Trikuteshwara Temple, Gadag

15°25′28.4″N 75°37′36″E

Saraswati temple at Trikuteshwara temple complex Gadag, Karnataka
Main articles: Western Chalukya architecture and Western Chalukya temples
Saraswati temple at Trikuteshwara temple complex Gadag, Karnataka

Trikuteshwara temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. The carved temple[1][2] is in the town of Gadag, 50 km southeast of Hubli-Dharwad, in Karnataka, India. It is dedicated to Shiva and has three lingas mounted on the same stone. There is a shrine dedicated to Saraswathi in this temple and it has carved columns.

Architecture

This temple architecture was planned by the architect Amara Shilpi Jakanachari. The Badami Chalukyas were exponents of early architectural achievements in Deccan. Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal were their centers of art. They were succeeded by the Rashtrakutas and the Kalyani Chalukyas.

The temple has ornate pillars with intricate sculpture. The sanctum enshrines three Shivalingas. The temple has chiseled stone screens and carved figurines. There is a shrine to Saraswati within the Trikuteshwara temple complex, with exquisite stone columns.

Inclined slabs that serve as balcony seats are decorated with figurative panels and are overhung by steeply angled eaves. Inside the hall, the columns have figures arranged in shallow niches. The east sanctorum has three lingas representing Brahma, Maheshwara and Vishnu; the one to the south is dedicated to the goddess Saraswati.

Just by the side is another temple dedicated to three devis — Saraswathi, Gayathri and Sharada. Only the statues are in a new style; the temple is in old architecture.

History

The temple dates back to the Kalyani Chalukyas who ruled this region from around 1050 to 1200 CE, during which time about 50 temples were built.

Saraswathi temple has been vandalised in the early age and hence pooja is not offered here. But the architecture is exists.

Trikuteshwara temple complex
Well at Trikuteshwara Temple, Gadag

A number of late Chalukya monuments (11th-12th centuries) in the city indicate its historic past. Other temples in Gadag are those dedicated to Someshwara and Veera Narayana. In the middle of the city stands the Someshvara Temple. Though abandoned and now in a dilapidated state, its intricate carvings are preserved. The doorways to the hall have densely carved figures and foliation.


See also

References
  1. "Trikuteshwara Temple at Gadag near Dharwar(Karnataka)". Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  2. Abram, David; (Firm), Rough Guides; Edwards, Nick (2003). South India by David Abram, Rough Guides (Firm), Nick Edwards, Mike Ford, Devdan Sen, Beth Wooldridge. ISBN 9781843531036. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
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