Nadakalasi twin temples are fine examples of non-ornate Hoysala temple architecture. Located near the Sagar-Sorab road these temples attract very few and genuinely interested visitors only. That could be because they are remote, away from the public transport and there are no autorikshaws. I happened to visit these when I visited Jog Falls in the month of August this year.
Nadakalasi was a town formed as a part of Banavasi, a Kadamba Capital. Later was ruled by Kalyani Chalukyas and Hoysalas. These 12th century twin temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva- Mallikarjuna and Rameshwara. Mallikarjuna temple is more ornate with polished pillars and a Nandi which is sculpted out of soapstone. The linga in Mallikarjuna temple is flat.
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| Nandi and Sadashiva Temple |
Rameshwara temple is locally known as Sadashiva temple and has few unique features that are uncommon in Hoysala architecture. It seems the Sadashiva idol has a crown jewel which is not visible due to the flowers used for the daily worship.
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| Nandi in Mallikarjuna Temple |
How to reach: One could go to Sagar, a nearest town with good road connectivity, from here reach the temples with a private vehicle. I didn't find any sign of public transport or autorikshaws near these temples. Sagar is 170KM from Hubli and 350KM from the state capital Bangalore. I drove in a private car from Hubli which was convenient. During the rains check for road conditions prior to the trip.
The temple towns of Ikkeri and Keladi are nearby within 15KM distance. Ikkeri Aghoreshwara temple is very well known. Keladi Rameshwara temple is very well known too and beautiful. This temple trio with majestic Jog Falls makes a great day-long trip from Hubli!
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If you want pictures please ask me :)
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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Your temples are so beautifully ornate .. and always so hard to realize how old they are and how talented and advanced the artists and craftsmen were so long ago..
ReplyDeleteActually Sallie, these are non-ornate Hoysala temples. The ornate ones are unbelievably beautiful and we just cannot imagine how they might have looked those days.
DeleteA lovely place indeed Kusum! Back after a break:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Bhatia Ji. Being back after a break is always exciting!
Deleteand this is considered non-ornate? amazing.
ReplyDeleteYes, the pillars, halls, ceilings of Hoysala temples mesmerize the visitor!
DeleteWonderful shots of the temple. I shall visit this place when I am nearby.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to plan a trip to Hubli.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this info.
Wow - this is gorgeous! So beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGreat tour!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful architecture. Never heard about this temple. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures - and I love the colors!
ReplyDelete