The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c15: Chaudadāmpur

The Chālukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c15

Language: English

c15.s1 The Temple of Muktēśvara — 6 parts

Chaudadāmpur

The Temple of Muktēśvara

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CHAUDADĀMPUR is a small village upon the banks of the Tuṅgabhadrā river on the eastern boundary of the Dhārwār district. At this place, by the side of the river, stands the old and almost deserted temple of Muktēśvara (Plates LXXVI—LXXX). Comparing this temple with the old Jaina temple at Lakkuṇḍi, it shows a further development in the new style that set in after the return of the Chālukyas to power on the extinction of the Rāṣṭrakūṭa dynasty, if, indeed, it was not started under the latter kings. We now meet with a new feature—the deep overhanging cornice with a double curved outline, forming the eaves of the porches. Something of this sort was necessary with these open halls and porches to exclude sun and rain. In the earlier temples the heavier cornice, which was then used, was a simple quarter-round curve which did not project more than half the extent of these later ones. To correspond with this a smaller cornice of the same character was introduced around the rest of the building.

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The middle niche-facets, up the three faces of the tower, are now more fully accentuated and, when seen from straight in front, they almost reproduce the continuous vertical band of the śikharas of the northern style. The crowning member sits closer down upon the tower, and merges more completely with it, there being, practically, no neck between, which, in the previous examples, raised this member away from the top of the tower, and made it more conspicuous. To further bring it into harmony with the general run of the lines of the tower, it has a prominent horizontal moulding around it, half way up. At the same time the kalaśa or finial is very much reduced in size, if it is really the original one. The result of these changes is a certain look of clumsiness when compared with the Jaina temple at Lakkuṇḍi, and it is decidedly weaker in design. The tower now becomes a “Chālukya” tower, as that term is used to denote the distinctive style evolved within the Kanarese districts about the tenth and eleventh centuries. The different storeys are fairly well masked by overlaid decorative detail, while, at the same time, the northern element is introduced, to some extent, by the central vertical arrangement of facets which simulate the central vertical band in that style.

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The central panels, on each of the walls around the shrine, have niches in which loose images were placed, and small figures are sculptured upon the walls in the other panels. More surface decoration is added to the mouldings of the basement and tower.

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The temple has two porches, constructed in the same manner as the large open halls we shall presently consider. The low walls, that enclose the porches, have benches or *sedelia* running round them on the inner side. The outside of these walls is richly decorated with bands of fine scroll work and a line of numberless repetitions of a little *śikhara* upon a short pilaster. It is evident that, from the constant occurrence of these little spires, which so profusely adorn the walls of most of the temples of this period, and which, it will be noticed, are of the northern type, that the main tower of a temple was considered by the architects of those days as the most important feature of the building after the *cella*.

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Within the shrine is a *liṅga*, while above the shrine door the dedicatory block is quite plain, and has no image upon it. Above the antechamber is Gaja-Lakṣmī, and over the other doors is an image of Śiva.

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Standing beside the temple are several inscribed slabs containing old Kanarese inscriptions dating from A.D. 899 to 1262, the later ones recording grants and gifts to the god of the temple under the names of Muktēśvara and Muktinātha. A broad *ghāt*, or flight of steps, descends, upon the eastern side of the temple, to the river.