A once thriving City that is now an obscure village

What do Banavasi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Halebidu and Belur, Somanathapura, Manyakheta or Malkhed, Mayurkhindi, Talakad, Manne have in common with Gundlavaddigeri.

Gundlavaddigeri is a small village, just a little over a hundred kilometers from the City of Hospet in Bellary taluk. It has a population of less than a thousand people and we at the post are sure that its name has never been heard of by a majority of people.

But what is it that makes us place its name along with well-known places such as Banavasi, Badami, Belur and other places.

Banavasi, as all of us know, was the capital of the Kadambas (345-525), the first Kannadiga dynasty of our State. The beauty of Banavasi was such that even Kalidasa, the greatest Sanskrit poet of all times, admired it and mentioned it in his work, Meghadoota.

Kalidasa had been sent to Banavasi as an Ambassador of the Guptas. Today, Banavasi has a few temples that speak of the glory of  the Kadambas.

Similarly, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal are well-known for their Chalukyan temples. Badami, which was earlier known as Vatapi,  was the capital of the powerful Chalukyas (543-763) and it has some of the most magnificent temples and cave temples of the Chaluyka period, some of which were built by Pulakeshi (609-642), who is often particularly described as one of the greatest Emperors of Karnataka.

Talakad was the capital of the Gangas (400-1000) and it was one of the major cities of its times until it was sacked by the Hoysala Emperor, Vishnuvardhana. Today, Talakad is nothing but ruins in a sand.  

Similarly, Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura are renowned for their exquisite temples belonging to the Hoysalas (1026-1343). All these places have ruins of temples.

Malkhed or Manyakheta and Mayurkhindi were once the capitals of  the Rashtrakutas (753-982) who ruled over large parts of south and Central India.

All these centres mentioned in earlier paragraphs were once known as major cities or urban conglomerates and each of them have had their tryst with history. Even today, they are in the news and they attract hordes of tourists and visitors. But how does Gundlavaddigeri get into this list of illustrious cities.

Gundlavaddigeri was earlier in Bellary district and it is today placed in Koppal district.

Archaeologists and historians now have discovered that Gundlavaddigeri was one of the biggest cities of its times in Karnataka and this was prior to the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire in 1336 by Hakka and Bukka.

A 12th century stone deed in Halegannada (old Kannada), belonging to the Vijaynagara dynasty and some weapons used by people have been unearthed in the village.

The old Kannada inscription says that a lake was built in Gundlavaddigeri in memory of Yankubi, son of Kumbara Ponnayya. The inscription says the lake was constructed for  irrigation purposes.

The inscription has three lovely figures, a wheel of eight swords,  cow and a calf, which are the symbols of Shaivism.

Research has shown that Gundlavaddigeri was a big city before the founding of Vijaynagara. Even today, the village boasts of scores of  dry lakes and this is a testimony to the extent of the City that once Gundlavaddigeri was.

The stone inscription, measuring four feet by three feet, stood facing the North with a four-line script in Halegannada.

Gundlavaddigeri is surrounded by Gangavathi taluk towards North, Sandur taluk towards South, Koppal taluk towards west and  Hagaribommanahalli taluk towards South. All these taluks headquarters too were big cities at one point of time but while they are all fairly well-known even today, Gundlavaddigeri is even today an obscure and forgotten village.
Today, Gundlavaddigeri is surrounded by Bellary, Gangavati, Hospet, Sandur, Mundargi and Tekkalakota. Kannada is the local language here and there are less than 150 houses. The total area of Gundlavaddigeri is just 629 hectares and compare this to the thriving town it was more than nine hundred years ago.

What does this post tell us or rather what does it teach us. It tells us that just as centuries passed by, cities rose and fell and some like Gundlavaddigeri fell into obscurity, never to rise again.  

A school , degree college and university of temple architecture

This is the first of a series of article on the temples of Karnataka. Since there are a vast number of temples, we have decided to take them up as per the dynasties that ruled over Karnataka. 

The first part commences with the Chalukyas.

