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Jalsangvi: When carvings spoke and wrote

Jalsangvi: When carvings spoke and wrote

Overview: Northern Karnataka offers plenty to heritage lovers. I discovered this place while I was exploring the northernmost district of Karnataka. Around 50 kms from Bidar city is the small town of Jalsangvi, a popular town during the days of Kalyani Chalukyas in the 10th century.
The main attraction of the place is the Kalmeshwara temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, right at the centre of the village.
The temple is built in Dravidian style, typical of Kalyani Chalukyas. The shikhara of the temple is missing, probably couldn't stand the test of times. But the eye catching feature of the temple is the carvings of the Shilabalikes, and the images of Vishnu and Shiva. One striking image, hard to be missed, is the carving of a lady, inscribing words in a stone tablet, in old Kannada, with praise for the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI. This inscription dates back to 1110 AD. This kind of an image is a unique feature seen in very few monuments in the country. One more such image can be seen at a temple in Beed, Maharashtra.

Jalasangvi

Jalasangvi
Jalasangvi


Jalasangvi


Jalasangvi


How to Reach: The village lies just 2kms off Bidar-Humnabad highway, around 50kms from Bidar and around 10kms before reaching Humnabad. Frequent buses ply between Bidar and Humnabad, and the bus stop is at Jalsangvi cross. Nearest railhead is Bidar, and the nearest airport is Hyderabad.

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