|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There
are few more beautiful sites in Karnataka than Sringeri on the banks of
the Tungabhadra and set amidst the pleasant hills of the Sahyadri, in
Chick magalur district of the Maland. As so often in Hindu annuals, great
sanctity and history brood over this delightful place. While the little
town is associated with the history not
of Karnataka alone but also of entire India because it was a
pontiff of the Sri Sankara Matha of this place who in the fourteenth
century helped setup the Vijaynagar Empire to stem the onrush of Islam, it
contains a Superb and remarkable temple, the Vidyasankara. Sri
Sankara established monastic institutions in many parts of the country to
maintain Hinduism.It fell to the pontiffs of Sringeri to carry out this
supreme task at a time of mortal peril to the faith. Had not Vidyanaryan
encouraged Harihar and Bukka to setup a king dom with Hampi as
their Capital, a step, which ultimately led to the rise of the great
Vijayanagar empire, the history of South India would have been completely
different. The Rayas ever held the pontiffs in reverence. So later did
the Maratha
rulers, the Maharajas of Mysore and in fact, every one who was grateful to
them for their services.Tippu Sultan of Mysore also helped them. There
are many temples in Sringery.The earliest is the janardhana,ascribed to
the ninth-
tenth centuries. There is also a jain temple, which contains an
inscription dated 1161.With in the matha the main temple is the
Sarada.It was rebuilt in granite early in the present century. The
Vidya sankara was consecrated in 1338.Eight years later Harihara , Bukka
and their
kins men met here to celebrate
their conquests. . According to tradition, the temple stands on the
site where miracle had occurred. Vidyatirtha, the preceptors of Vidyaranya,
and then Brahama, Vishnu and Maheswara.Above them is Lakshmi Narsimha, and
on top a Linga.Vidyatirtha told Bharathitirtha that his body would assume
a shape similar to the Linga’s in the stele after twelve years of yogic
trance. A chamber was excavated on the north bank of the Tunga and it is
closed when Vidyatirtha entered it. When at the end of three years, the
chamber was opened, the sage’s body was nowhere to seen, but there is a
Linga similar to that appearing in the stele. On this site has the
Vidyasankara temple been erected. The
temple is notable for the fact that it combines Hoysala and Dravida
architectural features. Like the Hoysala temple, it stands on a high richy
sculpture basement. The middle part of the navaranga’s
roof is like some of the Hoysala
masterpieces in
its exquisite decorativeness. A lotous bud hangs from five
whorls or petals, with pecking parrots on four sides. The twelve
pillars in the hall
have been turned by lathe. Each is marked by one
of the twelfth
signs of
the Zodiac; hence there name,”rasi pillars”. They
are so arranged that the sun’s
ray fall on each
in the order of the solar months. Each column has
rearing lion with stone balls placed in its mouth which can be
moved,but can not be taken out. The
Dravidian style is clear
on the superstructure. This rises in three tires, each a square of
plan ,but with satellite
projections. On the topmost tier there are four nandis
at the corners. The stupi crowns the sikhara, which is circular.But
what is not found in the Dravida
idiom,the super structure over the sukhansasi has three cells,each
with its own miniature sukhansi. Apart
from splendid relief bands on the basement, there are sixty-one large base
reliefs of varied iconography.Interistingly,Buddha is included among lord
Visnu’s incarnations, making the total number eleven ,instead of
the usual
ten .There are no less than six doorways
into the temple .On
either side of each are sculptures
of the river
Goddesses. Viewed from a distance ,from the other bank of the river ,this temple looks like a seated royal swan. Such is the lovely impression it produces. |
||
|
|
|
|
This site is designed , developed & maintained by |
|
ADORE , Bhubaneswar, INDIA |
|
For any of your Queries & Suggestions please mail us at :- theindianculture@mail.com |
|
Best Viewed In Netscape Navigator 4.7 / Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 & Above |
|
pixel size = 800 x 600 |
|
Copyright © 2000 theindianculture.com. All Rights Reserved |
