Hooli
| Hooli | |
|---|---|
| town | |
Panchalingeshwara temple at Hooli
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 Hooli
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| Coordinates: 15°47′00″N 75°07′00″E / 15.7833°N 75.1167°ECoordinates: 15°47′00″N 75°07′00″E / 15.7833°N 75.1167°E | |
| Country |
 India
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| State | Karnataka |
| District | Belgaum |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KA |
| Vehicle registration | KA-24 |
| Nearest city | Saundatti |
| Website | karnataka |
Hooli is in Belgaum District in Karnataka India. It is about 9 km from Saundatti. One of the oldest villages in the Belgaum District, Hooli is the site of the Panchaligeswara temple and the Trikuteshwara Temple. The village is historically rich, boasting of a ruined fort atop a hill and numerous temples. Hooli has been under the rule of the Rattas of Saundatti, Patwardhans of Ramdurg and most of the temples feature Chalukya architecture and were initially Jain Bastis indicating a Chalukya rule. The name of the village is a corrupted form of PooValli meaning a flowery ear ornament. The village was also called MahishpatiNagar in ancient times.
The nice architecture of Hooli Panchalingeshwar Temple is to be adored. It is a protected monument that comes under Archaeological Survey of India. Earlier, during summer afternoons people used to rest in the shade of this temple. Because the temple was made of stone, it was unbelievably cool even in the scorching summer.
Opposite the Panchalingeshwara temple is the relatively modern Hari Mandir. The Sant Culture or Nath tradition influenced heavily by Jnaneshwar flourished here.
Other than Panchalingeshwara Temple, Hooli has many other old temples; most of them are now in ruins due to negligence. One can be amazed by the sculptures and carvings on the stone. Most of the temples have their floor dug up for treasure hunts, so much is lost and stolen.
Other temples at Hooli are
These temples are in need of conservation and restoration.
There probably are plans or proposals to convert the Panchlingeshwar Temple site to a tourist destination. To achieve this objective, the concerned central/state department has performed survey and has been in discussion with the local people. This development may involve the demolition of local houses within the perimeter of some 100–200 meters. In case this happens, it would be a great shame, as this very structures, most of them mud houses surrounding the temple are also a part of the village history and carry invaluable importance to the local architecture settings. In India, the lessons needs to be derived from observing how some of the world heritage sites around the world, is being preserved and more importantly recreated as its original state.
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Wikipedia