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Restoration of 11th-Century 'Vesara' Style Temple in Northern Karnataka Reveals Hidden Celestial Tracking Inscriptions

📅 April 2, 2026 📰 Deccan Herald Culture
Restoration of 11th-Century 'Vesara' Style Temple in Northern Karnataka Reveals Hidden Celestial Tracking Inscriptions

During the cleaning of the exterior walls of a Chalukyan-era temple in Bagalkot, researchers identified a series of previously unnoticed inscriptions in the Old Kannada script. The texts detail specific mathematical calculations and planetary symbols used by medieval architects to align the temple's windows with planetary transits and stellar movements.

The conservation project has also stabilized the ornate 'lathe-turned' pillars of the main hall, which had suffered from structural shifting over the centuries. These inscriptions provide the first direct evidence of the sophisticated astronomical knowledge integrated into the design of Vesara-style sacred architecture during the 11th century.

Original source: Deccan Herald Culture