Book Description

The Northern Part Of Karnataka Is One Of The Richest Areas Of India In Monuments Of Great Artistic Value. It Was Subjected To The Rule Of Several Royal Families, Calukyas Of Kalyana, Kalacuris And Seunas In The 10Th, 11Th, 12Th And 13Th Centuries A.D. Which Has Been A Period Of Great Cultural Refinement. It Was The Time Of The Greatest Expansion Of The Kalamukha-Lakulasaiva Movements, And Of The Rise Of Virasaivism. The Temple Of Muktesvara At Caudadanapura (Dharwar District) Is A Beautiful Representative Of The Style And The High Culture Of That Time. Its History Is Known To Us Thanks To A Set Of Seven Long Inscriptions, Composed In Literary Medieval Kannada, Engraved With Great Care On Large Steles. They Provide Informations On The Local Rulers, Kings Of Guttala Who Claimed A Gupta Ascendancy, On Some Constructions In The Temple Complex, On Diverse Donations To The Deity, And Very Interesting Details On A Few Prominent Religious Leaders. It Introduces To Us Muktajiyar, A Lakulasaiva Saint, And Sivadeva, A Virasaiva Saint, Who Entered The Place On The 19 Th Of August 1225 And Led There A Long Life Of Renunciation, Asceticism And Spiritual Elevation. The Legacy Of This Age Of Intense Saivite Faith Is A Jewel Of Architecture And Sculpture. It Is A Single Cella Temple In What Is Popularly Known As Jakkanacari Style, Sometimes Called Kalyana-Calukyan Style, Which Is Not Appropriate, As Many Temples Of The Same Style Have Also Been Built Under The Patronage Of Kalacuri Or Seuna Dynasties. The Present Study Contains A Historical Introduction, The Complete Edition, Translation And Interpretation Of The Inscriptions, An Architectural Description, With A Graphic Survey, And An Iconographical Analysis.