Famous Temples in India

Architecture

The main sanctum shrines an image of Chenna Keshava, the Word Chennakeshava literally meaning the Beautiful Keshava in Kannada language. The temple is facing in East direction and constructed in Hoysala style of architecture, this temple has a huge Raja gopuram with 5 tiers measuring 100 feet high, the Garuda (Eagle) sthambha was erected in the Vijayanagar period and the Deepa sthambha (pillar with lamp) dates from the Hoysala period. The star shaped main sanctum is a homogeneous architectural unit set on a 3 feet raised platform in the centre of a spacious paved courtyard. On either side of the main door are seven foot sculptures of Jaya and Vijaya. The towering vimana of the sanctum made of brick and mortar was supported by wood work and plated with gold glided copper sheets. Unfortunetly, the crumbling vimana had to be dismantled in 1879, to protect the main sanctum.

Read more about the history of Hoysala Dynasty in our Blog - Architecture Marvels of Hoysala Empire

Mandapams & Pillars : The Narasimha pillar is one of the most popular of these temple pillars. There are a total of 48 pillars, all uniquely carved and decorated, the four central pillars were hand chiselled by artisans and feature madanikas or celestial damsels. The temple is known for its symmetrical corners and the 42 beautiful sculptures of maidens in various postures (madanikas). Some madanikas that are popular with tourists are the Darpana Sundari (beauty with mirror), "The lady with the parrot", "The huntress" and "Bhasma mohini". The inside four are more intricately carved with attention being paid to the detail of their jewels too.

Gravity pillar : This unique 42 feet high pillar carved out of a single rock and stands in its own weight. There is no base to this pillar and it is positioned on a platform made of a single stone, It is said that this pillar is standing on three sides on its own weight and the fourth side has an unfilled gap.

The Eastern side of the pillar has a large bas-relief of lord Vishnu in the enchanting form of Mohini, flanked by a Chauri bearer and a garuda It is perhaps one of the finest specimens of hoysala pillar order. The impeccable Narashima pillar to the south-east of the navranga used to rotate on its own axis. It is decorated all over by minute relifes. Including the beautiful “Bengal gram bull”, so called because this minute figure is no large than a grain of the lentil. A small blank space is said gave been left intentionally by the sculptor, challenging anyone who could fill this space. The central square of the mandapam has four pillars crowned by bracket figure, which are great specimens of Hoysala craftsmanship.­

The Sabha Mantapas several splendidly perforated screens with squarish holes for ventilation purpose. The screens are richly carved with puranic legends and the durbar (court) scene of king Vishnuvardhana and Veer Ballala-11, Which provide an insight into the court life of 11th century The dress, hair style and ornaments of the courtiers and the royal couple are finely detailed. The temple doors are also exquisitely carved with out standingly beautiful filingree work. The main doorway bears the Hoysala motif and the overhead panel on the main door depicts the ten forms of lord Vishnu.

The large Navranga Mantapam (hall) is noted for its polished pillars and ceiling, the pillars are of three different sizes and designs, except for the four pillars in the centre. The most notable pillars are the Mohini pillar on the south west, fluted vertically on a sixteen pointed star plan.

The doorways of the temple’s mantapa features a Hoysala king slaying what historians believe is either a tiger or lion. It is also believed that this could be a symbolic representation of the defeat of the Cholas, whose royal emblem is a tiger. The temple was constructed with Soapstone (Steatite) surrounded by subsidiary shrines and colonnades. It looks like a carved casket made of wood and polished to perfection, there is a carving of 645 elephants on the outer walland temple is built grey green chlorite. Ivory and sandalwood was also used to build sculptures in the temple.

Koneru : The big tank of Belur is known as Vishnu Samudra. It was built during the time of Narasimha Raya under the circumspection of Padmarasa. Later, in the so called golden age or the Vijaya Nagara regin, the time of Krishna Devaraya, a chief by name Basappa Naayaka of Utpatanahalli made the North end of Vishnu Samudra quadrangular, arranged comfortable steps on all three sides to climb down to edge of the water and thus converted it into a comfortable Pushkarni for the devotees to use the sacred water in it in a sacred way for the daily austerities. He also built an Island Mantapa in the midst of the Pushkarani for the sake of the sacred float festival and choultries too on the banks of the tank for the camping facilities of travelers that would visit for partaking in the different festivals and poojas of the place.

Inscriptions : According to historical records, it took about 103 years to complete this profusely sculpted masterpiece of Hoysalas architecture. An inscription near the Northern entrance of the Navranga, states that the deity was originally called as Vijayanarayana and king Vishnuvardhana built the temple and installed an idol of Vijayanarayana in the year corresponding to 1117 A.D.

