REPORT ON

“CONSERVATION MEASURES OF THE HERITAGE

TEMPLES OF KARNATAKA”

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENT OF

SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, VIJAYAWADA

FOR

GATE SCHOLARSHIP
2021-2022

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF: SUBMITTED BY:

DR. AMRITAVA SARKAR SMRITIKA BALDAWA

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE M. ARCH(MAC), IV SEM

SPA VIJAYAWADA SPA VIJAYAWADA

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, VIJAYAWADA

 Conservation Measures Of The Heritage Temples Of Karnataka

Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3
Timeline based on different dynasties that ruled within Karnataka ..................................... 3
Protected Monuments in Karnataka ..................................................................................... 5
Examples of Conservation measures of the Heritage temples of Karnataka ............................ 7
CHANDRAMAULESHWAR TEMPLE, HAMPI, KARNATAKA...................................................... 7
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 7
Architecture ....................................................................................................................... 7
Conservation measures taken ........................................................................................... 8
Cave Paintings at Badami ..................................................................................................... 10
Architecture ..................................................................................................................... 11
Conservation measures taken ......................................................................................... 12
Chamarajeshwara Temple ................................................................................................... 14
Architecture ..................................................................................................................... 14
Conservation measures taken ......................................................................................... 15
Reference ................................................................................................................................. 19

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 Conservation Measures Of The Heritage Temples Of Karnataka

Introduction
The state of Karnataka is geographically located on the southwestern part of South India and
has abundant natural and human resources. It has got Western Ghats with rich forest
resources; plain valleys with rich and varied crop pattern; and narrow Coastal line with many.
All these have also helped in enhancing the economic stability of Karnataka. Karnataka has
also got a very rich cultural heritage. Several great empires and dynasties have ruled over
Karnataka and have contributed greatly to its history, culture and development. It has the
remains of numerous pre-historic settlements, prehistoric megalithic structures innumerable
inscriptions, burial grounds, memorial stones and also sophisticated monuments of rich
historical and cultural heritage.

Many dynasties patronised the construction of temples with high significance based on their
architectural values, aesthetic values, socio-cultural values, etc. Many settlements took shape
based on religious or royal establishments.

Timeline based on different dynasties that ruled within Karnataka

1. Maurya Empire: 3rd century BC.
2. The Satavahana Dynasty: 230 BC to the 3rd century AD
 Ruled in the parts of northern Karnataka

3. Kadamba Dynasty of Banavasi: 4th to 6th centuries AD

 Ruled in modern Uttara Kannada district.

4. Western Ganga Dynasty or Gangas of Talakadu: 4thto 10th centuries AD

5. The Chalukyas of Badami: 6th to 8th centuries AD
6. Rashtrakuta Dynasty: 8th to 10th centuries AD
7. Chalukyas of Kalayana: 10th to 12th centuries AD).
 Their regal capitals were in the modern Karnataka region, and they patronised
Kannada language and literature.

8. Chola Empire: 11th century.

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9. The Hoysala Empire: 11th to 14th centuries AD

 Art and architecture flourished in the region during this time resulting in
distinctive Kannada literary metres and the construction of temples, sculptures
and planned settlement layouts.

10. The Vijayanagara Empire: Early 14th century to 16th century AD

 Their capital was Hosapattana (later to be called Vijayanagara)
 They rose to successfully challenge the Muslim invasions into the South and
the empire prospered for over two centuries.

11. The Bahamani sultans of Bidar: 14th to 16th centuries AD

 They were the main competitors to the Vijayanagara Empire for hegemony
over the Deccan.

12. The Bijapur Sultanate: 15th to 17th centuries AD

 They took the place of Bahamani sultans after their failure against Vijayanagara
Empire in the dynastic struggle for control of the southern India.
 The Bahamani and Bijapur rulers encouraged Urdu and Persian literature and
Indo Saracenic architecture, with the GolGumbaz being one of the high points
of this contribution.

13. The Wodeyars of Mysore: 15th century.

 With the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, Haider Ali, the Commander-in-Chief
of the Mysore Army, assumed control over the region in 1761. After his death,
the rule of the kingdom was passed to his son Tipu Sultan.
 In attempting to contain European expansion in South India, Tipu Sultan,
known as the Tiger of Mysore fought four significant Anglo-Mysore Wars, the
last of which resulted in his death and the incorporation of Mysore into the
British Raj.

