CHENNAKESAVA, THE DEMON SLAYER
The abode of Vishnu in Gajendra Moksha avatar, an engineering marvel near Jadcherla, cries for attention
It is near Jadcherla, this small village of Gangapuram, where lies the beautiful Sri Chennakesava Swamy Devasthanam built during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukyans.
Gangapuram or Gangapur is surrounded by the ancient Jaina temple of Gollathagullu, one of the only two such brick structures, and the old and beautiful engineering marvel of Alwanpalli bridge and the ancient Sparshideshwara Meenambaram temple.
Archaeologically and historically this temple at Gangapur is quite aged and can be used as a reference for the later Chalukyan style of architecture.
The temple was probably built in the last quarter of the 11th century or the beginning of the 12th century AD. If attention is not given to its antiquity, the looks of the temple may be changed in the name of development. A lot of additions are being made, hiding the ancient architecture.
A narrow street leads to the temple which must get crowded on festival days. A couple of coconut kiosks are open for business. After a few steps comes a huge and newly-painted green door with a huge
gadapam which is there at all temples.
The new doors lead to old stone pillars on either side. The door might be just decoration, for the gateway to Vaikuntam on the northern side of the temple has no door. One has to climb steep and narrow steps. The temple is definitely a ‘cool’ shelter as opposed to the heat outside.
In the name of devotee comfort, the open area between the entrance to some more steep steps leading to the main temple is now covered and the floor tiled. “Earlier it was mud and sand and that is why this decision,” said Mr Tiruvalla Vangeepuram Kesavacharyalu, the fourth generation priest of this 1,000-year-old temple. He has been here for 30 years now.
There is a beautiful mandapam in the middle of the modern structure, the base of which has almost been covered leaving only a bunch of elephants in different poses running across it. Then there is the dwarapalakadu of Lord Garuda just opposite the steps leading to the main temple and Lord Hanuman. This small temple faces the steep steps leading to the main temple and a beautifully pillared verandah, where devotees can rest.
While the archaeology department has been busy constructing tiled flooring and steel hand rails, they have missed the basic tenets of protecting the ancientness of the temple, by covering the bottom part of the mandapam or painting over the ancient stone statues. The temple is now with the endowments department.
After climbing the steep steps, you enter the portals of the old temple and the age shows through the ruins. An old wooden dwajasthambha has been replaced by a brass one and the brass doors of the main temple has the dashawataram etched on it, probably not very old.
There are four Uppa gudis surrounding the main temple, all in ruins. These are the entrances in all the four cardinal directions. Apparently all the idols were taken away by the emperor Aurangzeb when he attacked the temple. Legend has it that when a lamp was lit in the temple in the evening, it could be seen at Golconda. This disturbed Aurangzeb and he attacked the temple.
The main idol is that of Lord Vishnu in the Gajendra Moksha Vishnu avataram with Goddess Lakshmi and Aandalmma by his side. The Lord sports a moustache and holds the Chakra in his left hand and the Shankham in his right hand — normally it is the other way round. This happened during the 12year war, when the Lord was protecting Lord Ganesha from the Kesi Rakshasas. That is how he got the name Chennakesava Swamy because he destroyed the demon Kesi.
The idol is made of black granite and the Prabhavali is typically made of brass. The outer sanctum has 20 old pillars, with 12 opposite the sanctum sanctorum. Around these pillars are kept the five beautiful and fairly new brass vahanas of Hamsa, Sesha, Garuda, Hanumantha and Ashwa.
There is the invariable comparison of this temple with the Belur temple, but the priest says the Gangapur temple was the first to be built after which came a temple at Mocherla in Guntur district and then the Belur temple in Karnataka and finally the Markapuram temple en route to Srisailam.
Legend has it that Chalukya kings of Badami brought fame to the temple. Sri Thrailokya Malla Someswarudu, the Chalukya King of Kalyani, built the Kesava Swamy temple between 1042 AD and 1063 AD. Then onwards this place is known as Kesavapuram. The earlier names of this place were Mayapuram, Mathsyapuram and Dhurithapuram etc.
The other attraction is a beautiful step well, in disuse but intact. While there is some murky water, thanks to the monsoon, there are wild bushes growing making the entire place green. The presence of a mud fort outside, some of it in ruins, makes it look like a natural rockery with greenery in between. Much better care and nurturing can be done. A number of steep steps lead to the bottom of the well.
There are signs of Kakatiya influence around the temple, with the sudden appearance of `chunam tiles’ of horses, elephants or a floral design.
The outside structure looks very colourful and the front portion of the ‘mud fort’ has been clad in granite “because everything was falling apart,” according to priest Kesavacharyulu. While the painting might protect this temple, it is a tragedy that visitors might not understand that this is an ancient temple, with sashanams (old inscriptions) left behind.
Parts of the old mud fort is still there and will probably collapse because of nature’s vagaries or the over-enthusiasm of the devotees. This mud fort must have been the protection for the temple.
The ratha shala outside has a wood polished ratham kept here. There is an old colourful one left out in the open and all kinds of greenery is growing around it. Next to it is the real tiny ratham with a bell. While new structures have come up, there are two beautiful old houses on either side of the temple, probably built for the priests or the people guarding the temple. They are still occupied.
ALL IDOLS OF FOUR
UPPA GUDIS SURROUNDING THE MAIN TEMPLE WERE APPARENTLY TAKEN AWAY BY THE EMPEROR AURANGZEB WHEN HE ATTACKED THE TEMPLE