The Chalukyas ruled over large parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra and they were a powerful kingdom in the Indian sub-continent in the ancient ages. One Chalukya king, Pulakeshi defeated Harsha or Harshavardhana on the banks of the Narmada. Pulakeshi is one of the greatest kings of Karnataka. He died in a war with the Pallavas. One of his descendents, Vikramaditya, is equally revered as an outstanding Emperor of his times. Both Pulakeshi and Vikramaditya have left behind a wealth of temples.    

The Chalukyas and Pallavas were bitter rivals ands each sacked the capital of the other.

Badami was the capital of the Chalukyas. Apart from this town, Chalukyan temples can mainly be found in Aihole, Pattadakal, Banashankari, Mahakuta, Geresoppa and Alampur.

Though they ruled over a vast land, it is still a mystery why they concentrated on building temples in just these areas.

It is under the Chalukyas that temple architecture as is today came into being. The earliest temples in India were built by them. The Aihole-Pattadakal site is called cradle of temple art.

Therefore, we have started the series on temples with the Chalukyas.

So here goes…….     

India as we all know is the land of temples. Tamil Nadu has the largest number of temples in the country and Karnataka stands third.

Karnataka has nearly 36,000 temples and these structures are in all the districts and almost every place in the State that is inhabited. The Department of Religious and Charitable Endowment of the State says 35,000 temples are associated with the Muzrai Department.

The Muzrai Department keeps a record of all temples that it either runs directly or gives grants. A list of almost all the ancient temples is also available with the Archaeological Department.

Karnataka is fortunate that it has temples ranging from all the centuries and they cover the periods of the Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Vijayangars, Wodeyars, Rashtrakuras, Gangas, Nolambas, Kadambas, Kalachuris, Nomabas and of course the Palegars or local chieftains.

The earliest temple, as is built now, can be seen at Badami and the structure belongs to the Chalukyas. The group of Chalukya temples at Badami, Banashankari, Aihole, Pattadakal and Mahakuta goes back to the 7th century AD.

The Chalukyas have built temples dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Vishnu Temple in Badami was built by Mangalesa.

The cave temples especially those at Badami contain fine sculptures of Vishnu reclining on Shesha Naga, Varaha the Boar, Narasimha or the half-lion and half-man and Vamana the dwarf. The Chalukya kings also built the rock cut caves at Badami.

The Chalukya Temples are important as it is here that temple architecture took birth. The Dravadian styles of the temples of Pattadakal came to be widely adopted by kingdoms of east and Central India. Aihole has more than 100 temples and the style of temple building in South India originated from here. Therefore, Aihole is also called the cradle of temple architecture.

There are ten main temples in  Pattadakal and of them six are in  Dravadian style and  four in Rekhanagar style.The Virupaksha temple here was built on the lines of the magnificent Kailasanath temple in Kanchi near Chennai.

Badami

Badami was part of  Bijapur district. Now it is in Bagalkot district.

Badami earlier was called Vatapi and it was the ancient capital of the Chalukyas. The Bhutanatha hill has four temples, with several beautiful bas reliefs. The Dattatreya Temple goes back to the 12th century, the Mallikarjuna Temple with a star shaped construction to the 11th century.

The cave temples of Badami can be called as the earliest structures of its times. It is cut from sandstone on the cliff of a hill. The caves are dedicated to Hindu and Jain gods. The biggest cave is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Beneath the caves is a beautiful lake called Agasthya reservoir. There are temples all around the lake.   

Aihole

There are more than 100 temples here. Archaeologists and historians say temple architecture in the Deccan originated here. The Durga temple is known for its apsidal plan, exquisite carvings and its pillared corridors. The temple appears to have been built over several periods. Much of the temples here dates back to the 6th and 7th centuries.

The earliest of the temples here date back to the 450 AD.

The second phase of temples here were built from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Banashankari

The Banashankari temple is one of the largest of its kind. Located in  Cholachagudda, 5 kms from Badami, it is called Shakambari, Banashankari or Vanashankari since it is within the Tilakaaranya forest.

An incarnation of Parvathi, the original temple was built in the 7th century Kalyani Chalukyas- the period of Jagadekamalla, the first, in 639 AD. The present structure dates back to 1750 and it was built  by a Maratha chieftain Parushuram Agale.

The deity is carved out of black stone and it was consecrated by the Chalukyas. She is seated on a lion with the demon at her feet. According to legend, Parvathi killed a demon-Durgamasara- at this place.

