SOME SHRINES SUPERB

AIHOLE

Aihole is yet another treasure-trove that you bump against on the way to badami from Hungund, and is only 19km off pattaadakal. There are more than 100 shrines built in the styles of Hoyasala, Buddist Jain, Dravida, Nagara and Rekhanagara. Strangely enough these groups built from 5th century onwards were lying benath the earth till a french archeologist appeared on the scene and brought them to lime light with the help of the willing villagers. So some of them bear the names of the village folk as exemplified by the Surya temple called Barigera temple. Most of them are enshrining Hindu gods like Brahma ridding Swan, Shiva on his vehicle Nandi, Vishnu sitting on the huge Serpent. And they are artistically made. The beautiful Jain Megutt temple built atop the hill lies very close the two-storeyed Buddhist temple, indicating thereby the harmony and tolerance that characterized the people living then, there.

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