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ALAMPUR
On
the bend of the Tungabhadra river, in the village of Halampur (now called Alampur),
in their original homeland, it is said, one of the Chalukyas began the Nava Brahma
temples as a coeval of the shrines already built at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal. If
faith enlarges man's perspective, then the site where the faith was to be realized
seems to have been the important consideration for the ancients. The beauty of
the earth is concentrated on that bend where the Tungabhadra rushes on to its
Sangam with the Krishna. It is possible
that the aesthetic pleasure of the landscape was fused with the spirits in the
shrines, where the morning and evening prayers rang to the sound of bells to awaken
the gods. Certainly, the extension
of consciousness towards the deity even now takes place in the first confrontation
with the Alampur temples. One legend
associates the name Nava Brahma with the traditional herbs, Bala, Kemara, Arka,
Vira, Vishva and Padma, said to have been used by Rasa Siddhas, though the herbs
symbolic of the shrines called Garuda, Swarga and Taraka are not known. Another
legend is more fanciful still. It is based on the story of the deer and hunter
carbed at narrow entrance to the fortress, within which the temples are situated.
The deer is shown on the side of a pillar leading its young one, while the hunter
is aiming an arrow from his bow. And the scene on the side of this pillar shows
the hunter standing in anjali hasta before a king and queen, with an attendant.
The drama has been referred to in a story in the fifth chapter of the Sthalapurana
Sri Brahmesvara Kshetra Mahatmyam. There it is mentioned that a Raja named Vilasat,
who did not believe in god, tried to demolish the temples. He was cursed by the
Siddhas and lost his kingdom. One day he was wandering in the jungle and met a
deer with a tender appeal in his eyes. A hunter told the Raja that he should go
to the Brahmeswara Kshetra and do penance and reconstruct the temple to appease
his sins. The Raja in the relief sculpture has been identified with this mythical
king Vilasat. These temples began to
be built from sixth century onwards, but the exact dates are difficult to establish.
The Chalukyas remained the main patrons. The
main Nava Brahma Temples of Alampur are situated within a miniature fortress on
the west bank of the Tungabhadra. As
we enter the narrow gate of the huge wall of the fort, we get to the big doorway
and pass on to the shrines. On the left is the Taraka Brahma. On the right is
the Swarga Brahma. The Padma Brahma is to the west of the Swarga Brahma. The Garuda
Brahma is to the Southeast of the Padma Brahma. The main shrine, the Bala Brahma,
is in the compound to the north, is the Kumara Brahma. In one Compound are the
Shrines Arka Brahma, Vira Brahma and Vishva Brahma. In
a second compound are the free sculptures assembled in a museum. From
the main gateway itself the transcendence to the god begins. There is a sculpture
of Vishnu with the Sheshnaag coiled behind the supreme God and extending its hood
on the ceiling of the Mahadwara. The supreme god appears rather like Krishna as
a youth. And nearby is a relief of a dynamic Shiva in his incarnation as Andhakasurasamharamurti. There
is the image of a local goddess, Kamakshi, in the small shrine by the main entrance,
with four hands, one holding Khadga, another Damru, Third Trisula and Fourth patra.
This small shrine was built under the patronage of one Aitaraju, Pradhan (Chief
Minister) of king Mahamaudalesvara Hemmadi-deva. Temples
at Alampur - Swarga Brahma
Temple
- Padma Brahma Temple
- Garuda
Brahma Temple
- Bala Brahma Temple
- Arka
Brahma Temple
- Kumara Brahma Temple
- Vira
Brahma Temple
- Vishva Brahma Temple
- Taraka
Brahma Temple
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