English: This is a JPEG format plan and architectural drawing of a historic Indian temple or monument. An alternate SVG format (scalable vector graphics) version of this file – for web graphics, design studies, print, dynamic and interactive applications – has also been uploaded to wikimedia commons.

The drawing:

• This is the floor plan of the Kallesvara temple famous for its pioneering innovations that became the Vesara-style of Hindu temple architecture. This hybrid style integrates elements of the Dravidian temple architecture with Nagara temple architecture.

• The temple was completed between 1000–1025 CE, per broad scholarly consensus. (See for example: Dhaky and Meister, Shukla, and others)

• Kukkanur is a village in northern Karnataka. The village is also referred to as Kuknur, Kuknoor, Kukanur, Kukanoor, and other phonetic spellings. It is about 7 kilometers northwest of historic temples of Itagi (Ittagi) and 40 kilometers northwest of Lakkundi group of temples.

• The 9th-century Navalinga group of temples in the same village affirms to it past importance as a major town and a center for architectural innovations from 9th- to 11th-century.

• A key feature to note is the bulge in the bhadra, i.e. sanctum and mandapa walls. This gives the temple an opportunity to harmonize the outer and inner features of the temple, along with create a staggered planes projections outside for aesthetically attractive artwork. It makes the simple flat sanctum capped with a sophisticated superstructure in early Dravidian architecture integrate early Nagara prasada architecture ideas at all levels. These innovations flowered into numerous variants of the Vesara architecture between the 11th and 13th-century.

• The temple's architectural plan follows the square and circle principle.

• GPS location of the monument:

  15° 29′ 14.7″ N, 75° 59′ 10.4″ E

  View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap

  15.487417; 75.986222

• The relative scale and relative dimensions in this architectural drawing are close to the actual but neither exact nor complete. The plan illustrates the design and layout, but some intricate details or parts of the temple may not be shown. In cases where exact measurements were not feasible, the drawing uses best approximations and rounds the best measurements feasible.

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