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DAMBAL

Dambal is a village in the Gadag district in Karnataka. It was an ancient center of Buddhism and remained so as late as the 12th century. Dambal is at an elevation of 590 metres and its population is 21,096.

History
Under the rule of the Mauryas and Satavahana, the teachings of Buddha flourished in Karnataka. Buddhist relics are found scattered around the town. In a temple of the Buddhist deity Tara in Dambal, there is an inscription dated 1095 AD, a temple built by 16 merchants for the deity Tara and a vihara for Buddhist monks. Although Buddhism was assimilated by the growing popularity of Hinduism, there was a Buddhist centre in Dambal as late as the 12th century.

Doddabasappa Temple
There are three Hindu temples here. The Doddabasappa Temple is of the Western Chalukya architectural style and has a star-shaped plan for the vimana with so many star points that it almost becomes circular in appearance.

Each right angle is divided into four 22.5 degrees angles. Then each angle is again divided and covered with intricate carvings.

Twenty-four pointed stellate plan of vimana of Dodda Basappa Temple in Dambal, North Karnataka, 12th century CE.