Chikkamagaluru: A pre-Hoysala period Adi Shakthi Vasantha Parameshwari Prasanna Temple, which is more than a thousand years old, at Angadi village of Mudigere taluk in Chikkamagaluru district is set to get a facelift after a few concerned residents have joined hands to get the job done.
The Hoysala Dynasty had its origins at Angadi village around 1,000 AD and the place was earlier known as Shashakapura, said Dr Umanath Shenoy, head of History Department, SDM College, Ujire. “Inscriptions point to the fact that Vasantha Parameshwari Prasanna Temple existed prior to Hoysala rule in the region.”
Residents from 11 villages around Angadi have formed the Hoysala Moolasamsthana Srikshetra Angadi, headed by Mr A.S. Nagaraj, to revamp the village and its temples at an estimated Rs 5 crore. Hoping to start the restoration work from May and complete it in a year, Mr Nagaraj said that wooden pillars and tiled roof at the temple will be replaced by stone pillars with ornate designs to give the temple a touch of Hoysala style of architecture.
A century ago, Vasantha Parameshwari Prasanna Temple had a thatched roof and in the 1950s wooden pillars and tiled roof were added. Temple priest Dattatreya said, “Hoysala rulers held the Temple with great reverence. The tiled roof leaks during the rainy season and the wooden pillars have been infected by termites. We thought it was better to replace them with stone pillars as they last longer. These stone pillars are getting ready at Karkala in Udupi,” Mr Nagaraj said.
An arch is being constructed in the village and it will have the Hoysala emblem atop. ASI officials restored the dilapidated Chennakeshava and Patala Veerabhadra temples in the village a few years ago. Pujas are now being offered at both temples, said Chandrashekar, a villager.
