Akkanna Madanna Shiva Caves- Andhra Pradesh

Address

Akkanna Madanna Shiva Caves, Arjuna St, Durga Agraharam, Mallikarjunapeta, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh 520001

Diety

Shiva

Introduction

Akkanna Madanna caves are a group of rock-cut Hindu cave temples in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Dated to mid 7th-century and dedicated to Shiva, they were excavated by the Eastern Chalukya dynasty. They consist of the upper (larger) and lower caves. The upper cave is better preserved, and has an important 7th-century inscription. To the immediate north of the lower caves is a small park with inscribed pillars and recovered ruins of lost Hindu temples. The Akkanna Madanna caves are protected monuments of national importance, managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Akkanna Madanna caves are found in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. They are situated at the foot of the Indrakiladri hill where the Kanaka Durga Temple is located. It is close to the Krishna river.

Puranic Significance

The Akkanna Madanna Caves, like other early Eastern Chalukyan rock-cut temples, consist of a monolithic rock-cut hall, a mandapa and cave sanctums in the innermost part of the rock. They consist of two cave complexes – the upper (main, larger), and the lower cave. Upper Cave The main upper cave was created monolithically from a vertically rising, rocky cliff. It has a front court, then a mandapa with pillars. A regular adhishthana with a flight of six steps in the center is topped with a much damaged gaja surulyali (elephant head) balustrade. This is flanked by three square facade pillars and a pilaster on each side. This totals six facade pillars and two pilasters, all of which are now partially surviving as stumps of uneven heights, their top sections gone. These facade level pilasters are notable as they are similar those found in the Pandyan caves. After the facade section, is a mandapa with two rows of six pillars and two pilasters each. These are octagonal pillars, and simple. Further inside is the sanctums sectionThis upper cave has three shrines on the back wall, each with projecting fronts, complete with a deep set prati and an adhishthana, with a shared continuous pattika. These are simpler and have no carvings, unlike the lower Akkanna Madanna cave and the nearby Mogalrajapuram caves. The central shrine was provided with a monolithically excavated Shiva linga, but much has been gouged out in vandalism, and is now replaced with shorter subsitute. The side sanctums have a pedestal to place Brahma and Vishnu statues (now missing). Outside, in the court is a damaged and eroded platform aligned with the central sanctum for Shiva. This is where the original architects placed a couchant Nandi (now missing). To the south of this Nandi pedestal and the steps into the mandapa, in the rock wall, is a fourth niche shrine. On the north side, nearly aligned to the Nandi pedestal is another niche shrine with steps. One of these niche shrines likely had a Ganesha. Lower Cave The lower caves were also monolithically cut from the same rocky cliff. They are three sets of cave, of which the northernmost is least preserved, and the southernmost is the most preserved. All have a flight of steps, then a mahamandapa with two rows of two pillars, and then a sanctum in the back wall of the cave. All had two dvarapalas, but these have been gouged out. From the profile left behind, one pair may have been female dvarapalas (not uncommon in Hindu caves and temples). The pillars in the front have largely decayed, likely from natural erosion of Khondalite gneiss – the composition of the lower rock. The lower caves were a bit more decorated with makara torana and other artwork. The sanctums were provided with linga, nala and sockets for drainage, attesting these were once active temples and that all sanctums were dedicated to different forms of Shiva. The southern wall of the mahamandapa has a niche with valampuri four-armed Ganesha.