3079 INDIA (Karnataka) - Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (UNESCO WHS)

3079 Pattadakal - Galaganatha Temple;
Shrine of Jambulinga; Sangameswarar Temple.

Pattadakal is a village located on the left bank of the Malaprabha River in Bagalakote, featuring 7th and 8th-century Hindu (Shaivism) and Jain temples. They represents the high point of an eclectic art which, under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India. Actually, Pattadakal was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty between the 6th and 8th centuries. The Chalukya architecture style originated during the 5th - 8th centuries at Aihole in the Malaprabha river basin, in present-day Bagalkot district of Karnataka state.

These temples reflect the various religious sects that existed here. Four temples were built in the Chalukya Dravida style, four in the Nagara style of Northern India, while the Papanatha temple is a fusion of the two idioms. In all, nine Shiva temples and a Jaina basadi (called Jain Narayana temple built in the 9th century during the reign of Krishna II of Rashtrakutas, the last temple to be built at Pattadakal), are situated along the northern course of a river.

Galaganatha Temple lies to the north of the Virupaksha (the largest and grandest of all temples) and faces the west. It was built in the architecture style of Rekha Nagara Prasada, and contains a sculpture of Lord Shiva killing the demon Andhakasura. It has a navaranga, shukanasa and the sanctum with a linga. Around the sanctum is the circuit path way. In several niches are small figures of Kubera, Gajalakshmi and others. On the external wall niche of the circuit path way is a fine figure of Shiva. The rekhanagara style tower over the temple is very fine. It seems to have been constructed during the first half of the 8th century.

Behind the Galaganatha temple is the Shrine of Jambulinga. It has a sanctum with a shukanasa and a navaranga. At the doorway of the shukanasa are idols of Shiva's guards Nandi and Veerabhadra. In the shrine is the linga. The outer wall niches of the sanctum have idols of Shiva (Lakulisha) and Vishnu. It has a small rekhanagara town.

Sangameswarar Temple (Vijayeshwara) is the oldest temple in Pattadakal, built by King Vijayaditya Satyashraya (696-733). It has no sukanasika. The temple is in Dravidian style and consists of a sanctum, inner passage and navaranga. The sanctum and inner passage are enclosed by a path way for pradakshina, which has several lattices of different design; sculptured on the outer walls are various figures like Ugranarasimha and Nataraja. The main vimana is of three storeys. The navaranga has 20 pillars in four rows. Its exterior walls have stone-carved figures.

About the stamps
The first stamp, depicting B R Ambedkar, is part of the definitive series Builders of Modern India, about which I wrote here.

The second stamp, depicting Deendayal Upadhyaya, is part of the eleventh definitive stamp series - Makers of India (2015 onward), issued as a response to the less representative Builders of Modern India stamp series. The number of personalities, presumably to be honored with the new stamp series is more than twice the previous definitive stamp series, but appears to cover a wider range of historical figures, political, social and spiritual leaders.
2015.10 - Deendayal Upadhyaya (5.00 INR) - It's on the postcard 3079
2015.10 - Rajendra Prasad (5.00 INR)
2015.10 - Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (5.00 INR)
2015.10 - Bhagat Singh (5.00 INR)
2015.10 - Ram Manohar Lohia (5.00 INR)
2015.10 - Swami Vivekananda (5.00 INR)
2015.10 - Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (5.00 INR)
2016 - Yoga (0.25 INR)
2016.01 - Mahatma Gandhi (0.25 INR)
2016.02 - Lal Bahadur Shastri (5.00 INR)
2016.02 - Subramania Bharati (0.50 INR)
2016.02 - Jayaprakash Narayan (5.00 INR) - It's on the postcard 3285
2016.02 - M. S. Subbulakshmi (3.00 INR)
2016.03 - Chhtarapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj (10.00 INR)
2016.03 - Ravi Shankar (3.00 INR)
2016.03 - Srinivasa Ramanujan (4.00 INR)
2016.03 - Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1.00 INR)
2016.03 - Bismillah Khan (3.00 INR)
2016.04 - Subhash Chandra Bose (5.00 INR)
2016.05 - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (5.00 INR)
2016.05 - Dr B R Ambedkar (5.00 INR)
2016.06 - Jawaharlal Nehru (5.00 INR)
2016.06 - Maharana Pratap (10.00 INR)
2016.06 - Bhimsen Joshi (3.00 INR)
2017.04 - Gopinath Bordoloi (5.00 INR)
Thiruvalluvar (5.00 INR)
Mother Teresa (20.00 INR)
Rabindranath Tagore (50.00 INR)

The last stamp is part of the series dedicated to the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit,about which I wrote here.

References
Pattadakal - Wikipedia
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal - UNESCO official website

Sender: Akhil Kumar (direct swap)
Sent from Sevaganapalli (Tamil Nadu / India), on 04.05.2017