Santhebennur’s overlooked ‘pushkarini’

Swatee Jog explores a 16th-century monument at Santhebennur in Davangere, which depicts diverse architectural styles

Even if you have travelled the Bengaluru-Davangere-Hubballi route numerous times, chances are, you may have missed the wonderful monument located at Santhebennur, 40 km from Davangere. The name of the place is derived from the fact that a weekly fair happens here. Records from the Karnataka State Gazetteer Shimoga District 1975 estimate that it was founded in the 16th century by the Basavapatna Palegar family. 

The next time you hit this road, do make a stop. The road towards Davangere is not a happening one, with its endless stretches. However, bang in the middle of Santhebennur town is a Ram mandir and a quaint, beautifully built pushkarini. The Ram temple is nondescript, with painted pillars in front and a single-storey structure. 

The musafirkhana (traveller’s inn) blocks the view of the pond from the temple. The whole monument is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and guides are available. Records state that this pond was built by Hiriya Hanumanthappa Nayaka, a Palegar from the 16th century. He was the son of Kengappa Nayaka. It was built as part of the temple dedicated to the family deity, Ram, which stands across the road. The pushkarini, with its numerous smaller mantapas, is still in good condition, though a few structures are missing.  

Symbols and figures

The tank has four beautiful mantapas on the cardinal corners, one on the steps, one in the middle of the deep waters and one on the side. The original structure had eight mantapas, depicting the eight cardinal directions, however now only six remain. The mantapa on the steps is a double-storied one and serves as a feeder of water to the pond. The central mantapa is the largest and has two stories. It is called the Vasantha Mantapa and is believed to have been built by Hanumanthappa to celebrate his victory over the Bahamani sultans of Bijapur. 

The pillars are decorated with icons of gandaberunda, elephants and swans. During the rainy season, water in the tank reaches over 10 feet, surrounding the Vasantha Mantapa. No wonder the lower floor is built in stone while the top floor has been built with brick and mortar. The parapet is adorned by two rows of elephants, gandaberunda and swans. 

The musafirkhana stands in the middle, between the temple and the water tank. It depicts Islamic architecture, in its structure and ornamentation. It bears the words “District Musafirkhana” in Kannada script on its facade. As you enter inside, you see multiple arches and a wide open hall that served as a guest house for travellers. This musafirkhana is said to have been built by Ranadullakhan, who captured Santhebennur for the Bijapur sultans, along with his aides Pattekhan and Fareed Khan. A narrow dark staircase to the left leads one to the terrace of this structure which has stone slabs. The inside of the stone slabs seems to have motifs which are not clearly visible. The facade of the building has ornate minars on the sides. This monument, like all others maintained by the ASI, has well-kept gardens surrounding it. 

The entire premises speaks of Indian and Arabic styles of architecture. Whether it is the Vasantha Mantapa, the lower storey and pillars of which reflect an Indian style, and the top structure bears symbols of Islamic architecture, or the four mantapas with a circular structure on top. All the mantapas have pillars with Indian motifs like serpents, depictions of Hanuman and Ganesha, flowers, birds, warriors and geometric forms. The one that is in the middle of the tank is double storied. Its lower portion looks typically Indian, while the top portion feels like a later addition and is white in colour. The pond houses numerous fish, small and large.