The visit to this Sri Sangamesvara Temple at Pattadakal was a part of “Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal, Mahakuta and Aihole temples Heritage visit” organized by வரலாறு விரும்பிகள் சங்கம் Varalaru Virumbigal Sangam – VVS and எண்திசை வரலாற்று மரபுநடைக்குழு, between 24th December to 28th December 2022. I extend my sincere thanks to the organizers Mrs Radha and Mrs Nithya Senthil Kumar and Mr Senthil Kumar.
This Pattadakal temple complex on the banks of river Malaprabha comprises nine temples near to one another in a row and from the north to south as follows…..
1. The Kadasiddhesvara Temple
2. The Jambulinga Temple
3. The Galaganatha Temple
4. The Chandrasekhara Temple
5. The Sangamesvara Temple
6. The Kasi Visvesvara Temple
7. The Mallikarjuna Temple
8. The Virupaksha Temple
9. The Papanatha Temple ( This temple is 200 meters away from Virupaksha Temple on south side )
சங்கமேஸ்வரர் கோயில்
சந்திரசேகரர் கோயிலுக்கு தென்புறம் காணப்படுவதே சங்கமேஸ்வரர் கோயிலாகும். கிழக்கு நோக்கி கட்டப்பட்டுள்ள இந்த கோயில் திராவிட வகையை சேர்ந்தது. பட்டடக்கல் வளாகத்திற்குள் காணப்படும் கோயில்களுள் இந்த கோயிலே காலத்தால் முற்பட்ட கோயிலாகும். இரண்டாம் புலிகேசியின் கொள்ளுப் பேரனான விஜயாதித்தர் காலத்தில் (கி.பி.733ல்) எடுக்கப்பட்டதாக இங்குள்ள கல்வெட்டுகள் கூறுகின்றது. விஜயதித்தாரால் எடுக்கப்பட்டமையால் இந்த கோயிலுக்கு விஜயேஸ்வரர் என்றே பெயரே இருந்துள்ளது. துவித்தள (இரண்டு நிலை) விமானத்தின் மேலே உள்ள சிகரம் சதுர் கூடமாக உள்ளது. அதற்கு மேலே கலசம் காணப்படுகிறது. உயர்ந்த மேடையின் / உபபீடத்தின் மீது அமையப்பெற்ற முன் மண்டபத்தில் தூண்கள் காணப்படுகின்றன. ப்ரதிக்ஷணப் பாதையுடன் / சுற்றுப்பாதையுடன் / Cirucumambulatory path கூடிய கருவறைக்கு உள்ளே லிங்கம் காணப்படுகிறது. கருவறை வாயிலில் துவார பாலகர்கள் காணப்படுகின்றனர். நடராஜர், அர்த்தநாரீஸ்வரர், பிருங்கியுடன் சிவன், அந்தகாசுரனை வதம் செய்யும் சிவன், லகுலீசர், கஜசம்ஹாரர், மஹாவிஷ்ணுவின் வராக அவதாரம் போன்ற சிற்பங்கள் தேவகோட்டத்தில் காணப்படுகின்றன.
This temple is immediately to the south of the Chandrasekhara Temple, is the robust and heavy, its plain architecture and stately appearance are at once striking. This is the most remarkable example of a dravida vimana architectural model, completely evolved in this place.
The preceding stages of the development can be traced in the temples such as the lower and the upper Sivalayas, the Malegitti Sivalaya in Badami the Bananti, the Mallikarjuna and the Mahakutesvara Sivalayas in Hosa-Mahakuta. This temple model became the most widely known and was adapted through the ages in the entire south.
Raised on a high kapota bandha-adhishthana the temple with a separate Rishaba mandapa in the front consists of a heavily pillared sabha- mandapa with a mukha- mandapa each on the south, east and the north, a narrow ardha-mandapa with subsidiary shrines at the front comers and a garbha-griha with the sandhara-pradakshina-patha around it. The side walls of the sabha- mandapa and the mukha- mandapas except the flight of steps had disappeared in course of time. In the wall enclosing the pradakshina-patha are three perforated windows on each side. In the sabha-mandapa are four rows of four heavy pillars each, square and plain without base and having on each face two semicircular medallions in the upper and lower zones with a short vertical band in between, entirely plain, except for Kannada label inscriptions here and there. At the top are capitals of the patra and mushti- bodige type.
In the subsidiary shrines to the right and the left were installed respectively Ganesa and Mahishasuramardini now not found. On either side of the garbha-griha is an image of Saiva dvara-pala with defaced inscriptions nearby. Outside the temple, all along the edge of the roof is hara a string of salas and kutas forming a parapet. From above the garbha-griha rises the dvitala-vimana with square / nagara sikhara at the top carrying the kalasa.
On the exterior of the wall skirting the pradakshina-patha in the middle zone are four deva- koshthas on each side at regular intervals enshrining the unfinished sculptures of the gods: Gajasurari Siva / Gajasamhara murthi, Vishnu, Bhu-Varaha, etc. Many of them are in outline ready for sculpting and some others unfinished. What is noteworthy in this temple model is the emphasis on the horizontal lines bold and distinct in the elevational profile from the adhishthan a to the sikhara.
