Domlur Chokkanathaswamy temple

Chokkanathaswamy temple, at Domlur in the Indian city of Bangalore, is dedicated to the deity known as Chokkanathaswamy or Chokka Perumal (the Hindu god Vishnu). It is one of the oldest temples in the city, dating to the Chola period of the 10th century AD.[1]

History

Hindu god Vishnu in Chokkanathaswamy temple

This Chola-period Chokkanathaswamy temple is considered as the oldest temple in Bangalore.[2] There are several notable sculptures and decorative features in the complex and the temple faces west.[3] One Tamil inscription dated 1270 A.D. on a door frame states that the doors were donated by one Alagiyar and another inscription says of donation by one Talaikattu and one more inscription in Kannada dated 1290 A.D. states that Poysala Vira Ramanada made donations to the temple.[2] Vijayanagara style Navaranga and pillars are later editions.

Tamil Inscriptions

The Chokkanathaswamy Temple is a 10th-century Chola temple, located in Domlur. There are a number of Kannda and Tamil inscriptions in the temple. Domlur is called as Tombalur or Desimanikkapattanam in these inscriptions. Chakravarthi Posalaviraramanatha Deva has left inscriptions with directions to temple authorities of his kingdom. Further some inscriptions record the tributes, taxes and tolls made to the temple by Devaraya II of Vijayanagar Empire, which state the houses, wells, land around Tombalur were offered to the deity Sokkapperumal. Another Tamil inscription dated 1270 talks about 2 door posts being donated by Alagiyar. Yet another inscription in Tamil details Talaikkattu and his wife donating lands from Jalapalli village and Vinnamangalam tank to the deity. A 1290AD Kannada inscription talks about donation of ten pens from the revenue of Tommalur by Poysala vira Ramananda.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Present

The temple has been extensively renovated several times and only the sanctum sanctorum and two ardhamantapas exhibit antiquity.[2] The images of Vishnu, Sridevi and Bhudevi established in Garbhagraha are carved out of Shaligrama stone brought from Gandaki river, in Nepal.[2]

Tamil inscription, 10th century Chola temple, Domlur, Banglore


References

  1. ↑ "whatisindia".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "History Of the Temple".
  3. ↑ "India9".
  4. ↑ Rice, Benjamin Lewis (1887). Mysore: A Gazetteer Compiled for Government. London, UK: Asian Educational Services. p. 70. ISBN 8120609778. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Githa, U B (19 April 2004). "A Chola temple in Domlur!" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Githa, U B. "Chokkanathaswamy Temple, a fine example of Chola architecture". Chitralakshana: All about Indian Art. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  7. ↑ Sridhar, Lakshminarasimhan; Sridhar, Geetha. "Chokkanarayan Swamy Temple Domlur". Vishnu Temples of Karnataka. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Rao, Priyanka S (19 May 2012). "Chokkanatha: The city’s oldest temple" (Bangalore). The New Indian Express. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Harshitha, Samyuktha (10 December 2012). "The temple of the Cholas". Suttha Muttha. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Rizvi, Aliyeh (20 October 2014). "Good vibrations" (Bangalore). Bangalore Mirror. Bangalore Mirror Bureau. Retrieved 6 February 2015.