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14. British Raj: 1831- 1881 AD

 After a period of British Commissioners' rule, Mysore was given back to the
Wodeyars until India’s Independence.

15. Post-Independence: 1945-today

 After independence, the Maharaja, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, allowed his
kingdom's accession to India. In 1950, Mysore became an Indian state of the
same name
 Following the long-standing demand of the Ekikarana Movement, Kodagu- and
Kannada-speaking regions from the adjoining states of Madras, Hyderabad and
Bombay were incorporated into the Mysore state, under the States
Reorganisation Act of 1956.
 The thus expanded state was renamed Karnataka, seventeen years later, on 1
November 1973.
 In the early 1900s through the post-independence era, industrial visionaries
such as Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, played an important role in the
development of Karnataka's strong manufacturing and industrial base.

Protected Monuments in Karnataka

Today, Karnataka has the second highest number of nationally protected monuments in India,
second to Uttar Pradesh. Among which Hampi group of monuments and Pattadakal group of
monuments are recognised as world heritage centres by UNESCO. As per the department of
Archaeology, museums and Heritage, Government of Karnataka’s report there are 752 states
protected, 608 centrally protected monuments in Karnataka.

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Division State Protected Centrally Protected Total

Bangalore 90 63 153

Mysore 110 71 181

Belgaum 356 311 667

Gulbarga 196 163 359

Total 752 608 1360

Karnataka is having highest number of heritage monuments, at present there are 752 state
protected, 608 centrally protected monuments are recognised by the ASI in Karnataka. The
ASI has divided the archaeological monuments of Karnataka in two circles, Bangalore and
Dharwad circle. The Bangalore circle consists of 208 protected heritage monuments and the
Dharwad circles consist of 299 heritage sites protected by ASI.

Some of the important heritage monuments of Karnataka are as follows:

 Hampi group of Monuments (recognised as a world heritage centre by UNESCO)

 Daria Daaulat Bagh, Srirangapatnam Keshava Temple,
 Pattadakal group of monuments (recognised as a world heritage centre by UNESCO)
 Aihole Temples and Archaeological Museum
 Amba Vilas Palace, Mysore
 Halebidu Hoysaleshwara Temple
 Tipu sulthan Palace, Bangalore
 Badami Rock Cut Temples(recognised as a world heritage centre by UNESCO)
 Gol-Gumbas, Bijapur
 Hitradurga fort
 Somanatahapurea Chennakeshave Temple, etc.

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 Conservation Measures Of The Heritage Temples Of Karnataka

Examples of Conservation measures of the Heritage temples of

Karnataka

CHANDRAMAULESHWAR TEMPLE, HAMPI, KARNATAKA

Introduction

Figure 1. Chandramauleshwar Temple, Hampi (ref. anlassociates)

Location: Anegundi, Hampi World Heritage Site, Karnataka (Rishimukh Island on the northern
bank of Tungabhadra River.

Co-ordinates: Latitude: 15°20ʹ04ʺN

Longitude: 76°27ʹ44ʺE

Building Type: Temple (Shiva Temple)

Architectural Style: Vijayanagara style of architecture

Year of Construction: 15th century CE

Architecture

The temple architecture is similar and contains many features similar to those found in large
and small temples of Hampi. The structure is built with schist stone blocks. The temple has
large ornamental pillars of stones. There are big arches and stucco figures. The walls of the
temple is decorated with elaborate carvings. The massive doorways and the carved ceiling
are other significant features of the architecture seen in the Chandramauleshwar Temple.

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Conservation measures taken

Condition before Restoration

The Chandramouliswara Temple was found to be ruins due to the forces of either man or nature.
Over the period of time, due to the weather and human interaction, the temple have faced loss
of details and elements of the temple.

The Chandramouliswara Temple is situated on an island. As a result, it stands on a sandy

terrain, as compared to the hard and rocky terrain of Hampi. The place contains a large amount
of lose sand that has been deposited on the island due to the river confluence at this area. Due
to the shifting sand, many parts of the temple and its compound walls have collapsed. Huge
pieces of stone blocks and some collapsed parts of the temple can be seen lying scattered in
and around the temple complex.

