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  Structural Architecture “A silent revolution had taken place and with it Hindu architecture, of the structural order in stone medium, was born and baptized. This phenomenon was the product entirely of local circumstances and resources, and was rudimentary and functional to a degree in its initial stages. As fledgelings of the architect’s fancy put forth wings, South India was, for the first time, provided three-fold temple fabric, of indigenous, outlandish, and of the arche-typal forms respectively. Here, if anywhere, was the bed-rock of the Hindu temple formulation” – K.V.Soundara Rajan The excavations at Nagarjunakonda in 1959 brought out the remnants of the early Hindu temple architecture in South India from the time of Ikshvakus. These temples had artha and mukha mantapas in one axial line, prakara, gopura, dhvaja stam ba etc., One of the temple has parivaralayas , the subsidiary shrines with square, octagonal and circular plans, anticipating the later Nagara, Dravida, and ...

  Rock-cut Architecture “The russet-coloured rocky hills not only acted as impregnable forts at Badami and Aihole but also beckoned the architects and sculptors to make use of these cliffs as the medium of their art expression. It is worth pointing here that the Chalukyas were the first southern power to build huge temples in massive scale in an imperishable material, i.e stone” – Sheelakant Pattar At a time when rock-cut architecture in the Western Deccan and closer to the coast in western Maharashtra were dominated by prolific Buddhist Viharas and Chaityas, the entry of Chalukyas brought in one of the earliest and impressive rock-cut Brahmanical caves in southern India . What started as rock-carvings that would provide varshavasa for the Buddhist monks led to creation of expansive Chaityas as well as Viharas either at Kanheri or the Ajanta and Ellora caves with royal patronage, support of trade guilds, and a large congregation of monastic order on the ancient trade route. Tuc...

                                                                 Badami Cave III  Discussing the ‘Vishnu Cult in Karnataka’ Shrinivas Padigar gives the first epigraphic record to establish that the Badami Chalukyas could have been Vaishnavas or Bhagavatas – the Mudhol copper plate record of Pulekesi I’s son Pugavarma from Malkhed that records renewal of grant to god Varahidevasvamin. This Varaha temple he infers could have existed much before the 6 th century inscription. Their affinity towards Varaha is evident from the fact that the royal emblem of Chalukyas was the boar. The Mangalesa Kalmane or the Mangalesa Cave in Badami records the direct affiliation wherein he is called a “parama bhagavata”. That cave, Badami Cave III has the all important inscription that helps date (dated 578 CE, reign of Kirtivarma...