Mahakuta, a temple complex in a valley of springs

Vijay Mahantesh Papanal writes about the historic Mahakuta, known for its architecturally elaborate temples and annual chariot festival

Tucked between lush green hills forming a valley, Mahakuta, close to Badami in Bagalkot district, is a historical place with a mystic aura.

The temple complex located here is a group of shrines dedicated to Shiva, built by the Chalukyas of Badami between the 6th and 8th centuries. Among the many temples, the Mahakuteshwara and Mallikarjuna temples stand out for their elaborate design. Both the temples are built in the Dravidian style of architecture. The other small temples in the Mahakuta temple complex are built in the Phamsana and Vesara styles of architecture. The Phamsana and the Kadamba-Nagara styles incorporate pyramidal shikhara structure. Vesara is a fusion of Dravidian and Rekha Nagara styles of architecture.

The Mahakuteshwara temple features a pure Dravida-style shikhara (tower), crowned by an octagonal stupi (the topmost dome), and stands on a high raised plinth with an intricately carved Vritta Kumuda (circular structure in the plinth). The design of the corner pilasters in the sanctum makes the Mallikarjuna temple unique.

The name Mahakuta literally translates to ‘the great congregation’, reflecting the sacred clustering of Shiva temples around a large central pond fed by perennial underground springs.

The Shiva Pushkarani at Mahakuta with the pavilion holding Chaturmukha Linga. Photo by Vijay Mahantesh Papanal

The chariot festival of Mahakuteshwara, the presiding deity of Mahakuta and the family deity of the Chalukyas of Badami, is held during April-May every year. During this time, the temple complex transforms into a centre of devotion.

The chariot festival is held here on the full moon day of Vaishaka Shuddha Paurnami, locally known as Aagi Hunnime. Mythologically, it is believed that on this day Goddess Ganga bathed in the Kashi Tirtha, a small pushkarani at Mahakuta, to purify herself after absolving devotees of their sins.

The pillar inscription

The earliest epigraphical record mentioning the presiding deity, Mahakuteshwara, is the fluted Mahakuta pillar inscription. Called ‘Dharmajayasthambha’, the pillar was erected around 595–596 CE by Mangalesha who ascended the Badami Chalukyan throne in 591-592 CE. Incidentally, the inscription was also issued on the Vaishaka Shuddha Paurnami day.

The Mahakuta temple with Dravidian Shikhara architecture.

The inscription was sculpted by two brothers Daata and Aana, sons of a merchant called Pubesha from Aihole. This pillar was first examined and studied by J F Fleet in 1881, and has been kept in Vijayapura (Bijapur) Archeological Survey of India (ASI) museum (established in the late 1800s) since 1920. In the lines 13 and 14 of the inscription, Mangalesha states that he is donating the wealth acquired from defeating the Kalachuri king to the ‘Deva-Droni’ of the Makuteshwaranatha temple. He further states that this temple had already received donations during the reigns of his father, Pulikeshi-I, and his elder brother, Kirtivarma-I. This suggests that the temple referred to in the inscription is the same Mahakuteshwara temple of the present day, where worship has continued uninterrupted for the last 1,500 years.

The temple debate

Though Mangalesha’s pillar inscription mentions the ‘Makuteshwaranatha’ temple, late 20th-century scholars such as Gary Tartakov and Carol Bolon have proposed that the temple referred to in the inscription could be a different one. While Gary Tartakov has argued that it could be the Bananti Gudi located on the southeastern side of the complex, Carol Bolon has proposed that it could be the Cliff Temple, which she identifies as Hire Mahakuteshwara.

However, many scholars argue that both the Bananti Gudi and the Cliff Temple do not conform to the rich temple description found in the inscription. Scholars such as Dr S Rajashekar, Dr K V Ramesh, Dr K V Soundara Rajan and Dr Shrinivas Padigar have demonstrated that the temple mentioned in Mangalesha’s pillar inscription is the same Mahakuteshwara temple.

The Mahakuteshwara temple, supported by Mangalesha’s pillar inscription, is considered one of South India’s oldest Shiva temples and, arguably, one of the continuously worshipped Shiva shrines. It has an uninterrupted history spanning a millennium and a half, a rare continuity that underscores the temple’s antiquity.