Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Mahadeva Temple is facing in East direction and constructed in Chalukyan style of architecture. The temple has three entrances. The pentagon-shaped sanctum sanctorum and its outer walls have beautiful carvings. The 15 feet high main tower of the temple has carvings and projecting cornices. The temple has a pushkarni (theertha) in its front and behind the temple is an open stepped well which has an entrance, and sloping walls on its other three sides. One of the inscriptions on the walls of the temple dating back to 1112 C.E. calls it Devalaya Chakravarti. This temple built by soapstone.

Mandapams & Pillars : Temple plan actually consists of a shrine (cella) that is connected to a closed mandapa (hall) by a vestibule (antechamber). The Sabhamantapa closed mantapa or hall has a doorway on its either side, the doorway on its west leads to the sanctorum while the other leads to an open mantapa. This open mantapa has 64 pillars and of these 24 are fully built and support the main ceiling while the rest are only half pillars which are constructed from the parapet wall around the mantapa. The square ceiling of the open mandapa which are supported by the four central pillars exhibits interesting fretted stonework. The ceiling here has been worked into a decorative arabesque foliage and makaras (mythical beasts) which flow from the mouth of a Kirtimukha (gargoyle or demon face). There is another pillared open hall known as mukhamantapa in front of the temple. The lathe turned pillars of the mukhamantapa have well carved bases with each having a different sculpture.