About
The Chandramouleshwara Temple (also spelt Chandramauleshwara) stands at Unkal in Hubballi, Dharwad district, Karnataka, east of the Unkal lake beside the Nrupatunga Hills. Lord Shiva is the deity of the temple. It is a Shiva temple of the Kalyana (Western) Chalukya period, built of black granite. The temple has two Shivalingas and two Nandi statues at the entrance, and it has no gopura.
History and Protection
The temple has no foundation inscription, so its date is inferred from other inscriptions, its architectural style and its iconography. Scholars Dhaky and Meister, cited on Wikipedia, suggest a date no later than the 1080s. Two 12th-century stone inscriptions in Unkal village show that the temple existed by the 12th century, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) assigns it to the 12th century.
It is a Monument of National Importance, protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act (1958), and is managed by the Dharwad circle of the ASI. Visitors should not touch or mark the carved doorways and walls.
Architecture
The temple follows a square-cross plan, known from Sanskrit architecture texts as the sandhara plan, with a square garbhagriha that can be entered from each of the four cardinal directions. Each of the four doorways has decorated jambs with five concentric bands of carving, and each door is different. The eastern door is regarded as one of the best of the 11th century. Each door has a pair of dwarapalas, and the temple has a pradakshina path for circumambulation.
The outer walls have niches framed with pilasters that show deities from the major Hindu traditions, including Brahma, avatars of Vishnu and forms of Shiva. Nataraja, Narasimha, dancing Ganesha, Sarasvati and Mahishasuramardini are particularly noted. The temple originally held a Chaturmukha (four-faced) linga at the centre, so that a worshipper saw one face of Shiva from any position. The linga was later moved and now stands on the western side of the temple. The surviving structure is much smaller than the original, which had more mandapas (halls).
A local tradition says the temple was built overnight by anonymous artisans and left unfinished because the work could not be completed in one night. This is a story and is not recorded in the sources above.
Timings to Visit Chandramouleshwara Temple
All days of the week 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM | 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Timings are not confirmed on an official website; check with the temple before travelling.
How to Reach Chandramouleshwara Temple
By Air: Hubballi Airport, Gokul Rd, Gandhi Nagar – 14 km, Mangaluru International Airport – 360 km.
By Train: Hubbali Junction – 5.3 km
By Road: Unkal KSRTC Bus Station – 5 km
The temple lies in Unkal within the Hubballi-Dharwad municipality, east of Unkal lake on the highway now numbered NH 67 (formerly NH 4).
Address
Chandramouleshwara Temple, PB Rd Bairidevarkoppa, Hubli, Karnataka – 580031.
Also Read Places to Visit in Karnataka
Chandramouleshwara Temple Map
