Lakkundi

Lakkundi, also referred to as Lokkugundi, was a

Aside from Hindu and Jain monuments, a Muslim dargah dedicated to Zindeshah Wali is also found in Lakkundi. The site attracts visitors from all over the world due to its rich historical and cultural heritage.^[6]

Location

Lakkundi is about 12 kilometers from the twin city of Gadag-Betageri, between

Lakkundi is phonetically shortened name of the historic city of Lokkigundi, a name found in inscriptions in the village and those quite far in southern Karnataka and Maharashtra.^[8] The earliest surviving inscription was discovered by British archaeologists on a stone slab near Kanner Bhanvi – a step well in Lakkundi. The inscribed stone slab was being used by local dhobis (laundry washerman) to wash clothes at the step well.^[9] The inscription on it dates to 790 CE. This inscription confirms that Lakkundi was already in existence and significant enough for an inscription by the 8th-century. James Fergusson – the 19th-century Scottish historian known for his archaeological and architectural studies in India, reported over 30 more inscriptions from Lakkundi, in Kannada and Sanskrit, most of which range between the 11th and 12th century. Some of these were foundation stone inscriptions of Jain and Hindu temples, others gifts to different temples, to Maha-agrahara, to monasteries such as Hiree Matha (now lost), to donate step wells for the public and pilgrims, and other purposes. Though damaged, many of them include the Saka year of the inscription. The profusion of these inscriptions attests to the importance of Lakkundi as a historic city to both Hindu and Jain traditions.^[9]

Many more inscriptions on stone and copper plates mentioning Lokkugundi have been discovered far from Lakkundi. However, in this part of ancient and medieval Karnataka, Lokkugundi is among the most mentioned cities. By 1884, some thirty five Hindu and Jain inscriptions dated to between the 9th and 13th-century CE had been found that mention Lokkugundi.^[10] Though Lakkundi was an established town in the second half of the 1st millennium, its growth and wealth came after 973 CE when Taila II, a Chalukya of Vatapi descendant and chieftain appointed in 965 CE, organized a successful revolt against Karkka II of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. In regional texts, the reign that followed is called Cālukya (Later Chalukyas, Kalyani Chalukyas, or Chalukyas of Kalyana) to distinguish them from the Calukya (Early Chalukyas). Lakkundi flowered and grew with the Shiva-tradition Hindu monarch Satyasraya Irivabedanga – the successor and son of Taila II who came to power in 997 or 998 CE. This is attested by both Jain and Hindu inscriptions of early 11th-century, particularly of a woman named Attimabbe who gets permission from Satyasraya to build her Jaina temple, which she did and which is now the oldest surviving Brahma Jinalaya temple in Lakkundi.^[11][12]

Lakkundi grew to be a major city, prosperous and one with a mint. Lakkundi and several historic towns to its north – such as Rona, Sudi, Kradugu now known as Gadag, Hooli and others – attracted a burst of religious, cultural and literary flowering from the 11th to 13th century, with ever more sophisticated temple architectures, Vidyadana (charity supported schools) and public works such as step wells. These are largely in the context of Shaivism and Jainism, though a few major temples of Vaishnavism here are also from this period.^[13]

Smaller Lakkundi monuments can be traced to the

Lakkundi has about 50 temples and temple ruins of different sizes and sophistication, all dated to pre-14th century. They are of Shaivism, Jainism and Vaishnavism, though most temples include diverse iconography such as Surya and of Vedic deities such as Brahma. For example, the oldest Jaina temple – Brahma Jinalaya – includes Hindu statues and artworks such as that of 4-headed Brahma, Saraswati and Lakshmi, along with Mahavira, Parsvanatha and other Tirthankaras. The major surviving temples in Lakkundi include:[9]

