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Published:March22,201300:00IST|Updated:March22,201304:54IST

Richsliceofhistory

Architecturalsplendour:(Fromleft)APanchatantrastorychiselledonthewallKasiVisweswaratemple,Pattadakkal,inRekhaNagarastyle
theBadamiTrikutalayaceilingoutsideSivashrinePaneldepictingBhishmaonarrowbed(PattadakkalMallikarjunatemple)andNarasimha
holdingHiranyakasipu(PattadakkalVirupakshatemple).

Architecturalsplendour:(Fromleft)APanchatantrastorychiselledonthewallKasiVisweswaratemple,Pattadakkal,inRekhaNagarastyle
theBadamiTrikutalayaceilingoutsideSivashrinePaneldepictingBhishmaonarrowbed(PattadakkalMallikarjunatemple)andNarasimha
holdingHiranyakasipu(PattadakkalVirupakshatemple).

Architecturalsplendour:(Fromleft)APanchatantrastorychiselledonthewallKasiVisweswaratemple,Pattadakkal,inRekhaNagarastyle
theBadamiTrikutalayaceilingoutsideSivashrinePaneldepictingBhishmaonarrowbed(PattadakkalMallikarjunatemple)andNarasimha
holdingHiranyakasipu(PattadakkalVirupakshatemple).

Architecturalsplendour:(Fromleft)APanchatantrastorychiselledonthewallKasiVisweswaratemple,Pattadakkal,inRekhaNagarastyle
theBadamiTrikutalayaceilingoutsideSivashrinePaneldepictingBhishmaonarrowbed(PattadakkalMallikarjunatemple)andNarasimha
holdingHiranyakasipu(PattadakkalVirupakshatemple).

Architecturalsplendour:(Fromleft)APanchatantrastorychiselledonthewallKasiVisweswaratemple,Pattadakkal,inRekhaNagarastyle
theBadamiTrikutalayaceilingoutsideSivashrinePaneldepictingBhishmaonarrowbed(PattadakkalMallikarjunatemple)andNarasimha
holdingHiranyakasipu(PattadakkalVirupakshatemple).

RecordWilltherebeanyeffortstorestoretheBadamiTrikutalayaandtheinscriptionsthatlookpaleonthewhitewashedwalls?
SuganthyKrishnamachari

