Aihole

Aihole has been described as a cradle of temple architecture. This trip is in search of the origin of the art of temple architecture and their beauty. I came to know about Aihole while visiting Hampi.

Aihole is a village located in Bagalkot District of Karnataka. I planned to visit Aihole as a continuation of the trip to Hampi. I travelled from Hospet through Tungabhadra Dam Road and Solapur-Mangalapuram Highway, taking a turn from Gunagunde Junction and via Amipagad to Aihole. Aihole is considered as the birthplace of the art of architectural works. Aihole was the capital of Chalukya kings.

It is during the reign of Pulikeshin 1 that temples were built in Aihole. In Aihole, the first phase of temple building dates back to around sixth century. There are around 125 temples in this region. Aihole is a place that one should definitely visit. The ceiling is made of large stones shaped into planks. The walls, the beams supporting the rafters, etc. are built of just stones. The lively stone sculptures and carvings will definitely leave one awestruck.

It is unbelievable that at a time when there were no facilities for construction work, for building this temple, huge stones were lifted to the ceilings and joined in such a way that nobody can find the joints. One should bow before the dexterity and boldness of the artists who took so much of pain to create such lively architectural works.

This makes me think about the human beings who behave like animals, destroying the beautiful inanimate sculptures which do not harm them in any way. It is sad that in view of their value, these enchanting art works are not being preserved properly. From each sculpture, we can hear the sobs and whimpers of thousands of men who underwent so much of difficulty in creating it.

The most important temples in Aihole are Durga Temple and Lad Khan Temple, though the names are not real as per the information that I got. Aihole was a laboratory where experiments were done in the art of construction. This is where art of sculpting originated.

It is by compensating the mistakes and drawbacks of Aihole that architectural works in Pattadakal and several other places were created. The distinctive feature of Aihole is that what exist here are not temples but a group of monuments which consist of various small and large temples, each classy in its own way. I left Aihole with a heart filled with the pleasure of seeing these majestic pieces of art.