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HANGAL

Hangal is a town in Haveri district in the Karnataka and is famous for Tarakeshwar temple and the Kumaraswami matha are located in this town.

Hangal was the capital of the Hangal Kadambas, feudatories of the Kalyani Chalukyas. It is mentioned as Panungal in early records and identified by tradition with Viratanagara of Mahabharata days. 75 km away from Hubli-Dharwad, it was once the headquarters of a district called Panungal-500.

The Tarakeshwara temple here is a huge structure with wonderful series of images and polished tall Chalukya pillars spread over a vast area. The Virabhadra, Billeshwara and Ramalinga are other important temples and the Ganesha temple near Tarakeshwara has a northern curvilinear (Nagara) Shikhara.

The town is on the left bank of the Dharma river, and has ruins of some fortification on the river bank. There is also a famous Veerashaiva Kumaraswamy Matha here.

Kadambas of Hangal
The Kadambas, the earliest known dynasty to patronize Jainism was that of the Kadambas who ruled around 485 A.D. This is evident from Kamalajinalaya built near Banavasi by Ravivarma. There were several other Jaina monuments built under Kadamba patronage. Parsvanatha temple at Kuppatur built for Kadamba queen Maladevi and Jaina temple built in Hangal, fort are two such examples.

Kadambas is an ancient dynasty of south India who primarily ruled the region which is present day Goa state and nearby Konkan region (part of modern Maharashtra and Karnataka state). The early rulers of this dynasty established themselves at Vaijayanti or Banavasi in 345 AD and ruled as independent rulers for more than 2 centuries. In 607 AD, Chalukyas of Vatapi (Badami) sacked Banavasi and Kadamba kingdom was incorporated into expanding Chalukya empire. In eighth century AD, Chalukyas of Vatapi were overthrown by Rashtrakutas who ruled supreme in south India till 10th century. In 980 AD, descendents of Chalukyas and Kadambas rose against Rashtrakutas and Rashtrakuta empire fell resulting in establishment of second Chalukyan dynasty (called Western Chalukyas). Chatta Deva, a scion of Kadamba family who helped Western Chalukyas in this coup, re-established Kadamba Dynasty. He was mostly a feudatory of Western Chalukyas but his successors enjoyed considerable independence and were almost soverign rulers of Goa and Konkan till 14th century AD. The successors of Chatta Deva occupied both Banavasi and Hangal and are known as Kadambas of Hangal. Later Kadambas kept paying nominal allegiance to other major power brokers of Deccan like Yadavas and Hoysalas of Dorasamudra and thus mantained their independence.

Four different families of Kadambas ruled in southern India which were Kadambas of Hangal, Kadambas of Goa, Kadambas of Belur and Kadambas of Banvasi.

TOURISM ATTRACTIONS

Tarakeshwara temple
Here is a huge structure with wonderful series of images and polished tall Chalukya pillers. The Tarakeshwara temple at Hangal is noted for its very large domical ceiling in the main hall, which rises, in concentric circles of cusped mouldings, and then, at the apex, falling again in a great rosette or pendant.