The wall sculptures at the temple will find many references and depictions of important events from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The outer walls are adorned with jagati or railed platform sculpted with horizontal rows of friezes with carvings of Elephants, Simhalatas or Lion and Scolls of small female figures in ornamental niches and intersected here and there by larger vertical images and no two frieze in the complete ranges are alike.

The lowest of these carved bands has 650 caparisoned elephants in different moods, some charging, some playful and some just peacefully standing. Singularly beautiful are the 38 freestanding bracket figures angled between the upper walls and the over hanging eaves around the outside of the temple and Navaranga (Pillared hall). The brackets are adorned with Voluptuous beauties known as Madanikas in various dancing and ritual postures and depicts an amazing variety of sculpted forms.

Identifying figures when going around the temple from the right side are as follows :

• The first figure is of a lady admiring her beauty in the mirror, held in her left hand.
• A lady holding folded betel leaves and flanked by maids. A handmaiden to her right carries a vessel filled with water, while the maid to the left is filling a “syringe”.
• A lady writing to her lover, while the helping maids are standing besides her.
• A mischievous monkey pulling the saree of a lady and snarling, While she is threatening her with a twig. It is one of the most popular sculpture.
• A lady aiming her arrow at the bird. 
• A lady is dressing her hair after bath and her attendants are holding flowers and toiletry.
• A lady performing the most difficult Tribhangi Nritya, involving three poses of the body at the same time. 
• A lady disguised as a saint.
• A lady playing a drum.
• A lady playing a flute and the maid is sitting besides her.
• A singing lady.
• The sculpture of a beautiful lady is located just before the southern entrance. It also portrays a lizard about to catch a fly sitting on a jack fruit.
• The series of bracket figures continues on the other side of the gateway, Known as “Friday door”, as it as it is opened only on certain days.
• A lady with violin.
• A lady arranging her curly hairs with right hand while holding a mirror.
• A lady plucking a mango from the tree with her right hand.
• A lady dressed like a hunter and aiming at the birds.
• The eighteenth figure of the series shows a strange lady dressed up like a man with a beard and a moustache. She is playing on her drum, While two men wearing “monkey caps” are wrestling.
• The series of the bracket figures now resumes on the other side of the shrine.
• The first figure depicts a lady portrayed as an arch dancer and her maids playing upon the misical instruments.
• A lady as a songstress with metallic time keepers.
• A Beautifully dancing lady.
• A lady holding a spear with a skull at its top.
• A lady returning after hunting. Her maids are carrying the prey and one maid is removing the throns.
• Lady practicing dance steps. Her maids are plying on there musical instruments.
• The interesting figure portraying the Bhasma Mohini Dance story lies by the northern doorway.
• The unique figure although has its hands and feet in differents poses, but they are in a straight line. After the northern entrance the series continues further.
• The twenty sixth figure shows a frightened beautiful lady shaking a scorpion from the folds of her saree and snarling when she tries to shoo it off.
• Beautifully dressed lady waiting for her lover.
• A gypsy girl holding palm leaves.
• A lady about to relax after her dinner.
• A Nagaveen Dance.
• A fully dressed and ornamented lady proudly admiring her beauty in a mirror.
• A gypsy girl predicting future to the world.
• A lady performing kite dance. The last group of bracket figures shows beautiful ladies in in different poses and occupations.
• A lady showing her hairs tied in to a knot.
• A beautifully dressed lady ready for a dance performance.
• A lady sporting beard and moustache is dancing holding a drum in her left and A lady singing with the help of time keeper sets.
• An arch dancer dancing to the tune of her accomplice.
• A beautiful lady in conversation with her pet parrot, which sitting on the fore palm of her left hand.
• A dancing figure of Shantladevi wearing a gem on the head.
• A lady wearing a number of bangles and performing Gandharva dance.
• A figure lady portraying kasha Shrungara.
• She is writing her hairs after the bath.
• The dramatic and miraculous aspects of mythology are also beautifully depicted all over the temple some of the finest sculptural representation are – Arjuna, the pandava prince rescuing the cows of Virata: Ravana, the ten headed demon king lifting Mount kailas which has figures of lord Shiva, parvati as well as a number of other miniature carved figures and the boy saint prahlada being rescued by lord Vishnu

Hoysala sculptors have broken the custom of not writing the names of sculptors, we can see their names engraved, their titles and even the place of their origin at the foot of their art work. Mallitamma was the most prolific of all known Hoysala artists and more than forty well-executed sculptures stand in his name.