The Curious Case of the Galaganatha Dolmen: Possible Links between Megalithic Monuments and Early Temples at Aihole Srikumar M. Menon1 1. Faculty of Architecture, Manipal University, Manipal – 576104, Karnataka (Email: [email protected]) Received: 17 August 2014; Accepted: 02 September 2014; Revised: 08 September 2014 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 2 (2014): 54‐73 Abstract: Aihole is known for its temples and temple complexes built by the Early Chalukyas. The megalithic monuments onMeguti Hill, south of the Jain temple are well known, too. In this paper, we study a unique dolmen located among the temples of the Galaganatha group and make a case that this protohistoric monument was modified by the temple builders. We also explore the possibility that many of the early temples were memorial, or even sepulchral, in purpose. The Galaganatha group of temples, as well as the Ramalingeshwara group to the south of it, occupies the northern portion of a ridge that runs nearly parallel to, and west of Meguti Hill. In a clear similarity to Meguti Hill, the portion of the ridge to the south of these temple‐groups is strewn with megaliths. We argue that the early sacred landscape of the Aihole region was memorial, maybe even sepulchral in nature. Keywords: Aihole, Badami Chalukyas, Galaganatha Group of Temples, Megaliths, Dolmens, Cairns, Early Temples Introduction Aihole is a village on the right bank of the Malaprabha River in Hungund Taluk of Bagalkot District in Karnataka. Aihole is well known as a centre of temple architecture under the Western Chalukyas (also known as the BadamiChalukyas) who ruled from Badami during sixth to eighth centuries AD, though temple‐building activity continued here until the eleventh‐twelfth centuries AD under the Chalukyas of Kalyan. Aihole, along with Pattadakal and Badami, situated along a 25‐km stretch of the Malaprabha River is considered as a crucible of early temple architecture – with monuments ranging from the cave temples of Aihole and Badami to the numerous structural temples that dot these three sites and several other locations in the valley. There is evidence for earlier architecture too, in this region. Megalithic monuments have been observed on Meguti Hill in Aihole and at Bachinagudda near Pattadakal (Sundara 1975: 31). Prehistoric rock shelters and rock art at several locations in the Menon 2014: 54‐73 valley, like Sidilephadi, RanganathaGudda and Kutukanakeri near Badami, point to a very early date of occupation, from the Palaeolithic (Michell 2011: 68‐69). The Megaliths of Meguti Hill at Aihole Meguti Hill is situated in the southern part of the settlement at Aihole and is well known for the Jain Temple (Figure 1) with an inscription attributed to Ravikirti – a court poet during the reign of the Chalukyan ruler Polekeshi II and dated to AD 634. On the flat top of the sandstone hillock between the Meguti Temple in the north and a rock‐cut Jaina cave in the south are about forty port‐holed dolmens in various stages of repair (Sundara 1975:31). Kadambi (2011: 122) reports 80 standing or collapsed dolmens. This discrepancy in numbers is accounted by the fact that dolmens with four (vertical) orthostats covered by a (horizontal) capstone slab are distinguished by Sundara from simpler monuments he calls “Irregular Polygonal Chambers” (henceforth IPC’s), which are rough slabs raised on small boulders and packed on all sides with rubble to make a chamber; while Kadambi does not make this distinction. IPC’s are much lower than dolmens – the lower surface of the capstone of a typical IPC is usuallymerely20‐50cm above the ground whereas the lower surface of a capstone of a dolmen may be raised by as much as 75‐120cm above the ground (Figures 2, 3). The Meguti hill top is also strewn with the rubble and large stone blocks, presumably packing from the collapsed dolmens as well as raw material for megalith‐building. Figure 1: The Meguti Jain Temple at Aihole There has been a lot of speculation involving the proximity of the megaliths and the Jain temple. The megaliths, attributed to the Iron Age, pre‐date the temple, though admittedly not all researchers agree with this view and deem it possible that the megaliths and the temple could be contemporaneous (Korisettar, pers. comm.). Cousens 55 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 2: 2014 (1926: 138) surmised that “Since they stand upon the rock it is not likely they were put up as sepulchral cells: it is more likely they were erected as huts to live in, and, perhaps, by the stone workers engaged upon the building of Meguti.”However, today it is generally agreed upon that megaliths like dolmens and IPC’s are associated with sepulchral/commemorative activities (Sundara 1975; Moorti 1994; Morrison 