The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Ancient temple in need of attention

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Ancient temple in need of attention

By R. Krishna Kumar

The interior of the temple near Hunsur

MYSORE, JULY 27. An ancient temple depicting the architectural styles of the Hoysala, the Chola, the Vijayanagar, and the Wadiyar dynasties is in ruins and stands the risk of being pillaged by dealers in antiques.

The temple complex located at Tarikallu village in Hunsur taluk of Mysore district measures 142 feet by 141 feet and has been systematically pillaged over the years. Many images and pillars have been removed, but the remaining ones give a glimpse of the temple that once existed in all its glory.

Documented

Though the presence of the temple is well documented by scholars and finds a mention in historical texts, the pathetic state of affairs of the temple was brought to light by two research scholars from the Department of History in the University of Mysore, G.P. Omprakash Gupta and Ravi Kumar.

Mr. Gupta and Mr. Kumar, who carried out a study to assess the extent of damage caused to the temple, told The Hindu that the temple complex was located about 12 km from Hunsur town. Originally, there were three temples of varying sizes, which were mostly in ruins today, they added.

The temple betrayed a predominantly Hoysala style and the main structure had granite pillars, which were still extant, they said. The structure was reckoned to have been built between 8th century A.D. and 10th century A.D.

Soapstone

Mr. Gupta and Mr. Kumar said soapstone had been predominantly used in the construction of the temple, a common feature of most Hoysala temples, and there were friezes on the beam that included figures of horses, elephants, and the Nandi. The sculpture of Veerabhadra reflected the Vijayanagar style of architecture and the ceiling of the Navaranga portrayed two snakes swallowing the sun and the moon, perhaps drawing attention to an eclipse, they said.

It was suspected that the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple had been ransacked several times in the past and it was difficult to ascertain as to which deity the temple was originally dedicated to, they said.

They noted that the architecture of the temple had traces of the Wadiyar style as evident in the use of granite.

The scholars said they also discovered three coins, one of which belonged to the Chola period and two coins issued during the reign of the early Wadiyars.

The base of the pillars had sculptures, including that of Ganesha, Lakshmi, and other gods while there was a rare pillar with an image left incomplete by the artisans, Mr. Gupta and Mr. Kumar said.

Sculpture

The most important sculpture extant in the temple complex was that of a ruler and was in a fairly good shape, they noted and said that of the two Dwarapalakas, one was missing while the other was in a dilapidated state. The towering shikhara measured about 35 feet from the ground while the main Gopura was at least 15 feet in height, they said.

The most significant discovery that had some historical importance was the presence of a large stone slab with inscriptions in a "lyrical language." The translations of the inscription had appeared in Epigraphic Karnataka and document land grants issued by the local rulers to a family, they added.

Mr. Gupta and Mr. Kumar pointed out that the presence of an ancient temple reflecting the architectural styles of the Hoysala, the Chola, the Vijayanagar, and the Wadiyar dynasties was rare and efforts should be made to protect it.

Since the temple was an unprotected monument, it risked being further vandalised.

"Local people say that a massive Shivalinga measuring nearly five feet in height was taken away from the temple precincts many years ago and the cart owner who helped shift the linga vouches for the continuing looting of the temple," the two scholars said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

Ancient temple in need of attention

Forum's `dormancy' hits IT prospects of Mysore

Professional courses should be affordable: Ananthamurthy

AIDS awareness programme to cover 16 lakh students

Huge turnout for pre-paid SIM cards