There is a beautiful enclosed pond in front of the temple called Harindra Theertha.

Alampur

Another group of temples belonging to the Chalukyas is at Alampur in Andhra Pradesh.

The Alampur temples are nine structures dedicate to Brahma and, hence, the name the Nava Brahma temples. Some of the temples have been built by Pulakeshi. 

The Badami Chalukya architecture evolved between the  5^th and  8th centuries and this style is called Vesare.  This style was arrived at after blending the Indo-Aryan, Dravadian and Nagara styles. This style reappeared several centuries later during the Vijayanagar period.

One of the main features of the Chalukyan temples and caves arethat they have the names and sometime even the signature of sculptors who built them. In some temples, we have more than one name and they testify to the principle of unity in diversity. If one temple wall ahs the name of one sculpture, another has a different name.     

No wonder, Aihole is considered a school of architecture, Badami a degree college, and Pattadakal, a university of architecture. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) included Pattadakal in its list of World Heritage sites.

Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Banashankari are in Bagalkot district. The nearest city is Bagalkot or even Bijapur, which was the capital of the Adilshahis. Badami is connected by road and rail networks as is Bagalkot and Bijapur.   

Masters of stone and rock

Jakanacharya and his son Dankanacharya are well known figures in Indian history. Everybody who has visited the Hoysala temples in Belur and Halebidu are given a lecture on these two famous architects by guides.

The temples at Belur and Halebidu inspire awe and visitors and tourists come back agog with the mindboggling achievements of Jakanacharya and his son Dankanacharya. Unfortunately, the recognition that is given to this father son duo is sadly missing when one goes to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal.

The cities of Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Mahakuta, Banashankari, Gadag, Geresoppa and Alampur are rich with Chalukya temples. Infact the temples, as it is in the present, took shape under the Chalukyas.

Though thousands of people come and admire the beauty of the Chalukyan temples, they do not seem to bother about the architects and sculptors who chiseled these beautiful temples.

Fortunately for us, the names of the architects who either designed or built these temple are carved in the monument itself. Thus, these architects left their signature in stone.

The Chalukyas flourished from the 5^th century AD and they made Badami or Vatapi their capital. One of Karnataka’s greatest kings, Pulekeshi, was a Chalukyan emperor between 603 and 642 BS. He defeated Harshavardhana and expanded the kingdom. He is believed to have died in a battle with the Pallavas.

The Chalukyas were great patrons of art and architecture. They were fortunate in having a large number of skilled architects, artisans and builders.

The names of  Gunda Anivaritacharya, Revadi Ovajja and Narasobba are frequently mentioned in history books as architects of some of the most Chalukyan temples.

Gunda Anivaritachaya was the chief architect of the Virupaksha temple, the most famous and most magnificent temples in Pattadakal. This temple forms the centerpiece of the world heritage complex.

An inscription in the temple says Gunda was showered with titles such as “Anikapuravastu Pitamaha and “Tenkanadesiya Sutradhari.

This temple was commissioned by Lokamahadevi, the senior queen of  Vikramaditya, the second, to commemorate her husband’s  victory over the Pallavas and his subsequent march into the Pallava capital of Kanchi.

The temple is supposedly built on the lines of the Kailasanatha temple of Kanchi.

Apart from these architects, there are a host of others who not only deserve a mention but also recognition as master builders.

The first name of  an architect that comes to mind is Aryamanchi Updadyaya. He is an important sculptor and he is credited with having built the beautiful Malegatti Shivalaya which stands on a boulder in Badami.

It was built in the early seventh century. It has a beautiful Vimana in Dravadian style.

An inscription on the eastern wall of the temple mentions the name of  the architect as Sri Aryamanchi upadhyaya prasad nirmmitam.

The temple is so beautifully planned that it completely blends with the boulder, giving the impression that the boulder and the temple are one.

He was conferred the title Tribhuvanacharya. An inscription in the Aihole temple testifies to this.

“Swasti Vikramaditya Sri

prithivi vallabha Mahadevi

yara degulaman madida sutradhari

Sri Gundan Anivaritacari

ge mume perjjerepu pattamu Tribhuvanachari

y endu pesarittu”.

