Pattadakal

Pattadakal
State :	India
State :	Karnataka
District :	Bagalkot
Sub-district :	Badami
Location :	15 ° 57 ′  N , 75 ° 49 ′  E Coordinates: 15 ° 57 ′  N , 75 ° 49 ′  E
Height :	586 m
Area :	9.89 km²
Residents :	2,573 (2011)
Population density :	260 people / km²
Left: North Indian style Kashi Vishvanatha temple. Center back: Sangameshvara Temple, South Indian. Right: Mallikarjuna Temple, also South Indian style

Pattadakal (also Pattadakall , Kannada ಪಟ್ಟದಕಲ್ ) is a place with approx. 2,500 inhabitants in the Bagalkot district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka . The located here Hindu temple of Chalukya dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries belong since 1987 to the World Heritage of UNESCO . Other important temple sites in the area are Badami , Mahakuta , Aihole and Siddanakolla .

Location and climate

Pattadakal is located on the Dekkan Plateau on the Malaprabha River at an altitude of approx. 586  m and is approx. 22 km (driving distance) in an easterly direction from Badami; the temple city of Aihole is a further 13 km to the northeast. The climate is rather warm and dry; Rain (approx. 660 mm / year) falls almost exclusively during the summer monsoon season .

The landscape is characterized by hard, erosion-resistant boulders, the round shapes of which were already seen in earlier times as seats of gods and stimulated the construction of small temples. Today's place is in the middle of rain-irrigated fields in flat land; the dried out soils of the low hills are poor in vegetation and appear bare from a distance.

population

The inhabitants of Pattadakal are almost without exception Hindus ; in rural areas, Muslims and other religious groups are only numerically small minorities. The male population is about 5% lower than the female. The main languages ​​are Kannada and Hindi .

economy

Most people live as self-sufficient farmers. Tourism plays a minor role.

history

The early western Chalukyas ruled most of the Deccan from the middle of the 6th century; The traditional list of rulers begins in 543. They succeeded in fighting against the Pallavas dynasty, which was strengthening at the same time, in the southeast and in expanding it to the south. The surviving Chalukya temples date from the end of the 7th century (Papanatha) and 745 (Mallikarjuna). In 754 the empire was defeated by the Rashtrakutas , the former vassals from the north. In addition to their most famous building, the Kailasanatha Temple of Ellora, they left behind some Jain temples, including a temple from the 9th century in the middle of the fields about 1 km outside of Pattadakal.

The residence of the Chalukya rulers from Pulakeshin I (543-566) to Vinayaditiya (696-733) was initially Aihole, where the oldest open-air temples from the beginning of the 7th century are, and then the better fortified Badami. This is where the earliest cave temples are located, which, according to the donor's inscriptions, are dated to the end of the 6th century. The youngest of the three capitals was Pattadakal, where Vijayaditiya (696-733) and his son Vikramaditiya II (733-746) developed the tradition of temple construction and reached new heights. The resulting designs were important for the following millennium of Indian art. All of the places mentioned were also important trading centers.

Basics of temple building

The central location at the intersection between north and south Indian cultural influences favored the experimental development of both architectural styles, the north Indian Nagara temple and the Dravidian temple type from the south. Later (around the 10th century) a mixed style called Vesara emerged in the middle of the country . Vikramaditiya II had builders brought in from the Pallavas Kanchipuram residence in the south to employ them at his temples. The temple buildings of the Chalukyas were developed comparable to and only slightly after the five Rathas of the Pallava temple city of Mahabalipuram .

In both places, Buddhist and Jainist Chaitya cave temples, secular buildings made of bricks, clay or wood, as well as the earliest basic stone forms of gupta-temporal temples, which in turn were influenced by Greek, were the starting points for the development of the Indian temple. The development from a cave to an open air temple is considered to be the most creative phase of Indian architecture. The construction of monolithic temples carved out of the rock, such as the aforementioned Kailasanatha temple at Ellora, was contemporary . This is huge compared to the Pattadakal temples; Stylistic matches are also explained here with artisan guilds that were promoted from one place to another. At the beginning of the 8th century, Pattadakal was the cultural center in which previous knowledge about Indian temple building was collected. The basic architectural forms came from the early Gupta temples in Northern India, the sculptural designs were adaptations from the Pallavas. The builders of the great temples of Pattadakal are known by name from inscriptions. They were widely passed around and honored as experts, and they shaped a general architectural canon. The artistic quality and creative achievement that the builders and sculptors produced should be understood as the formation of long before existing religious ideas.

The material used was fine-grained, reddish sandstone, which was laid in a dry bond and in large blocks. It is easy to work with and yet proved to be weather-resistant. The temples are composed of simple basic forms: With flat vestibules ( mandapas ) resting on rows of columns and initially only covered by stone beams , the distance between the columns in Pattadakal could be increased by the introduction of lantern ceilings. From this later the classic "nine-field ceiling" developed, one of many symbols of the cosmogonic order of Indian architecture. The horizontally structured south Indian roof tower ( vimana ) was built above the narrow cult area ( garbhagriha ) , which is crowned by a massive stone (stupika) . A small pavilion for Shiva's mount, a Nandi shrine, was built in front of the temples, which were opened to the east as usual . Larger temples were given a sacred area enclosed by a wall (prakara) .

