The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c33.s1.1

c33.s1.1

DĒGĀMVE is about twenty-five miles south-east from Belgāum. The temple, known as the Basti or Kalla-Guḍi, is situated in the middle of the village. It is a decorated mediæval temple constructed upon a rather unusual plan. The building consists of a long pillared hall, running from north to south, in front of three shrines on the west side, the middle one projecting forward into the hall in advance of the other two (Plates CXXXI—CXXXIV). To what three deities the temple was originally dedicated it is difficult to say, for the images upon the blocks over the shrine doors are perplexing. Over the central one is the peacock—Sarasvatī's *vāhana*—and one would naturally expect to find her image within.¹ But there is now an image of Lakshmī-Nārāyaṇa. There is no mistaking the peacock, for it has the large ornamental tail and crest as in the representation on the front of the seat of Sarasvatī in her temple at Gadag (see Fig. 3). The south shrine has an image of Sarasvatī herself, upon the block, with four arms and hands, holding the *aṅkuśa*, *pāśa*, *mālā* and book, but in the shrine is an image of Viṣṇu. Again, over the north shrine doorway occurs an image of Mahākālī, and, within the shrine, Mahākālī's image is set up. This may be the original image, and it is possible the three shrines held three goddesses, namely, Sarasvatī, Lakshmī and Mahākālī, the consorts of the triad of deities so constantly met with in these temples, especially above the entrances to the antechambers—Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.