Pushpagiri is a village in Kadapa District, in Andhra Pradesh, India. It lies on the Penna River, about 16 km from Kadapa town. It has a number of important temples, of which the largest is Chennakesava Temple and it is thought to date from 1298 CE.
The sculptures and carvings of this temple are one of its kind. When I did a Google search about this temple I came across at least five books written by different historians and archaeologists on the sculptures of Pushpagiri! It is even referred to as “Mini Hampi”!
I have not seen in any temple so many sculptures! Every inch of this temple is decorated with sculptures ranging from few inches tall to life sized ones! This temple was built during the reign of Cholas and later developed by Kakatiya and Vijayanagara rulers.
The presiding deity is Chennakesava Swamy which is the God that Cholas patronised across generations.
The temple of Chennakesava is an artistic structure with three Shrines inside and two sub-shrines outside of the elevated platform. The shrines inside the platform have the main deity of Chennakesava.
The carvings on the shrines depict various Hindu Gods and Goddesses in various postures and depict the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Most of the carvings are in relatively good condition. This temple is currently under the protection of Central Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The sculptures and the carvings of the temple are amazingly beautiful and richly decorated. Some of them like the various forms of Lord Vishnu, the dancing Ganapati, Lord Shiva as "Nataraja" (the dancing form), Shiva standing on a demon with "Trishula" in His hand (trying to kill the demon), Krishna preaching Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna and many more still retain the workmanship of the bygone era. Other sculptures like those of Rama, Sita, episodes from Ramayana and Goddess Mahishasuramardini are marvellous pieces of art. One can see rows of carving of animals like elephants, lions and horses, showing scenes from Mahabharata, all along the walls of the temple!
I have posted some pictures here and also two video presentations on the sculptures of this temple in two modes – portrait and Landscape.
Photography is allowed in this temple!
1 comment:
Details of the temple are very well captured. Kudos 👌👍
Must visit for any connoisseurs of temple architecture. After my visit to Nadakalasi, Ikkeri and Keladi this is a must visit. Thank you for the details.
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