The ancient temples of Aihole
The original workshop for Indian temple architecture
Aihole rests at the banks of the Malaprabha river, about 20km from the city of Badami. About 1500 years ago, it was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty in India. Some of India’s first experiments with temple architecture styles began here in the 6th century AD. Thankfully, many of the structures are still preserved, and in good shape.
Like so many other places in India, Aihole owes its name to hazy myth.
Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, probably the mightiest Brahmin warrior in Indian lore, undertook a task of decimating the Kshatriya race to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of a Kshatriya king, Kartavirya Arjuna, he of a thousand arms.
Armed with a fierce battle axe, the Parashu, he slew the king, and then went on to wipe out generations of Kshatriyas to ‘cleanse’ the earth. At long last, the Goddess Earth appealed to his ancestor to soothe him, and he left to meditate forever.
Incidentally, he is one of the seven immortals of Hindu folklore, and the only Vishnu avatar to have played a role in stories of two others (with Rama after he broke Shiva’s bow to claim Sita’s hand, and as a teacher of Karna and Drona in the Mahabharata).
After his bloodlust, he is reputed to have come down to wash his axe at the Malaprabha, turning the waters crimson. A village lady screamed ‘Ai Hole!’ meaning ‘Oh, the river’, which lead to the place being called Aihole.
Aihole was earlier called Aryavaram, or the land of the Aryas. It was the first capital of the Chalukya empire, but reached its peak under Pulakeshi II.
Aihole has been called one of the cradles of Temple Architecture. A huge school of architecture was setup here, and typical features of the temple include mortar-less assembly of stones, flat roofs and richly carved ceilings.
Today, one can see a group of temples here, lesser than the 125 that dotted the place in its heyday.
The most interesting ones are:
- The Durg temple that owes its name to the fort (durg in kannada). This was a temple dedicated to Surya, that was later rededicated to Vishnu. It sports an semi-circular and apsidal shape, and is said to be the first complete structure that has all temple elements planned - a garbha griha or sanctum santorum, a mukha mantapa or entrance, a sabha mantapa or assembly hall, an ardha mantapa or ante-chamber, a pradakshina patha or path for circumambulation and finally, a shikhara or the temple mount.
Early literature calls the shape - gajaprushtaakriti - or shaped like a backside of an elephant. The temple itself is shaped like a horseshoe, and was ransacked in later years.
- The Ravalaphadi temple, hewn out of rock. The temple boasts a large statue of a dancing nataraja with apsaras on the wall. It also has one of the rarer structures seen in India - a standing Ganesha.
Beyond the religious aspect, one walks away amazed at the effort put into these temples that stood the test of time, far beyond the empires that were their patrons.
As Bill Bryson pithily exclaimed - man earlier used to build civilizations. Now he builds shopping malls.
