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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Karnataka's Khajuraho - Bagali


Bagali, Davangere
The Kalleshwara Temple Complex
 Bagali is a small village located in the Harapanahalli taluk of Davangere district now moved to Bellary/Ballari district. The Kalleshwara temple here is considered to be one of the rare temples of India. Unique in its style and appearance, it is popularly regarded as Karnataka's Khajuraho. There are very few temples in India where the goddess and god of love (Rathi and Manmatha) are carved as Dwarapalakas. Here one can see the beautifully carved images of them guarding the temple. This temple was built during  the 9th century AD by the Rashtrakutas which later underwent modifications under the reign of Chalukyas and the Hoysalas.  
Kalleshwara Temple, Davanagere
Pillared Alley
Lathe Turned Pillar
Heavily Decked Door Jamb
Exquisitely Carved Lintel 
Temple Priest Feeding the Royal Elephant
Dwarf Drummer
Lord Bramha,Vishnu and Maheshwara
The Goddess and God of Love (Rati and Manmatha)
  Bagali is referred to as Baguli and was one of the capitals during the  rule of Hoysala King Ballala II. However, to a large extent the credit of building this temple goes to the Western Chalukyan king Vikramaditya VI. The main temple of Kalleshwara is extensively carved and has been built to perfection. The open Sabha mantapa/ Natya mantapa of the temple has 59 exquisitely carved pillars and none are similar. The four central pillars are the most beautiful with the detailing on them being parallel to none. While the ceilings of the mantapa are beautifully carved, the door-jambs are very skillfully executed and go on to serve as the perfect examples of Chalukyan architecture. 
Kalleshwara Temple Bagali
Sundari
  • Lord Ganesha
    Lord Ganesha
Killing of King Hiranyakaship
 Lord Shiva in the form of a big Linga is worshiped here even today. Many small shrines  dedicated to various gods are present around this temple. While major portion of the temple exteriors remain simple, the upper portion is adorned with reliefs of erotica. Though the erotic carvings beat that of Khajuraho in number (in depicting the various postures), they are far from being as perfect. With 62 carvings, it stands proudly as one housing the largest collection of erotica images. The prototypes of these images were taken to Paris for further examination as  a part of study and are now a part of the Paris Museum.
Erotica
The Water Source
Extensively Carved Hero Stone
The Temple Complex
 Related Posts:
1. Kanakuppa Fort, Near Jagalur

14 comments:

  1. What an incredible, fascinating place and, as always, your captures are superb!! They are the next best thing to being there myself!! Thank you for sharing the beauty and the history!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

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  2. Wow!! Such a beautiful temple! Must visit!!
    Lovely photographs and useful information.

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  3. Incredible work. The place around looks well maintained but tourists aren't aware yet.

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  4. Oh wow! This place is truly beautiful...and those pillars! Brilliant...

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  5. It's well written and well picturized post...

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  6. Glad to know about this temple. Nice post.

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  7. What a lovely place! Wish I could go there this summer, but I already planned my travels :).

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  8. Didn't know about this place! Thanks for sharing this detailed post with lovely pictures. Seems like a great place to spend a day, exploring some ruins that one doesn't normally read about.

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  9. Thanks for the fascinating tour through your photography.

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  10. Good article! Loved pillars, doors and hero stone. It's nice to water in its source. 👍

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  11. Beautiful pics, neat write up...Liked it..:)

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  12. Beautiful temple. Definitely on my wish list.

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  13. Such intricate patterns. Wonder how they chiseled out these things. Really incredible. Love your visits to great temples of yore.

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