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Nagareshvara / Arvattukambhada Temple, Bankapur

A damaged temple with surviving pillared halls, altered architecture and defaced figure sculpture.

Bankapur fort · Karnataka

The recorded chronology

Selected episodes. Rebuilding and later changes are distinguished from damage.

1. Partial destruction · intentional causeOpen this episode on the map ↗

   1575–1576 AD · chronology in Eaton’s table

   Cousens describes removed or defaced images, broken ornamental windows and alterations to convert the pillared hall. He connects this with Firishta’s report of Ali Adil Shah ordering a temple destroyed after taking Bankapur.

   eventAttributed · further checking needed

   Cousens describes removed or defaced images, broken ornamental windows and alterations to convert the pillared hall. He connects this with Firishta’s report of Ali Adil Shah ordering a temple destroyed after taking Bankapur.

   The hall and other fabric survive. The identification of Firishta’s unnamed temple with this building is made by the later archaeological account.

   • Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗Archaeological Survey of India · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
   • Firishta, History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power, Briggs translation, volume III ↗Firishta / John Briggs · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
   • Richard M. Eaton, Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States: table and bibliography ↗Richard M. Eaton / Frontline · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28

   dateAttributed · further checking needed

   1575–1576 · chronology in Eaton’s table

   • Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗Archaeological Survey of India · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
   • Firishta, History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power, Briggs translation, volume III ↗Firishta / John Briggs · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
   • Richard M. Eaton, Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States: table and bibliography ↗Richard M. Eaton / Frontline · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28

   actorAttributed · further checking needed

   Ali Adil Shah I

   • Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗Archaeological Survey of India · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
   • Firishta, History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power, Briggs translation, volume III ↗Firishta / John Briggs · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
   • Richard M. Eaton, Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States: table and bibliography ↗Richard M. Eaton / Frontline · Cousens pp. 94–96; Briggs III pp. 82–84; Eaton table entry 50 · Accessed 2026-09-28
2. Damage · intentional causeOpen this episode on the map ↗

   1406 AD · proposed earlier episode

   Cousens suggests that damage may already have occurred when Firuz Shah Bahmani captured Bankapur in 1406.

   eventDisputed

   Cousens suggests that damage may already have occurred when Firuz Shah Bahmani captured Bankapur in 1406.

   Cousens explicitly presents this as a probability, not a documented inventory of damage in that campaign. No affected element can be assigned securely to 1406.

   • Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗Archaeological Survey of India · Printed p. 95 · Accessed 2026-09-28

   dateDisputed

   1406 · proposed earlier episode

   • Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗Archaeological Survey of India · Printed p. 95 · Accessed 2026-09-28

   actorDisputed

   Firuz Shah Bahmani

   • Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗Archaeological Survey of India · Printed p. 95 · Accessed 2026-09-28

Location & last documented condition

Source context

Explore the complete captured Wikipedia bibliography ↗
References are discovery leads unless marked as consulted.

• Richard M. Eaton, Temple Desecration and Indo-Muslim States: table and bibliography ↗ · Richard M. Eaton / Frontline

  Selected-episode table and bibliography read. Table entries are episodes at places, not a census of unique temple buildings. Underlying edition access is recorded separately.

  Discovery: Wikipedia reference trail or independent source search · Access: direct
• Henry Cousens, The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts ↗ · Archaeological Survey of India

  Printed pp. 94–96. Physical description and Firishta quotation read. The proposed 1406 episode is qualified as probable. The accessed OCR reads Haidar Ali/1797, a problematic combination not used as event evidence; the printed numeral was not visually collated.

  Discovery: Wikipedia reference trail or independent source search · Access: direct
• Firishta, History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power, Briggs translation, volume III ↗ · Firishta / John Briggs

  Printed pp. 82–84, Bankapur campaign. Chronicle narrative checked; not a measured inventory of destroyed fabric.

  Discovery: Wikipedia reference trail or independent source search · Access: direct
• Nagareshvara / Arvattukambhada Temple, Bankapur — Wikipedia article and bibliography ↗ · Wikipedia contributors

  Article consulted for identity, location and stated condition; retrieval method: Firecrawl rendering of public Wikipedia. Captured bibliography entries are not all read.

  Discovery: Wikipedia reference trail or independent source search · Access: direct