Process and Application

The Abha Narain Lambah along with Hampi Foundation and JSW Foundation, in partnership
with the Government of Karnataka of India undertook the conservation of
Chandramouliswara Temple during 2006-2011.

Documentation:

The Conservation Masterplan for the entire site was prepared in 2004 by Abha Narain Lambah
Associates and the Hampi Foundation and it was submitted to the Government of Karnataka.

The architectural team prepared detailed numbering drawings of each stone element, the day
to day recording is to be maintained by the site archaeologist. The architectural drawings and
structural drawings along with documentation and numbering of each stone are prepared by
the conservation architects and structural engineer. Day to day reporting and archaeological
documentation were done by the site archaeologists.

A large number of structural components of the main temple and plaza area are piled up
around the temple which were inventoried and analyzed to determine appropriate usage and
placement, both for structural integrity and architectural and historical authenticity

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Conservation work:

Stabilization of the temple’s foundation and

conservation of the walls and roofs of the main
hall, other sacred chambers and the temple
embankment walls was carried out.

The upper embankment wall and lower

Figure 3. Embankment wall on the South east side of the
embankment wall were constructed over a site. (Ref. anlassociates)

stretch of 45 meters by using the stones that

were available on the site. New quarries for matching petrography of stone for replacement
of missing sections of stone wall were bought from the quarry outside the Hampi World
Heritage Buffer Zone. These walls were constructed using the old techniques without use of
any concrete. The work of the lower embankment was completed before monsoons and in
the site inspection made by the Structural Consultant and the Architectural team, it was found
that the work of the lower embankment had withstood the worst flooding in Karnataka in
decades.

Figure 2. Upper Embankment wall (ref. anlassociates)

Stabilization of soil and soil fill was done at the lower embankment platform to allow proper
site slopes for drainage of water as after consolidation, the lower embankment wall level was
higher than the platform soil.

The fallen stones from the mandapa of the main temple were reset at its location. The crack
patterns on the temple were studied briefly and were given immediate attention without any
delay.

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The local community has benefited from the project through employment on the site. The
local boatmen get daily employment as the project team are ferried up and down the river
on coracle boats. Local stone masons, craftsmen and labour have been employed on site.

Figure 5. Temple before conservation started (ref. globalheritagefund) Figure 4. Temple during conservation process
(ref. anlassociates)

Cave Paintings at Badami

Figure 6. Cave Painting of Queen and Attendants in Badami Caves

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Location: Badami town (ancient name: Vatapi), Bagalkot district in northern part of
Karnataka.

Co-ordinates: Latitude: 15°55ʹ06ʺN

Longitude: 75°41ʹ3ʺE

Building Type: Cave Paintings

Architectural Style: Rock-cut cave temples

Year of Construction: 6th to 8th centuries AD

Architecture

Badami mural paintings are the earliest survivors of the Hindu paintings. Many of them did
not survive over the time yet some still remains. The paintings were completed during the
period of King Mangalishwara, son of Puleksin I. The caves at Vatapi were fully decorated with
murals; many of them were inspired from Puranas. The most surviving murals include the
paintings of Shiva and Parvathi as well as some other characters.

The paintings were highly decorated as the remains clearly suggest the grandeur and
splendour of the ancient ages of India. The paintings have blurred the religious lines as the
art belongs to Hindu, Jain and Buddhist inclinations which shows the prevalent secularist
thought and tolerance in those times. They also bear a close proximity to the Ajanta art which
was a product of the Chitrasutra technique. The Cave number 4 has a mural painting
of Adinatha, the Jain tirthankara.

There are 4 caves of which

 Cave 1 is oldest among the four caves. Paintings on the ceiling of the cave are of Lord
Shiva as Nataraja, and Shiva and Parvati with a coiled serpent which has high aesthetic
value. This is thus dedicated to Nataraja.
 Cave 2 is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his many incarnations.
 Cave 3 is also inspired by Brahmanical forms and thus has giant figures of many avatars
of Vishnu like Paravasudeva, Bhuvaraha, Harihara and Narasimha.

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 Cave 4 is based on Jain ideology and it has a huge image of Lord Mahavira. It is said to
be built at last at least a 100 years away from the first cave.

