As from a Dream.....and a Nightmare

The weather of the day definitely has an effect on the first impression a place makes . I don’t know what Doddagaddavalli Mahalakshmi Temple would have conveyed at first glimpse on a cheerfully sunny day . After all, Mahalakshmi is all about auspiciousness, happiness, abundance and brightness.

  

But this silent, drizzly day , with the grey sky heaving with dense clouds, certainly imparts a touch of Gothic mystery to the high walled compound overlooking the tank at the very edge of a desolate hamlet . 

Except for a few ladies washing clothes in the tank , there is hardly any buzz in the scenery . The ambience feels somewhat menacing , for no apparent reason .

The stone walls of the compound are quite high , 7ft tall. Above the wall can be seen the tops of a cluster of vimanas . All similar, the Kadamba-Nagara style giving them a mesoamerican stepped pyramid look . Only one vimana shows a dravida finial ( Mahalakshmi’s) .

Being a Protected Monument , the site has beautifully laid out lawns by the pathway that leads to the Mahadwara .

The entrance is through a  porch that is  supported by squat , cylindrical pillars . There are comfortable kakshasanas ( stone seats) affording great views of the vimanas . The ceiling bays here are stunning . Each bay has a circular medallion , carved in the round and seemingly suspended like chandelier rings . The central medallion shows Tandaveshwara and the others around are the Dikpalas .

Absolute finesse in design and crafting . As it is a gloomy day , getting clear pictures of these motifs high up in the dark  ceiling becomes challenging. .

The porch lets into an open  courtyard at the middle of which stands the main structure with four vimanas . There are four more towers on shrines at the four corners of the rectangular courtyard . Additionally , in the North East side,  is another individual shrine dedicated to the Kshetrapala, Bhairava , taking the total number of towers to nine . The foundation Inscription lists out the technical names ( as given in Shilpa Shastras) of each Vimana ( Tower).

That the temple is a Chatushkuta ( Quadruple) makes it very unique . Of the nearly 1500 temples the Hoysalas built during their reign , only 10% remains. Of these, many ekakuta,  dwikuta , trikuta and  panchakuta structures are seen . This is the only extant Chatushkuta design found so far. Also , this complex is among  the earliest Hoysala temples( if not the earliest) built during the initial  phase  of the  Dynasty . The precise date of consecration has been derived from the astral positions recorded in the foundation Inscription: 27th March, Thursday, 1113 CE.

The inscription , in beautiful calligraphy , informs that a mahavaddavyavahari ( great merchant) named Kullhana Rahuta , along with his wife Sahaja Devi, granted  4 Salagas of wet land, tax free, to Master Builder Malloja - Manioja , for erecting a grand temple to Mahalakshmi in Gaddumballi ( old name of the place) so that it could be known as Abhinava ( new) Kolhapura ( the famous Mahalakshmi-kshetra ) . The peerless architect put in some truly inspired work and , a millenium later, his creation continues to cast a spell on all who behold it. 

The western doorway , through which we enter , is guarded by a pair of well ornamented  Vaishnava Dwarapalakas .

The navaranga is elongated and shared by four sancta . A standing Mahalakshmi hold court in the Eastern garbhagriha . Directly facing her  in the western sanctum is the  small Bhutanatha  lingam . The southern cell , originally built for Vishnu , as evidenced by the Garuda on peetam . But there is no record of which form of Vishnu resided here . Right from the time Sri.R .Narasimhachar wrote about this ancient temple in the Mysore Archeological Records ( of early 20th Century) , there has been no trace of this elusive Vishnu. If the lalatabimba ( lintel motif) of the door frame is taken as a clue, the sanctum could have been for the Narasimha form. But it is an unresolved issue. At present, there is , incongruously, only a small Bhairava figure in there !

The northern garbhagriha is the most interesting of all . Here sits Kali, facing South, with a beguiling alias : Shantha Durga , to stress the fact that she has been divested of  her ferocious nature and is now a benign presence . But scholars are of the view that her positioning within the temple points to the fact that she is a form of Shakthi categorised in the Kali Tantra as "Dakshina Bhadra Kali".

