Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Kanakachala Lakshmi Narasimha Temple has a three tier gopuram and built with Vijayanagara style of architecture. The Sabhamantapa has beautiful stories from Ramayana etched at the top of the wall and Lakshmi Narasimha sculpted in Saligrama stone.

Mandapams & Pillars : The temples consist of a Garbhagriha, an Antarala, a Sabhamantapa, a Rangamantapa and a Dwaramantapa. There is a platform in the Sabhamantapa with pillars on it, these have square bottoms and octagonal at the middle and top, at the centre of the ceiling is lotus motif. The Sabhamantapa has two entrances in the north and south and these doorways have Vaishnava dvarapalas. The lalatabimba of the south doorway has Balakrishna sculpture and the North doorway has Lakshmi carved on it, Sabhamantapa has kakshasana on all sides. The Sabhamantapa doorway has big sculptures of Vaishnava dvarapalas and the lintel has Gajalakshmi. Rangamantapa is spacious and most attractive. It is open and has 40 pillars, which are of two types. The outer 24 pillars which on placed an adhisthana, are square at the base and have relief images like Balakrishna, Kalingamardhana, Gollati, Bedarakannappa, Sukhabhasini, Narasimha, Tiger, Hunters, etc., remaining 16 pillars in the middle are very ornate. The mahadwara has 4 pillars. The lower portion of the ceiling has beautiful stucco images of Giridhara Gopala, Saraswati, Vishnu seated on Adishesha, Garuda, Rama, Sita and Lakshmi. The doorway of this dvaramantapa have huge vaishnava dvarapalas. The mahadwara has a dvitala gopura with usual kuta, panjara and shala components. The pillars are simple yet beautiful, featuring geometric, floral and animal motifs. This pillar has a lotus on one face and on the other face is a seven-petaled flower enclosed in a hexagram. Pillar opposite the hexagram had a Swastika. The entire length of the complex, one long aisle.

Koneru : Venkatappa Bavi is a royal bath constructed by Venkatappa Naik during Vijayanagara rule. This stepped well is surrounded by an aisle on three sides. It also has a temple and shelter for pilgrims.This place is also called Queen's bath. There are four entrances to enter the well, three are stair ways through narrow passages, almost like secret entrances. The fourth one is a regular wide and open stairway.

Inscriptions : There are many inscriptions found in this place most of them of Vijayanagara period of 14th to 16th century A.D. An inscriptional slab in front of the Kanakachala Lakshmi Narasimha swami temple has four inscriptions:

1. Issued by Proudadeveraya in the year 1436 A.D. records the royal grant of the village Kanakagiri-peta.
2. Issued by Narasinghadeveraya in 1488 A.D. records the grant of the villages Goverahalli, Kaluvalli for amritapadi services of the god.
3. Issued by Krishnadevaraya in the year 1512 A.D. records the royal grant of the taxes collected from Kanagiri and gift of the villages chimnapura, yidugalla, kalasaga and bhairapura for amritapadi services of the deity.
4. Issued by Achyutadevaraya in the year 1533 A.D. records the royal grant of some more villages for the maintainance of the services like amritapadi, angarangavaibhoga, pancha-parva ,etc. Another inscription found on a slab laying on the floor near the dhwajastambha, issued in the year 1674 A.D. records the gift of a stone bed to the temple of Kanakagirinatha by Chimnjamma,the queen of Yimmadi Vudusinayaka. On the same slab Yimmadi Vudusinayaka proclaims the supremacy of the god Sriman Narayanasvami in relation to the other two of the Trinity.