Conservation measures taken

Figure 7. Before and after images of digital conservation of paintings at Badami.

Conservation and restoration of Paintings in badami caves sets a new pioneer in the
conservation of historical structures in India. In this project, use of digital art was done for
conservation of the painting.

One of the earliest surviving paintings in a Hindu temple from the world-famous Badami Cave
Temples was photographed, digitally restored and formally unveiled to a global
audience. Many of India’s artistic and archaeological marvels have been lost to time and
neglect, but attempts are under way to rescue them from the clutches of disfigurement. The
work of people like art historian Benoy Krishen Behl shows that cultural informatics can help
with art restoration and provide wider access to some kinds of art.

On May 28, during an online event known as ‘A Lost Tradition of Art’ & ‘Earliest Surviving
Painting in Hindu Temple’, hosted by Sapio Analytics, Behl took participants on a virtual tour
of six paintings that he has digitally restored. Three of the paintings he worked on were from
the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, one from the Badami caves in north Karnataka, and two
from the Brihadeeshwara Temple in Tanjavur.

Benoy Krishen Behl took 19 years to complete the restoration of many ancient paintings in
the country including some from the caves of Ajanta and Badami. He worked on carefully

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restoring them with an intimate understanding of the painting. Bad restoration is much more
harmful than just leaving the art to crumble.

Benoy Kristen Behl said, “Besides the great technical virtuosity of the ancient Indian murals,
what is even more important is the vision of life which they contain. It is a deep and
philosophic vision of great compassion. This is what makes the ancient paintings of India to
be among the finest art of humankind,” about the significance of this revelation.

Behl says that he digitally restored the paintings in the caves based on photographs of the
paintings he took in 1991, 1992 and 2001. These paintings were not visible to the world as
they are in dark caves and the Archaeological Survey of India does not allow the use of flashes
to photograph these paintings because it would affect the art.

He says that he managed to photograph them in conditions of low light nonetheless, and
worked on those images to arrive at re-creations of what the paintings may have looked like
when they were created hundreds of years ago. While the paintings in the Ajanta caves are
2,000 years old, the ones in Badami were done in the 6th century CE.

When Behl visited the four caves in Badami in 2001, most of the paintings, including those of
Vishnu and Brahma were damaged. However, a painting he restored, titled Queen and
Attendants was exhibited. One of the images released during the online event features King
Mahajanak from depicting how he renounced his kingly life to become as ascetic.

“Thousands of figures in the Ajanta caves contain a vision of life that was full of care,
compassion and warmth,” says Behl who has photographed several Asian monuments and
even made documentaries on them. Mumbai-based Sapio Analytics will exhibit some of Behl’s
photographs and their digital restoration at The Nehru Centre in London in 2022 to mark 75
years of India’s independence. 53,000 photographs of Asian monuments, artistic heritage and
145 documentaries on Asian art.

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Chamarajeshwara Temple

Figure 8. Chamarajeshwara Temple

Location: Car St, Galipur, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka (about 170 kms from Bengaluru)

Co-ordinates: Latitude: 11°92’69”N

Longitude: 76°93’81ʺE

Building Type: Shiva Temple

Architectural Style: Dravidian architecture

Year of Construction: Built by Mysore Maharajas during 18th century

Architecture

The Chamarajeshwara Temple forms an important identification of Indian culture, its people
and communities. The temple is built in around 10th Century, has a Hoysala design
architecture which is seen in the 70 feet high five tier Rajagopuram with five scintillating brass
Kalasha facing the east. The garbagriha, the mukhamantapa and the Nandi mandapa contain
many carvings which showcase the Dravidian architecture. The monument contains various
paintings with coloured adhesive sections that talks about the stories of the ancient history.
This unique architecture and designs attracts thousands of devotees and art lovers to the
temple. The temple is also known for its big courtyards with golden apex.

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The temple trust and the care taker of the Chamarajeshwara temple has dedicated yeomen
services in maintaining the temple and have ensured that this religious legacy is preserved
and handed over from one generation to another.

Conservation measures taken

In the year 2007, Chamrajeshwara Temple looked completely out of shape and was on the
verge of colossal deterioration but with timely intervention of the Archaeology department
of Karnataka, Temple’s Charitable Trust, restoration work began in the year 2017 and was
completed in the year 2018.