To the individual temples

Sangameshvara Temple

The temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva , was built at the beginning of the 8th century under King Vijayaditya. The center of the temple, the square cult room (garbhagriha) , is surrounded by a gallery ( pradakshinapatha ) , i.e. by another outer wall (this building plan is called sandhara ), and is surrounded by a multi-tiered temple tower ( vimana ) and a massive "umbrella dome “Crowned, whose origin from the Pallava roof structure (eg Arjuna-Ratha from Mahabalipuram ) is unmistakable. There is a connecting room (antarala) to the vestibule (mandapa) , the flat roof of which is supported by 20 pillars, creating a three-aisled room typical of the early Chalukya, with a slightly higher ceiling in the middle and sloping ceiling panels. The outer walls are structured by niches with figures of gods and openwork stone windows ( jalis ) . The sculptures were not fully completed.

Virupaksha temple

Virupaksha Temple from the east. Vimana in the background, in front of it the southern entrance to the Mandapa. Right: Separate Nandi mandapa

The Virupaksha Temple is the largest temple construction of the early Chalukyas. The temple courtyard measures 75 by 35 m, the length of the actual temple building is 23 m. It was built by Queen Lokamahadevi in ​​745 to commemorate the victory of her husband Vikramaditya II over the Pallavas and the capture of Kanchipuram .

The Kailasanatha Temple of Kanchipuram served as a template for the construction , from where Pallava craftsmen were brought. The main building was separated from the broader mandapa in one development step; the square flat roof is supported by 16 massive stone pillars with wide capital consoles and extended on three sides by entrance porches. On the roof of the antarala in front of the main tower, there are small, transverse barrel roofs as decorative motifs. This later developed into an independent structure - the South Indian gate tower ( gopuram ) , which towers above all other temples . The vestibule is lit by four openwork stone windows (jalis) on each side, the narrow passage around the cella has only two windows in each wall.

The builder named Gunda Tribhuvanacarya, who as the “architect of the south” was responsible for both the architecture and the sculptural design. The pillars, which are identical in structure, are decorated with reliefs showing different scenes from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata . The pilasters on the outer walls are lavishly decorated with demon faces ( kirtimukhas ) and lovers ( mithunas ) . Elephant heads , lions (simhas) as well as musicians, dancers and demigods gandharvas look down from the ceiling beams and the ceiling panels in between .

On the first column to the left of the entrance, the river goddess Ganga is depicted in a bas-relief in the middle of a wave as a symbol for water . As she entered the assembly of the gods, a gust of wind lifted a piece of her robe. All the gods looked down, only King Rajarshi looked at her lovingly. Brahma commanded that the two should be sent to earth as lovers. The scene belongs to the theme of the "Descent of the Ganga" as it is depicted in the rock relief of Mahabalipuram. On the right edge of the column sits the ascetic Jahnu, behind whose hermitage the Ganga rushed past with a roar. Annoyed by this, he drank it up in one swallow. To the left of this, Bhagiratha, emaciated through asceticism, stands on one leg. Further to the left, Shiva grants that the river emerged from the right ear of Jahnu, continued to flow behind Bhagiratha and, in human form, headed towards the left edge of an ascetic who held his hands in karkata-hasta (mudra with clasped fingers) above his head.

Mallikarjuna Temple

The somewhat smaller South Indian Mallikarjuna temple next door was also built after victories over the Pallavas. It was donated in 745 by Trilokyamahadevi, Vikramaditya's second wife and younger sister of Queen Lokamahadevi. The high plinth with a lion frieze forms a terrace with an exterior approach. The temple tower (vimana) is divided into four levels and is closed off by a slightly bulged round dome, the outer walls are lively structured by niches and pilasters. There is again a flat-roofed vestibule (mandapa) and an inner gallery around the cella. At the level of the flat roof, further access to the main tower is possible.

Galganatha Temple

The Galganatha Temple is elevated by a temple tower of the North Indian type ( shikhara ) (beehive-shaped tower of North Indian temples with vertical structure, here in the simplest form of a Tri-Ratha ); this has a notched capping stone ( amalaka ) with a vase (kalasha) on it . Within the vertical structure of the tower there are small amalakas placed one on top of the other, the middle strip is formed by horseshoe motifs ( kudu ) . It is a small temple without a vestibule, but with a flat roofed gallery with stone slabs and has similarities with the temples of Alampur of the eastern Chalukyas, also from the middle of the 8th century. Shiva is depicted as Nataraja on the lintel , inside he kills the demon ( asura ) Andhaka (Andhakasura-vadha-Murti).

Papanatha temple

Papanatha Temple from the north

The medium-sized and well-proportioned Papanatha Temple is dated around the year 740. The outer walls of the vestibule (ardha-mandapa) were laid in a straight line around the main building. This created a very close connection around the cella and an unusual floor plan, which was probably created as a result of a change in planning. Another larger hall (sabha-mandapa), the flat roof of which is supported by 16 columns, extends the temple, also unusual, to the west. The Shikhara tower (in the convex shape of the northern Devanagara style) has lost the former ring-shaped end stone (amalaka) on its now flat top .

The outer walls are adorned with openwork stone windows, on the southern wall are shown Ramayana scenes, in the north Arjuna's penance and in the west Shiva as Gajantaka (who strips off the thick skin of the elephant in order to slip it on himself. He then dances on this demon.) Inside, a Gajalakshmi motif can be seen above the door : the goddess of luck is doused with water from jugs by elephants on both sides. The snake Shesha is located in a ceiling field surrounded by flying beings. The almost fully plastic portrait figures of man and woman as mithunas on the outer walls and on the massive stone pillars inside represent a unique sculptural decoration .

Kashi Vishvanatha Temple

The Kashi-Vishvanatha is a small north Indian temple from the middle of the 8th century, the conclusion on the Shikhara is missing. It was probably built by the Rashtrakutas shortly after the collapse of the Chalukyas. The tower grows upwards as a Pancha-Ratha and is broken up like a network and broken up by deep recesses. The reliefs on the outer walls of the tower and on the flat mandapa are similar to those of the Papanatha temple. On the mandapa ceiling there is a peaceful Shiva as Somaskanda (together with wife Parvati and son Skanda ), framed in the corners by the guardians of the cardinal points ( lokapalas ) .

Jambulinga and other small temples

• In the shikhara of the Jambulinga temple with a flat vestibule, the ceiling of which has collapsed, the upper end is missing. On the east side of the tower, a dancing Shiva ( nataraja ) with Parvati and Nandi is depicted in a large horseshoe shape . There is a separate Nandi shrine.
• The similar, but smaller, Chandrashekhara temple is in even worse condition. The mandapa roof has collapsed, but the entrance side is still guarded by two standing Dvarapalas.
• Also behind the Galganatha temple is the cella of the Kada Siddheshvara temple. The temple in the simplest North Indian design (tower as Tri-Ratha ) dates from the middle of the 7th century. The roof and walls of the vestibule are missing, a lintel shows Shiva and Parvati, the door posts the two river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna.

An octagonal stone monolith near Mallikarjuna Temple bears an inscription in Siddhamatrika (a script used in northern India from the 6th to the 9th centuries) from the 8th century.

Jain temple

Jaina Narayana Temple from the northwest

1 km away from this group of temples and a hundred years later, a temple called Jaina Narayana was built in the south Indian style in the 9th century, possibly under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna II . The outer walls of the walkway around the cella and the central vestibule are structured by simple pilasters, otherwise the outer walls are almost unadorned. The roof of the airy, approximately 7 × 7 m large vestibule (mukha-mandapa) is supported by four turned stone pillars on each side and another four pillars in the interior. In the northeast, a staircase leads to the roof to a smaller cult room in the tower. The plinth was consistently structured by two deep grooves. Semi-sculptural elephants with riders are depicted on both sides of an inner door. The inner mandapa measures around 10 × 11 meters and is supported by four central pillars and half-columns on the outer walls. After passing through an Antarala one arrives at the 3 × 3 m large cult room, which was probably dedicated to Parshvanata , the 23rd and penultimate Tirthankara .

literature

• George Michell: Pattadakal (Monumental Legacy). Oxford University Press India 2002, ISBN 978-0-19-565651-0
• George Michell: Early Western Chalukyan Temples. An Architectural Description and Analysis of the Early Western Chalukyan Temples. London 1975

Web links

Commons : Temple of Pattadakal  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Monuments of India: Pattadakal, structural temples. Detailed photos of the larger temples
• Archaeological Survey of India: World Heritage Sites - Pattadakal.
• India Picture: Search Pattadakal. photos
• Search for Pattadakal in the SPK digital portal of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

Individual evidence

1. ^ Pattadakal - data 2011
2. ↑ Entry on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center ( English and French ).
3. ↑ Pattadakal / Aihole - climate tables
4. ↑ Klaus Fischer : Creations of Indian Art. Cologne 1959, pp. 160f, 165ff
5. ^ Fischer: Eroticism and asceticism. Photo p. 225
6. ↑ Oriental Architecture Photo of a small relief by Gajantaka. Rare.
7. ↑ Klaus Fischer: Eroticism and asceticism in cult and art of the Indians. DuMont, Cologne 1979, illustrations of the Mithunas p. 222f
8. ^ KR Srinivasan: Temples of South India. New Delhi 1972, pp. 192-194
9. ^ Archaeological Survey of India: Scripts used in India. ( Memento of the original from September 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ^ Archaeological Survey of India: Pattadakal. Jaina temple. ( Memento of the original from December 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.