Doddabasappa Temple is an architectural temple built by the 11th and 12th century Western Chalukya dynasty at Dambala in Gadag district of Karnataka state.
Doddabasappa temple is 404 km from Bangalore and 80 km from Hubballinagar and only 21 km from Gadag city by road and 23 km by rail.
Doddabasappa Temple is one of the unique architectural innovations at Dambala in Gadag district, Doddabasappa Temple was built in 1124-26 AD by Ajjayanayaka, hence it was known as Ajjameswara Temple. The temple got the name Doddabasappa as Doddabasappa (Nandi) was kept at the entrance of the temple. There are many Nandi idols of different sizes in the temple.
This place can be visited from 08:00 AM to 12.00 PM and from 05:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
The temple is a temple of the symbolic deity Shiva in the form of Shiva Lingam, and is a Swayambhu Lingu. The temple consists of a sanctum sanctorum and a mantapa or navaranga with an antara. Dambala is an important ancient town with its own fort, popularly known as Dharmapura or Dharmovolal in historical Hindu and Jain texts. Several stone inscriptions state that Dambala was a prosperous town in the mid-11th century and was the site of schools and monasteries of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. All three major religious traditions flourished in Dambal until about the 13th century. At that time, Chalukya Vikramaditya’s queen Lakshmidevi made this place the capital and ruled this town.
The architecture of the temple is star-shaped with a star-shaped plan made of soapstone. The temple has a continuous star pattern. The sanctum sanctorum and vimana (shikhara) of this temple are about 35 feet in diameter and form a 24-pointed star. The star projections give the temple a majestic look. The architecture is a type of basic Dravidian architecture which was adapted into Chalukya architecture. The architecture has sculptures on the temple pillars. A star shape forms the perimeter of the tower, and the vimana has a twenty-four-pointed star-shaped plan with many star points that are almost circular. Each right angle is divided into four 22.5 degree angles. Each angle is then divided again and depicted with intricate carvings.
The temple porch has well crafted half pillars with intricate carvings supporting the roof. The walls of the temples have gopurams at intervals making the overall decoration attractive. The decoration in the basement and the carvings on the walls are a combination that makes the architecture uniquely stunning.