1. Nandi Mandapa:
 The stone masonry was earlier lime washed and needed to be scraped off to
retain its stone surface.
 The roof was treated for waterproofing.

Figure 9. Before and After Conservation Photo of Nandi Mandapa and Main Temple.

2. Gopuram:
 The plastered layer of the
Padavarga & Adhistana below
the Vimana was de-plastered
to expose its original carved
layer. While the vimana is
adorned with heavy art work which was majorly soiled.
 This intricate art work was redone with an addition of
ochre yellow dye into the lime plaster to match the
Figure 10. Before and
original one. After Conservation
Photos for Gopuram.

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 The human sculptures at different levels of the vimana were lime plastered in
white to create a contrast and break the monotony of yellow shade
throughout.

3. Shrines in the Temple Complex:

 The art work in the crevices over the roof appeared to be soiled and
dampened.
 The layers gathered over the Dravidian style columns were scrapped off and
were lime washed to facilitate the polished look.
 The removal of lime paint led to the crystallized display of the carvings on the
column and on the stone surface.
 The art work was covered with waterproofing layer while the merlons were
lime plastered. The plinth of the temple structure too was cleared off the lime
layer.
 The shrine of the ancillary temple in the premises was severely stained. The
layer of plaster at the slab level was flaked and were scraped off and re-
plastered. The finial was cleaned and polished.

Figure 11. Before and After Photos of Shrines in the Temple Complex.

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4. Prabhavali:
 The prabhavali (the ornamental circular or oval ring)
houses the sculpture of god and goddesses.
 The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddesses
Parvati and their sculptures hold a special significance
and therefore its restoration was fundamental to the
cause.
 The sculptures were discolored due to water ingress
and had developed a soiled layer and presented a
disintegrated look hence the same was plastered in
white lime to give a distinct standing from frame like
prabhavali.
 The process of cleaning the prabhavali on parapet
required meticulous cleaning and correcting of the
disfigured sculptures.
 These sculptures are an identity of the Dravidian
temples and therefore needed an extra efforts to be Figure 12. Before and After
Conservation Images of
saved from water ingress. Prabhavalis

5. Sculptures:
 Faces of the sculptures has a special significance as they are mythological
figures and showcase stories from the mythology.
 The art work included various floral, animal and human figures. The brick base
over which these sculptures are carved seemed damp with rain water ingress.
The sculptures were cleaned and restored back to original state.

Figure 13. Before and After Conservation Images of Sculptures.

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6. Mukha Mandapa:
 The Mukhamantapa displayed beautiful fresco works but was in highly
deteriorated state due to dampness and negligence.
 These paintings were completed from the leftover traces of the paintings done
previously.
 The fresco paintings and the intricate art work restoration was carried out by
specialised artists. The painting work was a delicate one but was successfully
restored with utmost attention and care.

Figure 14. Before and After Conservation Images for Mukhamanadapa

7. Corridors:
 The corridor runs throughout the temple precincts and houses smaller shrines.
 The interior of these shrines were lime washed to maintain balance of the
colours in contrast to the idols in black colour.
 The joints were re-pointed, the flooring of the corridor and the channel
running along the sides were cleared of accumulated dusts.

Figure 15. Before and After Conservation images for Corridors.

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Reference

1. Karnataka Government (Official website for history of Karnataka)

2. “Cultural heritage of Karnataka: a remote sensing and GIS perspective” by Dr.
M.B.Rajani (Assistant Professor, Heritage Studies Programme, School of Humanities)
3. The Deccan Heralt article on” The erosion of Karnataka's heritage, brick by brick”
written by Pavan Kumar H on DEC 06 2020.
4. Chandramauleshwar Temple, Anegundi, Hampi 2008 Annual Progress Report by Abha
Narain Lambah
5. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/earliest-surviving-hindu-painting-from-
badami-restored-991672.html
6. Department of Archaeology, museums and Heritage, Government of India
7. “From darkness unto light” article from The Indian Express Published on 31st May
2021 04:38 AM
8. https://archaeology.karnataka.gov.in/page/Ancient+Monuments/en
9. Conservation report on a Chamarajeshwara Temple, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka by
Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt. Ltd

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