Harihareshwar Temple Harihar Davangere

HARIHARESVARA TEMPLE, HARIHAR

THE TEMPLE OF HARIHARESVARA IS LOCATED ON THE RIGHT BANK OF THE RIVERT UNGABHADRA. IT IS A LARGE STRUCTURE IN HOYSALA STYLE OF ARCHITECTUREB UILT IN 1224 AD BY POLALVA, A GENERAL OF THE HOYSALA KING NARASIMHA I.

MANY INSCRIPTIONS SPEAK OF THE ENDOWMENTS GIVEN TO THIS TEMPLE BY THE

PANDYA RULERS OF UCHCHANGI AS WELL AS THE RULERS OF VIJAYANAGARA

BUILT IN A SPACIOUS CoURTYARD, THE TEMPLE ON PLAN HAS AN INDENTED

GARBHAGRIHA, AN ANTARALA, A NAVARANGA MAHAMANDAPA FOLLOWED BY A

SPACIOUS MULTI-PILLARED SABHAMANDAPA WITH ENTRANCES IN THE NORTH

SOUTH AND EAST, ALL IN EAST-WEST ORIENTATION. THE NAVARANGA HAS A PORCH

IN THE SOUTH AND NORTH. THE NORTHERN PORCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED AND

CONVERTED INTO AN ANTARALA OF ANOTHER SUBSHRINE.

THE GARBHAGRIHA HAS AN IMAGE OF HARIHARA, 1.21 M TALL, RESTING ON A

PITHA. THE LEFT PORTION OF THE IMAGE REPRESENTS VISHNU WITH THE

ATTRIBUTES OF CHAKRA AND SANKHA IN THE HANDS AND THE RIGHT HALF

REPRESENTING SIVA HAS THE ATTRIBUTES TRISULA AND JAPAMALA. THE KIRITA

EXHIBITS BOTH VAISHNAVA AND SAIVA ELEMENTS OF KARANDAMAKUTA AND

JATAMUKUTA. THE JATAMUKUTA HAS CRESCENT. THE SABHAMANDAPA IS INDENTED

WITH THE PROVISION OF RAISED JAGATI WITH KAKSHASANA AT ITS PERIPHERY

PIERCED BY TWO LATERAL AND THREE CARDINAL ENTRANCES. IN ALL THERE

ARE FIFTY SIX CIRCULAR LATHE-TURNED PILLARS SUPPORTING A MASSIVE

PILLARS SUPPORTING A MASSIVE

HEAVY S-SHAPED EAVES. ABUTTING THE MAIN SANCTUM TOWARDS THE NORTH

WEST 1S ANOTHER SHRINE AND TO THE NORTH IS THE SHRINE DEDICATED TO

GODDESS LAKSHMI. BUILT INTO THE WESTERN ENCLOSURE WALL IS ANOTHER

SHRINE OF HARIHARESVARA. THE PRAKARA HAS TwO ENTRANCES TO THE EAST AND SOUTH.

PROTECTED MONUMENT

THIS MONUMENT HAS BE N DECLARED TO BE OF NATIONAL

TMPORTANCE UNDER THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS AND

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

SITES AND REMAINS ACT, 1958 ( 24 OF 1958 ). WHOEVER DESTROYS,

EMOVES, INJURES, ALTERS, DEFACES, IMPERILS OR MIsUSES THIS

MONUMENT, SHALL BE PUNISHABLE WITH IMPRISONMENT, WHICH MAY

EXTEND TO THREE MONTHS OR WITH FINE WHICH MAY EXTEND TO

FIVE THOUSAND RUPEES OR WITH BOTH

PROHIBITED AND REGULATED AREA

FURTHER,

UNDER RULE 32 OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS AND

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND REMAINS RULES, 1959 AREAS UPTO 100

METERS FROM THE PROTcTED LIMITS AND FURTHER BEYOND IT UPTO 209

METERS NEAR OR ADJOINING PROTECTED MONUMENT TO BE PROHIBITED

AND REGULATED AREAS RESPECTIVELY FOR PURPoSES OF BOTH

MINING OPERATION AND CONSTRUCTION.

-ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 

Issued in Public Interesst

Government of india has issued Gazette Notification No. 13, dated March 30,

2010 on The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains

(Amendment & Validation) Act, 2010 after the Parliament of India passed it.

This Act amends The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and

temains Act, 1958 (both the Acts are available at (www.asi.nic.in). A list of

Monuments is also available in the official website.

The purpose of this Act is to preserve and protect our heritage and it reflects

the government's determination to ensure that no construction, including

public projects, takes place within the prohibited areas around the monuments

of national importance.

The act specifies the beginning from the boundary limit of the centrally

protected area' or centrally protected monument, in all directions, a minimum

of 100 meters as the 'prohibited area' beyond which, in all directions,

minimum of 200 meters has been specified as the 'regulatecd area' (See figure).

These limits can be further extended having regard to classification of any

monument or protected area.

No construction, whatsoever, including any public project, will be permitted

in the prohibited areas of the protected monuments and the permission for

construction or reconstruction activities in regulated areas shall be governed

by heritage bye-laWS.

The amendment Act defines 'construction' and 'reconstruction' to avoid any

ambiguity in interpretation. The Act also defines the terms 'repair and

renovation' which means alterations to a pre-existing structure or building, but

shall not include 'construction' or 'reconstruction.

Applications seeking permission for repair and renovation- in the prohibited

areas and regulated areas shall be made before the respective competent

authority who will be nominated by the government in due course. For

construction or reconstruction, only in the regulated areas (i.e. not in the

prohibited area'), the request could also be made to the same authority. In this

context, the act also provides for constitution of 'National Monument Authority'

which will consider all the cases referred to it by the competent authority for its

final recommendation to finaly dispose off such requests accordingly.

The construction activities shall remain frozen till the competent authorities

are nominated, National Monument Authority constituted and Heritage bye laws

framed.

The iegislation provides for icdentification of all the unauthorized structures

that may have come up in the prohibited and regulated areas since June, 1992

(when the notification of prohibited/regulated areas was published) without the

prior permission of this office and initiate action against all such unauthorized

structures or buildings, as per provisions of the Act.

The quantum of punishment to be meted out to the violators has been

reviewed and made more stringent raising three months imprisonment to two

years and fine of Rs. 5000/- ( five thousand rupees) to Rs. 1,00,000/- (one lakh

rupees), or both. Every citizen is, therefore, requested to extend his full co0

operation in implementing the provisions of the aforesaid act so that our

precious heritage could be preserved for posterity.

-sd-

Superintending Archaeologist

Bangalore Circle, Bengaluru.