Kambadahalli

Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli
Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli
Basic information
Location	Kambadahalli, Mandya, Karnataka
Geographic coordinates	12°52′03.6″N 76°38′00.8″E / 12.867667°N 76.633556°E / 12.867667; 76.633556Coordinates: 12°52′03.6″N 76°38′00.8″E / 12.867667°N 76.633556°E / 12.867667; 76.633556
Affiliation	Jainism
Deity	Adinatha
Festivals	Mahavir Jayanti
Country	India
Date established	8th-10th century AD

Panchakuta Basadi (or Panchakoota Basadi) is located in the Kambadahalli village of the Mandya district, Karnataka state, in southwestern India. It is one of the finest examples of South Indian Dravidian architecture of the Western Ganga variety, related to the Jain faith and iconography. According to the historian K.R. Srinivasan, the temple complex, which was built by the kings of the Western Ganga Dynasty is assignable to the period 900-1000 CE. The historian I. K. Sarma however assigns an earlier date of 8th century, based on traces of early Pallava-Pandya and Chalukya-Pallava influences. Kambadahalli (whose name in the Kannada language literally translates to "village with pillar") which is located 18 km from the famous Jain heritage town of Shravanabelagola, on the Mandya-Shravanabelagola highway, gets its name from the Brahmadeva pillar (Manasthambha) erected in front of the temple complex. From inscriptions, it is known that the temple complex has been renovated during later centuries, including the during the rule of the Hoysala Empire. The monument is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a "national monument". Srinivasan describes it as a "landmark in South India architecture".

The temple was built in two phases. In the first phase, three shrines were constructed (trikutachala, three shrines each with a superstructure). The central shrine faces north, one shrine faces west and the other face east. The central shrine has a square superstructure (Shikhara) called Brahmachhanda girva-shikhara. The west and east facing shrines have superstructures called the Rudrachhanda griva-shikhara and Vishnuchhanda griva-shikhara respectively. The design of the superstructures speaks of the artistic taste of the builders. They are three-dimensional, with the first tier (tala) measuring a third of the total height of the tower, and the second tier measuring one half the height of the first. Each of the three shrines have individual vestibules (or half hall or ardhamantapa) which open to a large common open hall called the mahamantapa or navaranga, whose ceiling is supported by four ornate central pillars. At the entrance to the shrines (bilpitha) are the guardians to the "eight directions"(ashtadikpalaka; ashta - "eight", dik - "directions", palaka - "keeper") with their consorts and vehicles (vahana)