HISTORY & INSCRIPTIONS
The temples Sangamesvara, Mallikarjuna and Virupaksha can be dated in the light of the inscriptions referring to their patrons. The Sangamesvara was built at the instance of Vijayaditya (circa. 696 733 CE ), the Chalukyan king.
Sangamesvara Temple originally called as Vijayesvara or Bijesvara, mentioned in the inscription, was built by Vijayaditya. The one line inscriptions in Kannada script and language on the pillars of the sabha mandapa, interestingly enough, seem to provide an insight into collective efforts of both the people and the king in their endeavor to construct the temple.
The trisula- stambha inscription refers to all the three temples; the Vijayesvara, the Lokesvara and the Trailokesvara were constructed by Vijayaditya Lokamahadevi and Trailokyamahadevi respectively. The latter two temples therefore were constructed at the same period around 740 CE and the Vijayesvara was probably around 710 CE.
On the four pillars of the southern side are the inscriptions mentioning that the pillars were built by certain individuals. One such inscription on the third pillar from the front of the inner row for instance mentions "Challabbeya kamba" ( pillar of Challabbe, a distinguished lady ). Similarly, on the first, second and the fourth are the names of the donors, Sri Vidyasiva, Perggade Poleyachhi and Nirvanakaara Paka, respectively. Of the two inscriptions on the sides of the dvara-bandha of the garbha-griha one is very defaced. The inscription on the other is not very clear.
However it seems to state the land was a grant by someone to a brahmavida (brahmana) from Muguli, a village nearby and 'Vijesvara bhatara' the god of the temple, the gandharvas (artists) and the "sutra" (architects) are the witness to the grant made.
As known from a separate Kannada inscription of 1162 located in the temple, Chavumda's(II) senior queen, Demaladevi and their son, Achideva while enjoying "Pattada kisuvolal' revived in saka varsha 1084 (=1162) the grants meant for the worship to the god "Sri Vijayesvara" and the cultural activities in the temple, made by the earlier kings.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF CHALUKYA DYNASTY
Jayasimha, a Chalukya King probably the founder, carved out a region and ruled. He was immediately followed by Ranaraga who expanded and consolidated the kingdom. However, not much is known about these two Chalukyan kings. It was Pulakesi I, the third king in the genealogical line, who made Badami, the capital of the kingdom in 543 CE and built a fort on the top of what is now known as the North hill. His son, Kirtivarma (1) with the assistance of Mangalesa his younger brother, conquered the neighbouring kingdoms of the Kadambas in the south- west, the Mauryas of the Konkana, the Kalachuris etc,. It was his celebrated grandson Pulakesi-II who extended the political boundaries of the kingdom far and wide from Narmada to Kaveri. He installed his younger brothers Jayasimhavarma in the north comprising Gujarath region and Kubja Vishnuvardhana in the eastern division while he ruled the central part from Badami. However, he met with a crushing defeat at the hands of Pallava Narasimhvarman of Kanchi in 642 CE. Badami was 'terra incognito' for the next twelve years. In 654 CE, Vikramaditya - I, Pulakesi's son, succeeded in re-conquering the kingdom from the Pallavas. The kingdom grew further and was prosperous, strong and generally peaceful under the next three rulers in succession namely, Vinayaditya, Vijayaditya and Vikramaditya II in spite of their frequent, successful wars particularly with their arch enemy, the Pallavas others in the north. Kirtivarman- II, the son of Vikramaditya- II though capable and experienced in wars and administration, succumbed to the 756 CE onslaught by Dantidurga, the Rashtrakuta chief ruling the Ellora region. This ended the Badami Chalukyan rule. The Badami region thus became a part of the Rashtrakuta kingdom.
By 973 CE the Chalukyas till then keeping a low profile at the appropriate occasion seized and rose to power supplanting the Rashtrakutas. Later Kalyana in Bidar district, Karnataka had the fortune of becoming the capital of the kingdom and continued to be so till the ruling dynasty fell in about 1189 CE. However, Pattadakal gained some importance by becoming the headquarters of an administrative division known as Kisukadu 70 ruled by Nolamba Pallava Permanadi Singhanadeva as mandalika (feudatory) under Someshvara II, Bhuvanaikamalla, the Chalukyan king, around 1070 CE and hundred years later by Chavumda II of the Sindha family, a mandalika to Noormadi Taila- III the Chalukiyan king. Chavumda’s senior queen Demaladevi and their son Achideva by virtue of his position as prince were then enjoying Pattadakal.
Ref:
A Hand book on World Heritage Series Pattadakal, published by Archaeological Survey of India.
A Hand book on Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal & Ihole supplied by VVS in Tamil.
HOW TO REACH
Pattadakal Group of temples are 13 KM from Aihole, 17 KM from Badami and 459 KM from Bengaluru.
Nearest Railway Station is Badami.
LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE : CLICK HERE
--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---
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