Itagi Mahadeva Temple - Music Set In Stone - Part I

By Tharangini

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Itagi is only 7km from the Mahamaye temple in Kuknoor and it is not uncommon for those who visit the Mahamaye temple to visit the Itagi Mahadeva temple.  We were no different and followed the same trail thus reaching Itagi within 10 mins .

The chariot gets a makeover
for the festivities.

We were greeted with the sight of an imposing chariot that stood outside the Mahadeva temple,  getting ready  for the festivities the next day.  It looked fairly new, well polished and shiny. But surprisingly, we were told that the chariot was as old as the temple itself and only the axle part had been replaced along with some varnishing for the original wooden structure.If that was indeed so, the chariot had really managed to retain its youthful features for a really long time.

The temple stood amidst
a well manicured garden.

A few short steps led us into the temple complex. The Mahadeva  temple stood handsomely  in the middle of a well manicured garden. A happy feeling spontaneously just welled up inside me  while noticing that this piece of heritage was most certainly better looked after than a lot of its counterparts.  I realized I was actually smiling at this structure.

Entrance to the 64 pillared Mantapa
with Nandi at the far end.

This ultimately gorgeous temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, was built  in the year 1112 CE by Mahadeva 'Dhandanayaka', a commander in the army of King Vikramaditya VI. The intoxicating combination of  Chalukyan architectural style and usage of soapstone in its construction was magical. This along with the efforts of 550 chief architects had resulted in a number of intricate carvings, immaculate pillars and irresistible designs all over the temple. 

The fluidity of the carvings  flowed seamlessly throughout the temple, both inside and outside. It was impossible to tell where one ended and the other started. This was not just a construction of a temple, this was music set in stone.

My reverie was soon shattered by some excited voices of a very high frequency. The source was from a group of visiting college students who seemed to be more impressed by the garden than the temple itself.  Briefly distracted from the grandeur before me, I could not help but be  amused at the cartwheels, selfies and impromptu dance moves that ruled the moment along with innumerable successful and unsuccessful attempts to impress their peers.For a while they were made to sit quietly to listen about the rich heritage of this incredible temple. But soon after, the temple lost the popularity contest to the lawns and gardens, in the eyes of these students.

The cluster of carvings
rising up to the ceiling

My focus back on track, I now decided to shower my undivided attention on the  temple. The 64 pillared open 'mantapa' or hall led into another closed mantapa.  A couple were performing a special puja inside, so our access was limited. On the outside however every pillar seemed to have its own proud personality and the ceiling was dripping with carvings. In fact they were so intricate that not an inch of the ceiling seemed to have escaped the expertise of the craftsmen's tools.

The partially damaged Nandi
sat facing the sanctum

A Nandi, whose face was unfortunately damaged, sat facing the sanctum. The doorway in front of the Nandi was a classic example of patience personified . The frame itself had five layers. Each layer seemed to be divided into multiple 4 inch panels and  each panel showcased  either a design, group of musicians or dancers, courtesans, gods, goddesses etc. Confused yet?  My mind was surely in a twist and thoroughly boggled as well,  as I struggled to not miss out anything important. Not sure if I succeeded though.

The layers of frames to the doorway

A closeup of the layer
with dancers, gods and godessess

Closeup of another frame with
the symbolic lions.

We then met Shrikanth Dattatraya Pujar, the head pujari in the temple. He was a storehouse of information and had some really interesting stories to tell. Despite the afternoon heat, the flooring was cool and the cross ventilation was incredible. Sitting on the floor, leaning against the pillars and soaking in the ambiance, we listened to his narration.

He told that Itagi was originally called as Ishtikapura and then Itige before it became Itagi. During the 11th century around 400  Brahmin families had settled there. They were all said to be experts in the 64 fields of arts like scholastic studies, the Vedic studies, Sanskrit, poetry etc. I mused if the 64 pillars in the temple signified any connection to the 64 arts.

These families were also highly influential and used to perform 'Homa' (ritual where the religious offering is made into a fire)  on a daily basis. Pujar said, such was the strength of these rituals that the smoke from the 'Homa' fire used to reach till where the heavens used to meet the earth.

Pujar's family belonged to this original settlement of 400 Brahmin families. Now his family was the only one remaining  and they were continuing in both the temple care-taking as well as the religious and ritualistic aspects.

One of the shrines around the temple.

He also added that Mahadeva Dhandanayaka was also a very well read man and had constructed a Kalbhairava temple too. Inside the temple complex are a couple of temples that are dedicated to his parents Moorthinarayana and Chandraleswari. There are smaller shrines around the temple, each with a Linga inside. One of the shrines had collapsed completely.

It was of little surprise that this temple was known as 'Devalaya Chakravarthi'  which translates into 'An emperor among temples'. This is mentioned in the temple's inscription stone.

Such a magnificent temple can obviously not be cramped into one blog post, so requesting you all to continue reading more about this piece of grandeur in the next part.

Location map: