The Eastern Chalukyan Cave-Temples of Coastal Andhra
In the Andhra coastal region, excavated into the softer rocks on either bank o the Krishna in the territory of the Eastern chalykyas of Vengi, there are over a dozen cave-temples. They are to be found in the hills of Vijayawada and Mogulrajapuram on the north bank, all in Krishna district, and in the hills of the Undavalli, Penamaga, and Sitaramapuram on the south bank in Guntur district. Thes cave-temples of Eastern Chalukyan authorship show individualistic characters in their lay-out, iconography and the scheme of the cella. They partake in some respects of the neighouring Pallava modes, apart from their parental Chalukyan and northern inheritance. The remarkable feature of this series of cave-temples is the occurrence of a rock-cut pedestal socket at the base of the rear wall of the cella, denoting the object of worship, whether it be the linga form of Siva, or a sculptured stele bearing the image of other gods inserted into the socket. In Bhairavakonda, the socket is cut in a sunken recess on the wall over the pedestal to take in the linga, or image. In respect of the cave temples of the Eastern Chalukyas, the absence of Vishnu carvings is notable as against what is found in the western Chalukyan-Rashtrakuta group. Practically all the cave-temples are Saiva, or are dedicated to other deities of the Saiva pantheon. The only exception uis the aberrant Undavalli cave-temple which is dedicated to Vishnu. The Nandi in Saiva cave-temples is roci-cut as in the Pandyan examples farther south. In point of time the Akkanna-Madanna cave at Vijayawada in its present form comes first. It is ascriable to the middle of the seventh century, and is closely followed by Caves I to IV of Mogalrajapuram, the lower cave-temple at Vijayawada, the Undavalli and other caves in a series, ending with the Bhairavakonda group datable to the middle of the eighth century. The last, if not of direct Eastern Chalukyan vintage, can at best of Telugu-Chola authorship.
These cave-temples essentially consist of a rock-cut hall, or mandapa, with one or more, often three, shrine-cells behind. The multiple shrines are in a row at the rear. The mandapa is in some cases astylar and in others multi-pillared, or demaracated into front and rear sections by two rows of pillars and pilasters-the usual façade row and the parallel inner row. The pillars ar usually simple, thick-set, short and square in section throughout, or have their middle height beveled at the corners. This results in the middle secion being octagonal, while the basal and apical sections are square in plan. The cornice of the façade, the kapota, is decorated by kudu, or nasika arches. The doorways of the shrines are simple like those in the southern cave-temples and unlike the Western Chalukyan-Rashtrakuta types with elaborate over-doors. The doorway is often enclosed by two flanking pilasters carrying a torana festoon above. While most of the cave-temples are dedicated to Siva, two are definitely dedicated to Durga, and a few to Vishnu. The sculptural content is very meager compared to the examples at Badami, Aihole, Ellora, etc. Among the few sculptures, mention may be made of tandava Siva. The Anantasayanagudi cave-temple at Undavalli is the largest of the group and is a three storeyed structure akin to the Ellora Buddhist Caves 11 and 12, the Do-tal and Tin-tal. It belongs to the seventh century if not earlier, and was perhaps intended originally for the Buddhist creed, but was adopted later for a Vishnu temple, the principal deity being a recumbent Vishnu, or Anantasayin.
The Bhairavakonda cave-temples are excavated into s soft schist intrusion in the hills at Kottapalle in Nellore district, a rock material different from the Krishna-Guntur group. Interposed between them, along with two rock sculptures of dancing Siva and Harihara, are small niches or memorial shrines with lingas cut inside them, with dedicatory or other inscriptions of the eighth century.
The eight larger cave-temples fall into two groups. The first four, starting from the northern end of the horseshoe valley or ravine, are simple shrine excavations without a front mandapa and lack the elaborately decorated kapota cornice and its kudu ornaments. The cave-temples of the second group are of the regular type having an outer mandapa with a façade row of two pillars and two pilasters and a rear shrine-cell. The mandapa façade has on top a fully formed kapota with kudus as in the Mamalla-style cave-temples of the Pallavas. The pillars are square in section and of the Chalukyan pattern as found in the cave-temples on the banks of the Krishna. In some, the pillars have lion caryatids on top and are also lion-based, with capital components above as in the Mamalla-style cave-temples. The shrine entrances are plain and without any over-ddor. These mixed characters and other features, as also the presence of relief sculptures of Brahma and Vishnu in the mandapa, provision for a linga in the shrine, and the presence of other sculptures like Chandesa and Ganesa, and the presence of other would indicate their non-pallava origin and their date as being the middle of the eighth century.
These cave-temples essentially consist of a rock-cut hall, or mandapa, with one or more, often three, shrine-cells behind. The multiple shrines are in a row at the rear. The mandapa is in some cases astylar and in others multi-pillared, or demaracated into front and rear sections by two rows of pillars and pilasters-the usual façade row and the parallel inner row. The pillars ar usually simple, thick-set, short and square in section throughout, or have their middle height beveled at the corners. This results in the middle secion being octagonal, while the basal and apical sections are square in plan. The cornice of the façade, the kapota, is decorated by kudu, or nasika arches. The doorways of the shrines are simple like those in the southern cave-temples and unlike the Western Chalukyan-Rashtrakuta types with elaborate over-doors. The doorway is often enclosed by two flanking pilasters carrying a torana festoon above. While most of the cave-temples are dedicated to Siva, two are definitely dedicated to Durga, and a few to Vishnu. The sculptural content is very meager compared to the examples at Badami, Aihole, Ellora, etc. Among the few sculptures, mention may be made of tandava Siva. The Anantasayanagudi cave-temple at Undavalli is the largest of the group and is a three storeyed structure akin to the Ellora Buddhist Caves 11 and 12, the Do-tal and Tin-tal. It belongs to the seventh century if not earlier, and was perhaps intended originally for the Buddhist creed, but was adopted later for a Vishnu temple, the principal deity being a recumbent Vishnu, or Anantasayin.
The Bhairavakonda cave-temples are excavated into s soft schist intrusion in the hills at Kottapalle in Nellore district, a rock material different from the Krishna-Guntur group. Interposed between them, along with two rock sculptures of dancing Siva and Harihara, are small niches or memorial shrines with lingas cut inside them, with dedicatory or other inscriptions of the eighth century.
The eight larger cave-temples fall into two groups. The first four, starting from the northern end of the horseshoe valley or ravine, are simple shrine excavations without a front mandapa and lack the elaborately decorated kapota cornice and its kudu ornaments. The cave-temples of the second group are of the regular type having an outer mandapa with a façade row of two pillars and two pilasters and a rear shrine-cell. The mandapa façade has on top a fully formed kapota with kudus as in the Mamalla-style cave-temples of the Pallavas. The pillars are square in section and of the Chalukyan pattern as found in the cave-temples on the banks of the Krishna. In some, the pillars have lion caryatids on top and are also lion-based, with capital components above as in the Mamalla-style cave-temples. The shrine entrances are plain and without any over-ddor. These mixed characters and other features, as also the presence of relief sculptures of Brahma and Vishnu in the mandapa, provision for a linga in the shrine, and the presence of other sculptures like Chandesa and Ganesa, and the presence of other would indicate their non-pallava origin and their date as being the middle of the eighth century.
