The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c11.s6.1

c11.s6.1

Outside the village walls, on the north, and beyond Galaganātha, is the small temple of Kādsiddhēśvara with a śikhara in the northern style. It is a compact neat little building. On each of the three sides of the shrine, outside, is an image in a niche. On the north side it is a female with two arms; the right hand rests on the head of a bull, while the left holds up a half-blown lotus. A little dwarf stands below. The back or west figure is Viṣṇu, standing straight to the front. The standing figure on the south is damaged. The temple has pretty lattice windows. On the front of the tower is the usual tāṇḍava but damaged. We have here another very unusual dedicatory block over the shrine door—Śiva and Pārvatī seated side by side. At the top, to one side, is Brahmā, while, upon the other, is Viṣṇu. We can make no mistake here in saying that this shrine was originally dedicated to Śiva. A very cave-like feature in this doorway is the peculiar setback of the mouldings at the upper corners, a device practised at the present day in Europe (Plate LII).