Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka

Pattadakal World Heritage site in Karnataka lies on the banks of Malaprabha river in Bagalkot district. It’s 22 kilometer from Badami and about ten kilometer from Aihole, documented for Chalukya monuments. The Pre-Chalukya historical and archeological site Bachinagudda also near Pattadakal.



Virupaksha Temple History:

Virupaksha Temple in worship, known as ‘Shri Lokeswara-Maha-Sila-prasada’ from the epigraphs, was designed by Lokamahadevi, the Queen of Vikaramaditya II (A.D.733-745) in a few.D.740 to commemorate her husband’s victory over the Pallavas of Kanchipuram. It closely resembles the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram on plan and elevation and represents a totally developed and formed stage of the Dravidian architecture.

Facing east, this Virupaksha Temple has on plan a sq. sanctum (garbhagriha) with a circumambulatory path (pradakshinapatha), an antarala with 2 little shrines for Ganesh and Mahishamardini facing each other infront, a sabha-mandapa with entrance porches on the east, north and south and a separate Nandi-mandapa in front. The Virupaksha Temple complex is enclosed by high prakara walls. Against the inner faces of these walls there were little shrines (originally 32) dedicated to the subsidiary deities (parivaradevatas) of that solely a few are extant now. The enclosure has been provided with ornate entrance gates ((pratolis) on each east and west.

The Virupaksha Temple is built on a high support of 5 absolutely evolved mouldings. The outer faces of the walls of the sanctum are divided into a central projection, 2 intermediate projections and 2 corner projections with four recesses in between. Likewise, the mandapa walls on either side of the northern, eastern and southern proches are divided into 2 projections and 2 recesses.

All these projections of the sanctum walls carry niches housing pictures of Saiva and Vaishnava deities like Bhairava, Narasimha, Hari-Hara, Lakulisa etc., while there are perforated windows of varied style in the remainder of the recesses. The parapet consists of architectural parts known as kutas (square), panjaras (miniature apsidal shrines) and salas (oblong) similar to the projections below and the linking courses (harantaras) above the recesses.

The superstructure over the sanctum is a Dravida-vimana in 3 storeys with a sukasana projection over the antarala. It sq. in plan and repeats in its elevation many elements of the parapet and walls to a lower place. It’s a fantastically shaped square roof (shikhara) with a round finial kalasa above.

The whole of the interior of this Virupaksha Temple is embellished with elegant carvings and aesthetically modeled sculptures. Episodes from the Ramayana (e.g. abduction of Sita) Mahabharata (e.g. Bhishma lying in a bed of arrows), Bhagavata (e.g. Krishna lifting the Govardhan mountain) and Kiratarjuniya (e.g. Arjuna receiving the Pasupatastra from Siva) pictured portrayed on the pillars of the sabha- mandapa and the pilasters here have the sculptures of amorous couples and Rati and Manmatha. Flora, fauna and geometrical patterns adorn various elements of the temple.

Doorjambs (dwara-shakhas) with their delicate carvings, pillars and pilasters with various sorts of capitals and carvings on their faces, lintels relieved with animals, birds and architectural motifs, ceilings depicting divine beings and the majestically standing dwarapalas all unfold a ricj world of plastic art before the connoisseurs and attest to the heights reached by the Chalukyan sculptures.

The Nandi-mandapa located to the east of the Virupaksha Temple, is a sq. tent open on all the four sides. It homes a large image of Nandi on a raised floor. Its flat roof is supported by four pillars and short lengths of walls whose outer surfaces are carved with attendant figutes and Kinnara-mithunas (couples)

There are variety of inscriptions big and little, incised in different parts of this temple. Inscriptions in the construction of the eastern entrance record the victory of Vikramaditya II over Kanchipuram and the royal honour and the title of ‘Tribhuvanachari’ conferred on Anivaritachari Gunda, the architect of the temple and the extol the virtues of Sarvasiddhi Achari, the architect of the southern portion of the temple.