Lakkundi temples

Temple	Year/Century	Image	Notes
Brahma Jinalaya	1007 CE[16]		the largest Jain temple in Lakkundi, the oldest of the large temples (1007 CE)
Naganatha Temple, Lakkundi	early 11th century[17]		another Jain temple, to Parsvanatha and Naga (serpent deity)
Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi	1030 CE[18]		also known as Kavatalesvara temple in historic texts, it is a Hindu twin temple – one for Shiva and the other for Surya, highly ornate and most sophisticated among the Lakkundi temples; according to Burgess, it has "one of the finest surviving illustration of Hindu decorative artwork in India". One of the best illustrations of Kalyana-Chalukya style of Hindu architecture.[18]
Malikarjuna Temple, Lakkundi	11th century[17]		a Hindu temple
Halagund Basavanna Temple, Lakkundi			a Shaiva Lingayat temple
Virupaksha Temple, Lakkundi	1010 CE[19]		active and most attended village temple, has Rashtrakuta-style Hindu architecture
Lakshminarayana Temple, Lakkundi	11th century[17]		a Vishnu temple
Manikesvar Temple, Lakkundi	1160 CE[20]		a trikuta temple with one of many historic step wells in Lakkundi
Virabhadra Temple, Lakkundi	11th century[17]		a Hindu temple
Nanesvara Temple, Lakkundi	1020–30 CE[21]		a Hindu temple with innovations in mandapa and pillar architecture, one of the earliest examples of fully-developed Kalyana Chalukya style
Somesvara Temple, Lakkundi	11th-century[22]		a Shiva temple closer to the historic fort walls, parts of the temple have influences from the Sudi–Aihole school of Hindu architecture
Nilakanthesvara Temple, Lakkundi	11th century[17]		a Shiva temple with notable artwork on the outer walls
Kumbheshvara Temple, Lakkundi	Late 11th or early 12th century[23]		another trikuta Hindu temple with one section better preserved, now surrounded by private homes, the symmetric gudhamandapa is brilliantly structured and constructed
Other Hindu and Jaina temple ruins	8th to 13th-century		Siddharamesvara temple, for example, is a small Karnata-Chalukya style temple from the early 11th-century.[24]

Step wells

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Lakkundi has a number of step wells, some functioning as water tanks for the temples. These are artistically built with small canopied niches enshrining

Inscriptions

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Over two dozen Kannada and Sanskrit inscriptions from different Hindu dynasties have been found at Lakkundi. These describe gifts and donations, donor names and which social classes these donors came from, the ritual and cultural aspects of their times and the socio-political contexts of medieval era Karnataka. Some of these are important to help establish the Jain heritage in Karnataka during these Hindu dynasties.^[25] Some of these include:

• The inscriptions of the
  Kalyani Chalukyas
  king Irive Bedanga narrates in Ajithanatha Purana the details of the construction of the Brahma Jinalaya by Attimabbe and the donations.
• The inscriptions of the Kalachuris of Kalyani King Sovideva (1173 A.D.) reveals the donation of gold to a Basadi by Gunanidi Keshava.
• The important inscriptions of
  Kalyani Chalukyas
  Somashekara VI (1185 A.D.), reveals the donation for conducting Ashtavidharchana. Another 12th-century inscription mentions the donation of land to Tribhuvana tilaka Shantinatha. Also an inscription mentions the existence of Jain saints Mulasangha Devanga.

Tourism

Lakkundi is known for Chalukya style temples, stepped wells and historic inscriptions. Lakkundi is often a gem missed by a majority of tourists.^[26] If you take the trouble to visit Lakkundi, you will be rewarded with one of the finest architectural feasts of the Kalyana Chalukya period (c. 10th century CE).

Gallery

• 
  A relief on the outer wall, Kasivisvesvara Temple
• 
  A relief on the inner wall, Kasivisvesvara Temple
• 
  A pierced window screen brings light into the

  mantapa

  at Manikesvara Temple
• 
  Nanneshwara Temple at Lakkundi
• 
  Tirthankara image in the sanctum
• 
  Tirthankara in the Gavaska, Naganatha Jain temple
• 
  Chaturmukha Brahma image at Jain Temple
• 
  Nanneshwara Temple at Lakkundi
• 
  Nanneshwara Temple at Lakkundi
• 
  One of many step well (pushkarni, vav) in Lakkundi
• 
  Lakkundi tableau at Vishwa Kannada sammelana Belgaum

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lakkundi.

Architecture References

• Western Chalukya architecture
• Hindu temple architecture
• Hoysala architecture
• Vijayanagara architecture
• Badami Chalukya architecture
• Dravidian architecture

References