Hulikere Kalyani, is situated at about five kilometers away from Halebidu on
the Hagare road. Hulikere (huli translates to tiger and kere translates to pond
in Kannada) village was part of Dwarasamudra (now Halebidu), the erstwhile
capital of the Hoysala rulers.
The earliest inscription found at this place belongs to the reign of Hoysala Narasimha I (1152-1173 AD). His official, Lattayya, built a temple called Bhuvana-bhushana Lattesvara and an ornate Kalyani in 1160 AD at this place. Although no remains of Shiva temple are seen in the vicinity, the tank still exists in its entire splendor. There are many legends linked to this structure. Folklorists also mention that Sala, the founder of Hoysala dynasty, lived in Hulikere.
The water tank located here is considered to be a milestone in the construction of kalyanis or pushkarinis. In this pushkarini, constructed like a well under the ground level, there are stone stairs up to the mid height from the bottom on all the four sides. Above that level there are 12 sanctums with pinnacles (shikharas). Amidst them are also 14 sanctums without peaks or pinnacles. In the place of another possible sanctum there are steps leading down. The 12 sanctums of this Kalyani with pinnacles may most probably be representing the twelve Zodiac constellations. The total number of sanctums standing may be for the 27 nakshatras.
Comments
Post a Comment