in Kalleshvara Temple at Aralaguppe.jpg, Hero stone with old Kannada inscription (870-906 A.D.) at Kalleshvara temple File:Window art in Kalleshvara Temple at Aralaguppe.JPG, Window art at one of the shrines in the Kalleshvara temple complex

Notes

References

* *

External links

{{commons category, Kalleshvara Temple, Aralaguppe Hindu temples in Tumakuru district Shiva temples in Karnataka Architecture of the Nolambas