Siddharameshvara Temple is a temple located in a small village called Niralgi in Shiggaon taluk of Haveri district in the state of Karnataka. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Siddarameshwar Temple is a fine example of 12th century Kalyana Chalukya and Hoysala architecture.
Siddarameshwar Temple is about 382 km from Bangalore and 34 km from Hubli. And it is 48 km from Haveri city and 35 km from Hubli railway station.
Niralgi is a village area just a couple of kilometers from the Shiggaon-Haveri highway. The Siddarameshwar temple is located at the eastern end outside Neeralagi village. The temple is in the center of a rectangular enclosure with an entrance on the western side. To the east of the temple precincts is the Siddarameshwar Gudi, built in the 12th century during the rule of the Kalyana Chalukyas. An inscription found here mentions that this Niralagi village was initially called ‘Nerulage’ and was a land grant made by Malla Gavunda (Nadaprabhu of Belahuge, present-day Belagavi). The area was found to be an old fort site but today nothing remains of the fort. Thus it can easily be assumed that it was destroyed during war or by invaders.
It has a north-facing garbhagriha, judging by its appearance, it has suffered damage over time. Recently restored. There is a platform in front of the door. There are two porches in this part. In fact the western entrance has a porch with a sukanasi. The upper part of the door is made of cement. The three-tiered shikhara is a Vesara model with some sophisticated sculptures.
The peak is a very beautiful structure on three levels on a massive scale. At the top of the peak is a crown. Usually the litter is monolithic. The spire rests solidly on pillared walls with two sections. The lower section is lined with ribs, which look like a vertically placed bellows. The wall decoration includes miniature temples and sculptural architectures of Saptamatrikeyas and Vishnu.
A five tier door frame with Gajalakshmi in the upper center of the western door. The five pyramidal objects above the door frame look like five kalasas. At the bottom of each step are human figures. Depicts Cupid, Rati and their attendants. A nine-lotus grid on the ceiling of the auditorium depicts the center and is the center of the auditorium. In front are the antarala, the porch and the sanctum sanctorum door. At the entrance of the antarala there is a Nandi facing the Shivalinga of the sanctum sanctorum. Chalukya swag is highly decorated.
The kirtimukha of the temple is quadrangular/rectangular. The Shikhara model is special along with Kirtimukha. There are two types of peaks here. On the left is the Nagara type and on the right is the Vesara type. It is a stepped pyramid structure, where the proportions of the crosses and cross formations are different. The ‘crosses’ here are close to the crosses found in churches. Three crosses have a floral pattern at the intersection. These crosses are integral parts of complex units.
