Aihole Group of Temples - 'Ayyo Hole' (oh no blood)

A small village in the Bagalkot district, Aihole is like any other village in India, But, there is a major difference: the village has around 125 stone temples dating back to the 5th century! Legend has it that, after avenging the death of his father, Lord Parashuram came down to the river Malaprabha. The blood and gore of his weapon turned the river red. People, who witnessed this, screamed ‘Ayyo Hole’ (oh no blood)’ in Kannada. That is how the village got this name from its earlier names Aryapura & Ayyavole. Aihole prospered from the 6th century CE under the Western Chalukyas, one of the most important Deccan dynasties. Notable rulers were Pulakeshin I (535-566 CE) and Pulakeshin II (609-642 CE) who were powerful enough to entertain diplomatic relations with different countries.

Aihole was an important regional capital and the fortification walls and gateways which surround the site are unique survivors in their times. There are about 125 temples divided into 22 groups scattered all over the village and nearby fields, which were believed to be built between the 6th century to the 8th century. It was preserved and maintained till the 13th century, when the Muslim invasions made these active temples to ruins then. Durga temple complex, Ambiger Gudi temple complex, Jyotirlinga group of temples, Meguti Jain temples, Ravanaphadi cave temple, Mallikarjuna group of temples, Huchimalli temple complex, Huchappayya Gudi, Galaganatha group of temples, Eniyar temple complex, Charanti temple complex, Ramalinga group of temples are some of the examples of the divisions for the visitors.

The Durga temple complex is the focal point of the monuments from where the usual tour starts with. The complex has 12 Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu with different architectural styles built around the 6th century. It owes its name due to a fort near the complex. Durg means fort and not to Goddess Durga, which is a common misconception. In a lot of ways, the complex is a mini model of many temples for it has lla elements of a typical Hindu temple. The Ladkhan temple was renamed after a Muslim prince who converted it into his residence. It was built in the Panchayat hall style with two sanctums. The main sanctum contains a Shiva Linga and a Nandi and the other sanctum has intricate carvings on the outer wall. Meguti temple is the only dated monument in Aihole. It was built atop a small hill in 634 AD.

The inscription dating the monument is found on one of the outer walls of the temple. Apparently, the superstructure rising above the sanctum wall of the temple is not original and hall extensions are later additions. Built in the 7th century, the Hucchimalli temple is believed to be one of the earliest temples to introduce an architectural practice of constructing a vestibule in front of the sanctum. Galaganatha group of temples, built on the banks of Malaprabha river has around 40 temples, most of them are ruined. If there is a question for the visitors of the majestic temples in India exclaiming ‘where’ they could have learnt that, this Aihole group of monuments might be the answer, which can be considered as their ‘schooling’. A guided visit is advised to cover as much as possible for the time being. For leisure visitors, allotting a day would not be a wrong decision.