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The Chamundarayaraya
basadi is the finest and one of the largest temples on the hill. It
is a homogeneous structure consisting of a garbhagriha with an upper
storey and a tower over it, an open sukhanasi, a navaranga and a
porch with verandahs at the sides, all built of fine grained hard
granite. It is dedicated to Neminatha, the twenty second
tirthankara. The sukhanasi consists of good figures of Sarvahna and
Kushmandini, the yaksha and yakshi of Neminatha. The basement
consists of three cornices and the outer walls are decorated with
right angled pilasters at intervals. There is a deep niche at the
centre on each side of the outer walls of the garbhagriha and the
navaranga. On the top of these pilasters is a row of hamsas or swams
under the sharp curved caves above which is another row oe yalis
mostly in pairs facing each other. Above this frieze is a row of
fine seated figures of tirthankaras and other male and female
figures under arches. The walls of the upper storey are also
similarly ornamented. The inscription regarding the construction of
this temple clearly states that it was caused to be constructed by
Chamundaraya and hence its date may probably be 982 A.D. But the
inscription on the pedestal of the image of Neminatha in the
garbhagriha of about 1138 A.D. says that Echana, son of the general
Ganga Raja, caused to be built the Jina temple Trailokyaranjana
which was also known as Boppana Chaityalaya. It is therefore clear
that the image of Neminatha or at least its pedestal did not
originally belong to this basadi and must have been brought here at
some subsequent period from the temple founded by Echana which may
have gone to ruin. The upper storey enshrines the figure of
Parshwanatha and an inscription on its pedestal says that Jina-deva,
son of the minister Chamundaraya, caused to be made a Jina temple at
Belagola. The temple referred to is probably the upper storey and
its period may be about 995 A.D. It is highly probable that the
building which was commenced in about 982 A.D. was perhaps completed
in 995 A.D. The porch appears to be later addition and perhaps
belongs to the days of Vishnuvardhana Hoysala. |
