Shimoga (Shivamogga) An Echo in the Stone Heritage Site- Remnants of the Past!

During my recent sojourn to Shimoga(Shivamogga), It was an fun & much intervening journey with my friends after the hectic internals, I constantly found myself belonging to the nature also in the architectural legacies carried over by the nayakas of ikkeri over generations. It was fascinating to witness the architectural manifest & ingenious beauty of historic masterpieces preserved & protected over years. After 8 long hours of soothing  journey from Bangalore we reached Shimoga(Shivamogga) the gateway to malnad. Till date we embark travelling to all those pleasant places in the memory bank spend together.

Technically while visiting such architectural magical sites one has to put all the power to visualize the glory of the site. how can one not enamored the beauty of the sculptural architecture embedded all around the temple, these architectural fusion is a mixture of Dravidian, Vijayanagara, chalukya, and the hoysala architectural style. The Agoreshwara Temple at Ikkeri – a prominent legacy of Keladi Nayakas.

Soon after reaching the destination I was fascinated by the view. admiring the architectural glory  could visualize the ancient glorious era of nayakas of keladi far elapsed emerging out of the intricacies of narrative sculptures all around me. The exclusively carved temple sculptures and its magnificent architectural wonders were the true jewels of the era truly it’s a blessing for the future generations to witness such antique marvel.

The Agoreshwara Temple of Ikkeri, was constructed in the 16th Century during the rule of Nayakas of Keladi it is one of the remarkable gems of temple architecture in Karnataka. The shrine built using granite exclusively for the intricate carvings, structures & the prominent architecture. this shrine is dedicated to lord Shiva, as I walked in I could embrace the vibe of Positivity around the temple complex experiencing the aura of energy that the place radiates.

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A stupendous statue of the Nandi the vehicle of lord Shiva is placed right in front of the temple this statue has immaculate& glazed finishing, carved out of white spar It is aesthetically pleasing. this garbagriha is a fusion of Indo-Islamic style, however their is vibrant colors used for the shrines mixture of sandy red and pink, brown being reflecting on the temple citadel. The whole structure of temple is placed on a raised platform.the entire temple is elaborately carved with divine & decorative figures.

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A few steps took me to the raised plinth where the main temple was situated opposite to the statue of nandi. the central shrine is dedicated to lord shiva ie Agoreshwara inside the garbagriha the linga rests here and other shrines next to it are dedicated to lord ganesha & subramanya in the same complex the temple is dedicated to goddess parvathi . this temple has four doorways in which the north doorway is constructed with magnificent elephants on either sides. The whole structure of temple is placed on a raised platform. the entire temple is elaborately carved with divine & decorative figures. the pedestal near garbha griha has relieved with fine figures of 32 seated females which are beautifully craved. One of the interesting myth in this temple is the intricate craving of Scorpio & two lizards that is engraved on the outer wall of the shrine. between the lizards there is a line dividing them it is believed that when the lizards cross & touch each other the world would come to an end. an interesting mystery that instigated fear in me about the mere future.

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The outer wall of the temple has intricate carvings of figures of hindu deities, dancing girls, apsaras, mythological animals, miniature shikaras, dwarapalakas, nagas, elephants, stone pillars depicting mythological animals and others etc. embracing the visual beauty of carved embellishments I was lost singing magical notes attached to my inner strings  in the aesthetic appeal of temple architecture, Initially I was a normal tourist experiencing the sculptural feast but later imbibed in the magnificent bliss turned me out to a poet & writer. Unfortunately it is said to have been destroyed during the attack by Bijapur sultanates.