Her chamber is anything but benign looking . She is about 3ft tall , of exquisite workmanship and seated upon a demon . In her eight hands she holds terrifying attributes : trident , sword, bow &arrow, axe , noose, drum and a bowl . Her prabhavali is populated by armed ghouls and a demon is carved on her pedestal too. The lintel glowers with a leering face,  baring  fangs , flanked by goblins on either side . The decorative jambs  of the doorway end in two small steles showing Vishakanyas with snakes, scorpions and suchlike . Adjacent to the doorway , on either side , facing each other , stand two humongous Betalas - Skeletal , 7ft tall , armed  creatures , perfectly fearsome , straight out of  nightmares . With all these terrifying inmates keeping her company , Kali  sits smiling a vague , absentminded smile . But she is beautiful , enchanting. From above the masses of garlands and vastras, which drown the sculpted charms of her physique , her face is capable of seizing one's mind and infatuating it.

A local  family is   getting  a puja done to Kali and one person  kindly instructs us not to do sashtanga namaskaram ( full prostration) within the shrine . There being a sanctum in every direction, it wouldn’t do to show feet to any one while saluting another . ‘Just rotate where you stand’ is the prescribed gesture for earning divine merit .

Coming out, we catch sight of Kali again , on the outer wall – mutilated , but managing to look strikingly powerful - a force of Nature . 

Going around the chatushkuta , it can be seen that large ornamental niche  sculptures , common in Hoysala temples , are completely  absent. Even the vimanas show not much decoration  . The Hoysala lanchana of Sala tackling the Lion, is seen on the sukanasis .

The walls have lovely pilasters and ornately framed inscriptions. Apparently , the temple has been very popular . Down the ages,  people have been making grants for its upkeep. There are a total of 20 inscriptions from 12th century to 15th century , spanning many dynasties , recording grants. Every single inscription mentions only Mahalakshmi with not a whisper about Kali. Grants were in the form of lands, diverted taxes , cattle etc. Interesting grants include a loom to make vastras for the dieties and provision to pay for washermen who washed those vastras ! One lady has even granted land to provide livelihood for Mahalakshmi’s five Garland Makers ! All this point to the fact that  temples were community enterprises in medieval times.

Though niche figures are absent, there are other sculpural details scattered around the outer wall. The makarapranalas ( water outlets) and random elephants do look pleasing , but stones salvaged from around the temple, stored by the compound wall , all depict death .  Veeragals lionising men who lost lives in battle . And Atmabali figures ( self sacrifice).  This one ( pic below) is called Bhairava Pada and is similar to the ones found in a few other Hoysala temples ( notably in Halebeedu) . It shows sacrifice by decapitation .

It reinforces the view that the temple followed Shaktha traditions , though nothing is documented. It is only of late that more scholars studying this unique monument are finding clues to its Shaktha past - one being that the Bhadra Nasis in the towers above the Devis , show the 8 petalled and 16 petalled Mandalas ( important in Shakthi worship ) instead of the usual devata depictions.

The four corner shrines are locked . The Bhairava shrine is open, but  devoid of the presiding icon . The door jambs are wonderfully done , the lintel frieze shows a royal personage attended by minions. Inside , on either side of the sanctum are two atmabali steles showing shocking acts of self sacrifice . One man has torn open his belly and is pulling out the intestines, cheered on by a Vishakanya . Another man is about to slice off his own head .

 Totally eerie . And the growling dark clouds are not making it any less eerie .

Rain is threatening to get earnest . The family that had prayed has left and the priest is locking up . The women, with their laundry , are heading home followed by a lad and his buffalo . 

We leave too. 

From the road, the high stone compound with its  silent knot of  stone towers, drenched black , looks very mysterious . What dimensions can Faith take ?...and what imponderable acts of faith were played out here for Kali ……..?

______________________________

Post Script : Barely a year after our visit came the shocking news that  the Mahakali image was found broken on the morning  of  20 Nov 2020. All authorities acted with mercurial speed and the image was repaired and reinstalled, good as new,  on 26th. The matter has been closed, for now , with the official report that  Kali fell over by herself and got decapitated. But a whole lot of questions remain hanging in mid air , with no credible answers.