2009; Kadambi 2011; Menon 2012), i.e., either holding the mortal remains of dead persons or commemorating the dead. Figure 2: An Irregular Polygonal Chamber (IPC) – a type of megalith south of the Meguti Temple Figure 3: A dolmen on Meguti Hill (the Meguti Jain Temple is seen in the backdrop) 56 Menon 2014: 54‐73 Morrison (2009: 65) opines that “While the co‐occurrence of this early shrine and the megalithic complex may be simple coincidence, this seems unlikely given their probable temporal proximity as well as the excellent visibility of the Aihole megaliths which are built on a large, level, vegetation‐free terrace covered with sheetrock.” Since it is inconceivable that the builders of the temple would not have noticed the megaliths, which are both numerous and prominent, the fact that they left them undisturbed despite so much construction activity in the neighbourhood suggests that the megaliths held cultural significance for them. The Galaganatha Dolmen Another megalith in Aihole which has been reported very early on is the “dolmen” in the Galaganatha temple complex. The Galaganatha temple complex is a cluster of sixteen temples of varying forms and sizes situated on a hillock on the eastern bank of the Malaprabha River (Soundararajan 2009: 36‐37), about a kilometre to the west of Meguti hill. In the northern part of this cluster are two shrines with Dravidavimanas. To the north, behind one of these is the dolmen of the Galaganatha complex (Figure 4). Figure 4: The Galaganatha “dolmen”, with one of the temples of the Galaganatha group in the background Cousens (1926: 138‐139) describes the megalithic dolmen at the Galaganatha complex thus: “A single dolmen stands close beside the temple of Galaganatha at Aihole, but in this case, it is not a closed‐in cell, for the great top slab rests upon rough pillar‐like 57 ISSN 2347 – 5463 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 2: 2014 stones, which leave the sides open all around. It stands upon rocky soil, and has no particular frontage. It could hardly have been intended for burial puposes, else more of them would have been found.” He goes on to say that “…the largest dolmen met with in these districts is one which stands in the village of Motebennur. It is of the same type as near the temple of Galaganatha at Aihole. Four roughly‐hewn uprights, standing about eight feet out of the ground, support a great flat horizontal slab, seventeen and a half feet long by four feet broad. There are two other uprights, whose tops have fallen away from the support of the slab” (Cousens 1926: 139). In a discussion of “peculiar megalithic monuments in Karnataka and outside”, Sundara (1975: 167) does not mention the Galaganatha dolmen, but says of the Motebennur megalith that “In view of its size and type as can be surmised from the present state of its preservation, it does not come under any of the megalithic tomb types and thus is very peculiar. Whether it is really a sepulchral dolmen or ritualistic altar requires to be examined.” It is clear from the above accounts that the alleged dolmen in the Galaganatha Temple complex is of a unique type with only the Motebennur megalith showing similar characteristics – of a horizontal slab supported by six pillar‐like uprights. In the course of this investigation, the Galaganatha dolmen and its neighbourhood were visited several times during 2012‐2014 (See Figure 5). The horizontal capstone is a large, irregular sand stone slab measuring approximately 3.5m x 2.4m and its thickness varies from 15 – 30cm. It is raised to a height of 1.2m above the ground on six roughly hewn pillar‐like blocks of sandstone of varying size. The long axis of the capstone is Figure 5: A close up of the Galaganatha “dolmen” showing six uprights that hold up the large capstone. Clearly visible on the far left upright are a series of chisel marks. 58 Menon 2014: 54‐73 oriented east‐west (azimuth 278o). The uprights vary in size from 28cm x 23cm in cross section to 60cm x 28cm and three each support the shorter sides of the capstone. The two rows of three uprights each are spaced roughly 2.2m apart and the spacing between adjacent uprights in a row varies from 32cm to 53cm. All the uprights except the middle one in the eastern row have chisel marks on at least one of their edges where they were separated from the parent rock. The chisel marks are oval shaped and measure 7.5cm wide and 7.5‐10cm deep. They closely resemble the chisel marks employed by the Early Chalukyan builders in their quarries to extract stone. We will refer to this point later. The Megaliths of the Ramalingeshwara Hill South‐west of the Galaganatha group of temples, on slightly higher ground of the same hillock, is the Ramalingeshwara group of temples (Figure 6).