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Besakih  

D. J. Stuart-Fox

Balinese Hindu temple (pura) complex. It is situated on the southwestern flank of the volcano Gunung Agung, Bali’s highest mountain, in the northeast of the island. Associated probably since prehistoric times with the Lord of the Mountain, now identified with the Hindu god Shiva, it has been a dynastic temple of several royal families since at least the 15th century. The complex consists of twenty-two temples, spread along three parallel ridges over a distance of more than a kilometer. The complex was not planned as an entity but seems to have been constructed piecemeal, and the overall structure that links the temples is more ritual and symbolic than physical. The annual cycle of more than seventy rituals culminates in the enormous centennial Ekadasa Rudra ceremony.

The symbolic and ritual center of the complex is Pura Penataran Agung, the largest temple, which over the centuries has undergone numerous changes. Its fifty-seven separate structures are arranged on six terraces. Originating probably in a simple prehistoric sanctuary, it has a terraced form suggesting a series of successive enlargements. The earliest structures were probably simple shrines and stone seats, represented now in developed form by the two uppermost shrines dedicated to the Lord of the Mountain. On current evidence, the pagoda-like shrines (...

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Eklingji and Nagda  

Heather Elgood

Two groups of Hindu temples of the 10th–15th centuries ad on the edge of a small lake near Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. The complex is enclosed by undecorated walls similar to those at Baroli. The main temple at Eklingji is dedicated to Shiva and houses a linga regarded as the guardian deity of the Sisodia Maharanas of Mewar. However, the earliest temple in the complex is the Lakulisha Temple (971–2), a simple building consisting of a sanctuary (vimāna), a hall (maṇḍapa) and a porch. One wall niche contains an image of the goddess Sarasvati (see Indian subcontinent: Sculpture from the 7th–18th centuries), and inside the sanctum is a seated sculpture of Lakulisha, founder of the Pashupata sect; the doorway has a similar image on the lintel. Although the hall is square, its supporting columns form an octagonal space. Niches on its outer walls contain relief sculptures of a variety of goddesses. The main Eklingji temple dates from the 15th century. The principal sanctuary and the two-storey hall are constructed of marble, and there is a curved tower over the sanctuary. Inside the sanctum is a highly decorated silver doorway and screen preceding the central image, a black marble four-faced Shiva ...

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Yadava  

H. V. Trivedi

[Yādava ; Seuna]

Dynasty that ruled parts of the northern Deccan, India, from the 12th century to the 14th. The Yadavas of Devagiri were members of the last Hindu monarchy of the Deccan. They claimed descent from a mythical king, Yadu, but the first historical prince of the house was Dridhaprahara, who began as a vassal of the Rashtrakuta dynasty at Chandor, near Nasik, in the early 9th century. His son and successor, Seunachandra, is said to have named his dominions and subjects after himself. His fourth descendant, Billama II (reg c. 1000), transferred his allegiance to the Chalukyas of Kalyana ( see Chalukya §2 ), who subsequently supplanted the Rashtrakutas. A remote descendant, Billama V (reg c. 1185–93), later captured a major part of the territory of his Chalukya overlord Someshvara IV and proclaimed his independence, establishing his capital at Devagiri ( see Daulatabad ). He also led an aggressive campaign in the north against the ...