Kalleshvara Temple, Ambali


The Kalleshvara temple is located in the town of Ambali in Bellary district of Karnataka state, India. According to an Old Kannada inscription placed in the sabhamantapa, the temple was constructed during the reign of the Western Chalukya Empire King Vikramaditya VI. This temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Temple plan

Art historian Adam Hardy categorizes the architectural style of the temple as "12th century, trans-Tungabhadra branch of the Lakkundi school, related to Kuruvatti with some non-mainstream affinities". The temple is a single shrine construction with an adjoining hall. The basic building material is Soap stone. The original superstructure over the shrine is lost.
The temple which faces east comprises a sanctum, an antechamber that connects the sanctum to a gathering hall which is preceded by a main hall. The walls of the shrine and the sabhamantapa are articulated with projections and recesses creating niches which carry miniature decorative tower or turrets in vesara style. The doorjamb of the sanctum and antechamber are crafted with decorative motifs, and the lintel depicts Gajalakshmi. The square bases of pillars in the sabhamantapa and mukhamantapa have the characteristic decoration with reliefs, depicting various Hindu deities such as Surya, Bhairava and Durga.

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