7/17/2019 Papanath Temple

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Papanatha Temple is d edicated to Mukteswara constructed in 740 A.D. Initially, the construction

was started with Nagara style, but later it was s witched to Dravidian style. This combination of south& north Indian characters, namely D ravidian & Nagara, some scholars r efer t o as Vesara. TheShikhara belongs t o the Rekha-Nagara type while the other cha racters l ike shala, kuta & hara belongto the Dravidian type. The sculptors w ho designed Virupaksha t emple a lso designed Papanathatemple, namely Sarvasiddhi Achari, Beladeva & Changamma.

The wall surfaces a re relieved with niches ( devakoshthas) housing Saiva & Vaishnava deities &depicting episodes f rom the Ramayana.

Pillars o f the e ntrance porch bear Kinnara c ouples & engaged columns have t he gures ofDvarapalas. Lions & sardulas a re carved at the corners a bove the entablature & the ceiling paneldepicts d ancing Siva with Parvati & musicians & ying gures.Some information about the inside of the temple, Pillars & pilasters o f the other mandapa's a rerelieved with medium-sized graceful sculptures o f damsels & couples ( mithunas) in playful moods.

The central bay ce iling of the sabha-mandapa is a dorned with panels d epicting Anantasayanasurrounded by the Dikpalas, nagaraja & Gajalakshmi from east to west. Here gures of rearing lionsare cared projecting from above the entablature. Central ceiling of the ardha-mandapa has r eliefsculpture of dancing S iva in the company o f Parvati & musicians. The w estern ceiling here has g ureof Nagaraja. Both the mandapa's & the sanctum have ornate d oorframes.