Another architect is Narasobba, who is revered as the creator of  temples and sculptures in Aihole. He is the master builder of the  Huccappayya temple of Aihole.

This temple is built in the Rekhanagara style.

There is an inscription on the temple detailing his achievements, saying “Swasti Jambudvipantare kaschit

vastu prasada tadgatah

Narasobba samo vidwan

na bhuto na bhavishyati.”

His name also figures in another inscription on a boulder near a Jain cave in Aihole. We know that Narasobba was the disciple of 

Binjadi, a master of temple construction.

The name of  Bijanadi too is mentioned in Chalukyan temples. He is one of the first sculptors in India to chisel figures with mathematical accuracy. was well versed in the science of construction. Thus, there was a sense of proportion in his carvings and sculptures.

One of the inscription praises him as,

“ Binjadi  rdhara cattan vimana ranjitan

satra Maheshwaran gunaravi. rupa sanghatan

pramana bharan Narasobban”

I have in earlier paragraphs written about the Pattadakal temples. Here are some more details.

The Virupaksha Temple was planned and built by two architects-Gunda and Sarvasiddhiacharya.

Both were master craftsmen and both belonged to a guild of architects. They worked in unison to create this beautiful temple.

However, to avoid any hazzles or ego clashes during its construction, Gunda was in charge of the temple construction and Sarvasiddhiacharya took over the construction of the southern portion of the temple.

The name of Sarvasiddhiacharya can be found in two places in the temple. One of the inscription says

When the temple was completed both were rewarded with the title

“Perjerepu”, the  highest honour of the Chakukyas. The other master builder, Gunda Anivaritacharya, too was conferred a title-

Tribhuvanachari-the master of three worlds.

One of the inscription on the temple says, King Vikramaditya showered this Shilpi (architect) with many gifts. Another calls him the Pitama of Vastu Shilpa. An inscription on the Nandi Mantapa of the temple makes no doubt that Sarvasiddhiacharya is the architect of the southern portion. It says

Sri Sarvasiddhi aca

ryya tenkana diseya

sutradhari

This inscription also talks about exemption given to sculptors for payment of certain taxes. This shows the high esteem and regard that the Chalukya Emperors had for architects.

Revaddi Ovajja is another architect of the Chalukyan period. He is credited with having built the Papanatha temple.

Ovajja was a disciple of  Sarvasiddhiacharya. He was also the grandson of Silemuddar, a sculptor. The southern portion of the Papanatha temple was constructed by Revadi Ovajja.

An inscription on the eastern wall of the temple says.

Swasti Sri Silemuddara

marman Sarvasiddhi a

carjjyara cattar Reva

di ovajjar ten

kana dise madidor.”

It is not only in the temples but also in the caves that we come across the names of the architects who have sculpted them.

There are several dozen names and it is quite probable that all of them were either worked in unison to carve the magnificent caves-with each being given a task.

The names of sculptors are also mentioned. The prominent among them is Baladeva, who has sculpted the Dwarapalakas on the south side of the Virupaksha temple.

He is also credited with having sculpted carvings from the  Ramayana on the southern wall of the temple.

An inscription says he is the son of Duggi Acharya. He worked as a sculptor in both the Papanath and Virupaksha Temple.

The figure of Shiva or Virupaksha on the southern wall of the  Virupaksha temple was sculpted by Chenagamma. An  inscription below the carving says “Chenagamma pratime kuttidon.”

He also sculpted the Mithuna couple in the Papanatha temple. 

Another sculptor is Devaputra, who was a disciple of Sakaresivadi.

Sri Pullapan worked on the carvings on the northern wall of the Virupaksha Temple, while Damodara carved the Eastern wall.

An architect Paka, worked in the Sangameshwara Temple in Pattadakal. A pillar in Pattadakal, popularly known as the Pattadakal inscription belonging to the Chalukyan emperor, Kirtiverma, the second, says Jnanasivacharya built the stone pillar

The name of  Srikanthacharya is etched in the Alampur temples.

These architects and sutradharis experimented in stone and left their rich legacy behind. Each temple differs from the other and each architect has his own signature in style.  

No wonder, architects have a special name for these Chalulyan towns. They say if Aihole is a school of architecture, Badami is the degree college, and Pattadakal, the university of architecture.