Early and Late Chalukyan Architecture

Pratiksha Hemasagar Sahu

Early and Late Chalukyan Architecture

The Chalukya dynasty were avid supporters of art and architecture. The old brick temples at Tel, as well as several shrines at Aihole, Pattakadal, and Badami, depict Chalukyan architecture.

Cave temples of Badami Source: Wikimedia

Chalukyas were famous for their distinctive art and architecture. They built more than a hundred temples which are still considered exemplary of Chalukyan architecture. Their hybrid style makes it stand out among the other temples.

Did you know that Badami being in the proximity of Hampi follows a different architectural style than that of Hampi? Well, surprisingly true, it depicts a Chalukyan Style. Chalukyan architecture is categorised as Badami Chalukyan architecture (early Chalukyan architecture) and Kalyani Chalukyan architecture (late Chalukyan architecture).

Hindu temple architecture in the Badami Chalukya style developed between the fifth and eighth centuries CE in the Malaprabha river basin, which is now the Bagalkot district in the state of Karnataka of India. The Vesara and Chalukya styles are other names for this fashion. The oldest Badami Chalukya temples were built at Aihole. In the Karnataka cities of Badami and Pattadakal, the early Chalukya style was refined. The architectural style contains two different kinds of monuments: above-ground structural temples and rock-cut halls, sometimes known as cave temples.

The pillared verandah, columned hall, and sanctum are the three main elements of the rock-cut buildings found in Badami temples. The temple's outer verandas are very uninteresting, but its interior has rich and extensive sculptural symbolism. Pradakshinapatha and mandapa can be found in the main sanctum. The mandapa has pillars and perforated windows (screens with holes in them). Pilasters divide the exterior wall surface into evenly spaced ornamental niches that are either filled with sculptures or pierced with windows.

Although the Western Chalukya style's fundamental structure was derived from the more ancient Dravidian style, many of its characteristics were particular to it. Western Chlukya temples were smaller as compared to the earlier Chalukyas as they has low-height superstructures.

The outer wall of the shrine was shaped with decorative elements. These include representations, projections, and recesses, which can result in a wide range of stepped, square, or stellate patterns and outlines. Figure sculptures, which included architectural elements including pilasters, buildings, statues, and full towers, were scaled-down replicas that could stand on their own. When depictions of gods, goddesses, and legendary figures were numerous, rich figure sculptures would conceal the articulation of a shrine. Although the majority of them were constructed facing east, the Chalukyan architects kept elements from both northern and southern styles. The pillars of the roof of the mandapa are monolithic shafts that extend from the base to the capital's neck. Due to this, the height of the mandapa was limited by the length of the stone shafts that were obtained from quarries.

The use of mortar was avoided. They permitted light to reach the interior portion of the temples. The vestibules were decorated in a way that both removed the darkness and added a certain amount of mysticism. Chalukya temples' doorway panels are lavishly ornamented with pilasters, moulded lintels, and cornice tops. In a Chalukya temple, cornices are used to direct rainwater downward or to protect from the intense heat.

Kalyani Chalukyan architecture was a particularly embellished architectural style that developed in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Kanata Dravida regional style was developed by these monuments, which were localised versions of earlier Dravidian temples. About fifty monuments from these districts still stand as proof of the widespread temple construction carried out by the Western Chalukyan workshops. This style's influence spread from the northeastern Kalyani region to the eastern Bellary region to the southern Mysore region.