Poetry in Stone - 22

This is twenty-second in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship. 

The external walls of the 10th century Amrutesvara Temple, Amruthapura are beautifully carved various patterns. The symmetry in the design at the corner is very exclusive.

In the 16th century Aghoreshwara Temple of Ikkeri there are many beautiful sculptures. One such sculpture of Lord just outside the main sanctum that has been carved out with utmost care.

The external walls of 10th century Mukteshwar Temple at Bhubaneshwar has been carved at every inch. On the wall above there are patterns, snake design, humans have been carved beautifully.

On the left is sculpture of elephants with lions on top of it at the bottom of a pillar near the entrance of Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar. On the right is a carving of musicians on the top of the Lakshmi Devi Temple, Doddagaddavalli.

Poetry in Stone - 9

This is ninth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. Today we will see how the elephants have been carved from stone in various temples through the centuries.

At the 12th century Chennakesava Temple of Belur there are intricate sculptures and friezes. They include elephants, lions, horses, episodes from the Indian mythological epics. What interested me is the chain of elephants at the base of the temple.

Watch them carefully and you can see two elephants as if they are interacting with each other. The elephant in the front is turning back and questioning "Why are you pushing me so hard?" See it for yourself below.



In contrast to the red color of 16th century Aghoreshwara Temple of Ikkeri there are two small black stone elephant sculptures at the entrance. Around its neck is a there is intricately carved chain of stone bells.

There are two beautifully carved stone elephants on either side of the entrance of the 9th century Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangapatana. The carvings on the body of elephant are awesome. 

At the ancient white marble Jain Temple, Ranakpur one can see huge elephant carved in white marble.



In Mahablaipuram at the site of Panch Rathas one can see life-size rock cut elephant. There are many more such beautiful carvings in each of the ancient heritage sites which always mesmerize us.

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Aghoreshwara Temple, Ikkeri

Aghoreshwara Temple of Ikkeri is a well proportionate structure, built of granite. It was built by Keladi Nayaks in the 16th century. The architecture of the temple is a unique mix where Dravidian style is combined with style from the Deccan.

The temple has ornamental doorways in three directions North, West and East with North as main entry point. The sculptures on either side of the huge doorways are striking. The temple is reddish pink in color all around.

The carvings and lattice work on the windows of the temple are simple and quiet unique. The carvings on the stone walls of the temple are intricate. In contrast to the temple color there are two small black stone elephant sculptures at the entrance.

The Garbhagriha, which is built of huge stones, houses Shiv linga. Outside the Garbhgriha doorway there are two niches, those to the right containing the figures of Ganesha and Subramanya and those to the left figures of Mahishasuramardini and Bhairava.

The huge stone Nandi is housed opposite to the temple in open stone mantapa. The surface of Nandi is very smooth and appears as if it has been polished.

Exploring Keladi & Ikkeri

Keladi and Ikkeri are the two historically important locations in Shimoga district (State: Karnataka). They are at a distance of 70 to 80 kms from Shimoga. Both Keladi and Ikkeri were once the places where kings ruled large areas in the ancient times for many centuries. It is hard to imagine this as they are today small villages.

Since 1500 AD, Keladi has been ruled by several dynasties across centuries. Keladi was the birthplace of Keladi Dynasty and at a later point the capital was shifted to Ikkeri, just a few kilometers away, which remained their capital for more than a century.Rameshwara Temple of Keladi built in Dravidian style around 1500 AD. The temple has excellent craftsmanship.

Aghoreshwara Temple, the magnificent temple of Ikkeri is a Shiva Temple.

Due to heavy rains, I was able to spend very less time here and click only few shots. There was rain water everywhere. We shall still explore these unexplored places or little known places a bit more in detail very soon.