Architectural Terms in the Epigraphs of the Panchalingeshwar Temple at Huli

Abstract

The Panchalingesvara temple at Huli (Saundatti Taluk, Belgaum District, Karnataka ) is a temple of Dravida form with an unusual plan . It has a long rectangular garbhagriha, with its longer axis running north-south, which opens into a similar common gudhamandapa through three doorways. This garbhagriha is long enough to carry three superstructures in a line (PI. 1). There are two additional garbhagrihas connected to and flanking the gudhamandapa on the north and the south sides. These also carry a superstructure each. The gudhamandapa opens into a large open pillared agramandapa on the east. The temple now enshrines five lingas, three in a row in the principal garbhagriha and one each in the remaining two. Hence its current name Panchalingesvara. But in the inscription on one of its garbhagriha doorframes the temple is called Manikyatirtha (i.e., Manikyatirtha Basadi) and there are clear enough other indications (such as the seated jina figures under trichhatra on the lalatabimbas) to the effect that it was a Jaina temple originally. Going by the dated inscription on one of the doorframes (1220 A.D., see Inscription No. 4 below) and other features, the temple should be ascribed to the beginning of the thirteenth century A.D. One of the problems faced in the study of the medieval temples of Karnataka is that of appropriate terminology for different temple forms and components. It is now clear that architects of Karnataka, during the period of the Chalukyas of Kalyana, the Hoysalas and the Yadavas of Devagiri, had deviated considerably from the norms prescribed in the manuals of the "Southern" architectural tradition. They had acquaintance with the northern "Nagara" temple forms like Latina, Bhumija, Sekhari etc. This is confirmed not only by inscriptions, which refer to northern forms, and temple models found on contemporary temples (e.g., Kasivisvesvara temple, Lakkundi, Gadag Dist.) but also by actual temple specimens available in such places as Umapur (Bidar Dist.), Sirur (Bagalkot Dist., Siddhesvara Temple), Hataragi (Belgaum Dist., Sikharesvara Temple), Amaragol (Dharvad Dist., Banashankari Temple), Hanagal (Haveri Dist.Ganesha Temple), Belur (Hassan Dist., Channakesava temple,), Nuggehalli (Hassan Dist., Sadasiva temple) and Turuvekere (Mulesankara temple) etc. Hence for understanding the Karnataka temples of the medieval period, possible utility of surviving northern architectural manuals, like the marangana - sutradhara cannot be overlooked.