Durga temple of Aihole
Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
This is an early Chalukya temple at Aihole in Karnataka, built c. late seventh to early eighth century CE. Its plan is apsidal, which means one end is rounded like a horseshoe. This shape copies the earlier Buddhist chaitya halls cut into rock. A covered pillared walkway (colonnade) runs all around the temple for circumambulation, which means walking around a holy place. It shows how temple builders borrowed older forms while trying out new ones.
Example
The Durga temple stands among the many early temples of Aihole, the Chalukya temple-town. Its rounded back wall and the pillared walkway around it set it apart from the square-plan temples nearby.
Don't confuse with
- Durga at Mahabalipuram: a Pallava relief of the goddess Durga in Tamil Nadu. The Aihole temple is named after durg (fort), because it stood near the old fort. It is not named after the goddess.
Related concepts
- Puranic Hinduism
- Vaishnavism
- Avatar
- Dashavatara
- Varaha
- Vasudeva-Krishna
- Shaivism
- Linga
- Garbhagriha
- Antarala