Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Rama and Lakshmana are depicted with their bows and arrows here. As Rama’s bow is called Kodanda, this temple is known as Kodandarama Temple. This temple is facing in East and the navaranga has lathe- turned pillars. The Garbhagraha is constructed in the Hoysala style, while most of the other constructions are in the Dravidian style. The navagrahas were added in 14th century and Mukhamantapa was added in 16th century. In the garbhagrha on a common Hanuman pedestal, 1.5 ft high, there are idols of Kodandarama with Sita to his right and Lakshmana to his left. Rama and Lakshmana carry the arrows in their right hands and strung bows in their left hands. The idols appear to be of a later date and not of the Hoysala period. In the prakara (enclosure) of the temple, there are small shrines containing the figures of Yoganarasimha, Sugriva, Kalinga, Mardhana, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Vedanta Desika, and some alwars. Yoganarasimha, so called because his meditation posture, measures 1.06 metres (3½ ft.) high having a prabhavati on which the 10 incarnations are sculpted. But after Rama, Balarama and Krishna are engraved, with the Buddha missing. This is common in many Srivaishnava representations of dashavataras as they give prominence to Balarama, here measuring 4 ft. with four hands and in a pre-Hoysala style, resembling Badami Chalukya workmanship. While his right lower hand has a short round staff, the lower left is placed on the waist. The outer-walls of the garbhagrha and sukansi have, besides pilasters and turrets, two rows of figures representing mostly Vishnu and his Avatars such as Hayagriva, Narasimha, Lakshminarayana, Venugopala, Kalinga-Mardana and Govardhanadhari. There are also figures of Lakshmi, Hanuman, Garuda and Ganapati. There is a beautiful murti on the Gopuram near the entrance of Agni bhagavan with two heads, seven tongues and three legs. Siddha Pushkarini, it is believed that nine siddhas performed penance here, so the village pond is known as Siddha Pushkarini.