Famous Temples in India

Architecture

This temple is one of the best examples of the Kadamba architecture. It has two Garbhagrahas. The main sanctum has an idol of Maha Vishnu in a sitting posture. Behind this figure are idols of Suryanarayana, Mahalakshmi and Lord Narasimha. The other Garbhagraha has a standing idol of Bhoo Varaha Swami. The lotus motif on the ceiling is typical of the Kadamba style of architecture. The 50 feet tall tower of the inner shrine or garbhagruha is very similar to the Madhukeswar Temple in Banavasi built by them. The most prominent feature of Kadamba architecture is the Shikara (tower), also called Kadamba Shikara. The pyramid shaped shikara rises in steps without any decoration and is crowned with a Kalasha on the top. Occasionally the pyramids had perforated screen windows. An inscription found inside the temple reveals that it was built by king Shivachitta from the Kadamba Dynasty.

A large stone tablet inside the temple carries an inscription over sixty lines in two parts that record gifts in different years. The first is dated 1169 (Kali Yuga 4369) and registers the gift of a village by the sixth Goa Kadamba Permadi or Shivchitt (1147-1175) for the performance of rites to the holy Narasiṃha whose shrine had been established in the pure city of Halsi by Matayogi. The second inscription belongs to Vijayaditya II and is the only inscription of his reign. Dated 1171–72 (Kali Yuga 4272–73) in the twenty-fifth year of his reign, it records the gift of a village name Bhalaka.