(ThisisthefirstofatwopartarticlethatspeaksabouttheChalukyantemplesandtheirarchitecture,foundmostlyin
andaroundKarnataka)
TheancientnameofBadamiwasBadami.VatapiwastheSanskritnamethattheChalukyasgaveit,whentheyruled
overthearea.Dr.SilakantPathar,whoseD.LittthesiswasBadamiAculturalstudy,saystheChalukyaschanged
manyKannadanamesintoSanskrit.Forexample,Kisuvolal(redtown)becameRaktapura.
ArchaeologistDr.A.Sundara,whosurveyed2,000villagesinMaharashtraandKarnataka,whenhewaswiththe
ArcheologicalSurveyofIndia,hasaninterestinginterpretationabouthowtheassociationoftheareawiththeasura
Vatapimighthavecomeabout.ThePuranicstorysaysthewickedasuraVatapiwaskilledbysageAgastya.Aihole,near
Badami,wasaplacewheretherewasamerchantsguildcalledAyyavoleAinuravaru.Sundarasaysanunscrupulous
merchantmighthavelivedintheareawhomighthavebeenreformedbyawiseman.Localsprobablysawasymbolic
paralleltotheAgastyaVatapistory,andtherebygrewthelegendthatthiswastheareainwhichthePuranicincident
tookplace,andthatbecameVatapi.Sundaraevenwroteastoryforchildrenbasedonthis.
Dr.D.P.Dikshit,inhisbookontheChalukyas,saysthatthefirstChalukyankingwasJayasimha,whowasafeudatory
oftheRashtrakutas,andlatercarvedoutakingdomforhimselfin500AD.HisgrandsonwasPulakesinI,whobuilta
fortinVatapi.Itisonlyinhistimethatthedynastyspowerreallybecamesignificant.
PulakesinssonKirtivarmanIfortifiedthecityfurtherandannexedareasinMaharashtraandAndhra.Hediedleaving
behindhisthreesonsPulakesinII,VishnuvardhanaandBuddhavarasa.However,sincehissonswereminorsatthe
timeofhisdeath,KirtivarmansbrotherMangalesaruledasregent.Incourseoftime,Mangalesatriedtoestablishhis
ownlineonthethrone,butwaskilledbyhisnephewPulakesinII,whoreclaimedthethrone,andruledfrom610A.Dto
642A.D.
Ininscriptions,MangalesaandPulakesinIIrefertothemselvesasParamaBhagavatas,indicatingtheywere
Vaishnavites.TheroyalemblemwasVaraha,furtherproofoftheirreligiousleanings.However,theyendowedmany
Sivatemplestoo.Mangalesa,forexample,donated10villagestotheMahakutaSivatemple.
SubduingtheChalukyas
NarasimhaVarmaPallava(Maamalla)burntVatapi,theChalukyancapital,andkilledPulakesinII.Thosewhoare
familiarwithKalkisSivagamiyinSabathamwillbefamiliarwiththishistoricevent.Maamallaleftbehindan
inscriptionintheMallikarjunatempleinVatapi.Thisinscriptionintheircapitalmusthavebeenamajorhumiliation
fortheChalukyas.Itwasavenged,whenPulakesinsgreatgreatgrandsonVikramadityaII,whoruledfrom734A.Dto
745A.D.,engravedaninscriptionattheKailasanathatempleinKanchi.VikramadityaIImarriedtwosisters,eachof
whombuiltaSivatempleatPattadakkal.
IamcuriousabouttheVatapiGanapati,whichissupposedtohavebeencarriedawaybythePallavageneralParanjothi,
afterthesackingofVatapibyMaamalla.Thatisjustamyth,saysPathar.Therearenoinscriptionsthattalkofthis.
AlltheGaneshasthatarepointedoutasVatapiGaneshainCholaterritoryareclearlyofCholaorigin.
InthePattadakkalChalukyatemples,onewillfindboththeRekhaNagaraandDravidastyle.Intherekhanagara,
fromasquaregarbagriharisesasquaresuperstructure(sikhara),curvilinealinprofile.Onthefrontsideofthe
sikharathereisareplicaofthemaindeity.IntheDravidastyle,onecanseeagarbagriha,withasuperstructure
consistingofretreatingstoreys,withanoctagonal,squareorcircularstupi,explainsSundara.
InscriptionsaboutthesculptorsoftheChalukyanperiodabound.InPattadakkal,thereisaninscriptionabout
SarvasiddhiAcharya,whichsays,tenkanediseya(southerndirection).ThisledHenryCousenstoconcludethat
SarvasiddhiAcharyamusthavecomefromKanchi.ButPatharsaysthereisanotherinscription,which,whenreadin
conjunctionwiththisinscription,clearlyshowsthatSarvasiddhiAcharyabelongedtotheChalukyanregion.This
inscriptionreferstoSarvasiddhiAcharyasstudent,RevadiOvajja,whobuiltthePapanathatempleinPattadakkal.It
usesthewordsTenkaneDiseMadidor,meaningtheonewhoconstructedthesouthernpartofthetemple.Likewise,
theinscriptionaboutSarvasiddhiAcharyamustbetakentorefertohisconstructionofthesouthernpartofthe
Virupakshatemple.InterestinglytheVirupakshatempleisinDravidastyle,andthePapanathatempleisRekhanagara,
showingthatSarvasiddhiAcharyawasthemasterofboththestyles.HeandGundaAnivaritachari,whowasalso
involvedintheconstructionoftheVirupakshatemple,wereconferredthetitlePerjarepu,whichwasaroyalhonourof
thehighestorder.ThereweresculptorswhocamefromKanchitoo,asforexampleaPallavaAchari,whoisreferredto
inthePeddavaduguruinscription.
ThePattadakkaltempleshavesculpturesdepictingscenesfromtheRamayana,MahabharataandPanchatantratales.
OnepanelintheMallikarjunatempledepictsthestoryofthemonkeywhopaidwithitslifeforitscuriosity.Thestory
goesthatthemonkeypulledoutawedgeinapartiallysplitlogofwood,gotentrappedbetweenthetwopiecesandwas
squeezedtodeath.
Womenscholars
ThatPulakesinIwasascholarcanbeinferredfromtheNerurplates,whichsaythathemasteredtheRamayana,
MahabharataandthePuranas.Thetraditionofscholarshipseemstohaveextendedtothewomenintheroyalfamily
too.Vijayamahadevi,thewifeofChandraditya,greatgrandsonofPulakesinI,wasapoetess.Sheevenruledasaregent
forsomeyears.Clearlyhumilitywasnotoneofherqualities,forshesaysthatshewillbowonlytoBrahmaandpoets
suchasValimikiandVyasa.Asforotherpoets,shewillputherleftfootontheirheads!
PathartakesmetowhathesaysisthefirstTrikutalayainSouthIndia.ThistempleisinabusypartofBadamitown.

Thetemplewasbuiltin699A.D.,byVijayaditya,upontherequestofhismotherVinayavati.Ithasthreegarbagrihas
oneeachforBrahma,VishnuandSiva.Theidolsinthesanctumsanctorumaremissing.ThetypicalChalukyanstyle
sculpturingisseenonthelintelGarudaholdingsnakes.ThisisafeatureonenoticesinChalukyatemples,regardlessof
thedeityinthegarbagriha.Theinscriptionrecordingtheconstructionofthetemplecanstillbeseen,thoughthe
templewallhasbeenwhitewashed.WhyhastheASInottakenoverthistemple?Coulditbeforwantoffunds?The
ASIsmaintenanceofthePattadakkaltemplesandBadamicavetemplesisexcellentandonewishesitwillalsotake
chargeoftheBadamiTrikutalaya.
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