Hoysaleswara Temple

Last updated

Hoysaleswara Temple
ಹೊಯ್ಸಳೇಶ್ವರ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ
Hoysaleshwara temple in Monsoon.JPG
Hoysaleswara temple at Halebidu
Religion
Affiliation Hinduism
District Hassan
Deity Shiva
Location
Location Halebidu
State Karnataka
Country India
India location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Location in Karnataka
India Karnataka location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Hoysaleswara Temple (Karnataka)
Geographic coordinates 13°12′47.5″N75°59′42.0″E / 13.213194°N 75.995000°E / 13.213194; 75.995000
Architecture
Type Hoysala
CreatorKetamalla, Hoysala Vishnuvardhana
Completed12th-century
Official name Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, iv
Designated2023 (45th session)
Reference no.1670 [1]

Hoysaleswara temple, also referred simply as the Halebidu temple, is a 12th-century Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva. It is the largest monument in Halebidu, a town in the state of Karnataka, India and the former capital of the Hoysala Empire. The temple was built on the banks of a large man-made lake, and sponsored by King Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala Empire. [2] Its construction started around 1121 CE and was complete in 1160 CE. [3] [4]

Contents

During the early 14th century, Halebidu was twice sacked and plundered by the Muslim armies of the Delhi Sultanate from northern India, [5] [6] [7] and the temple and the capital fell into a state of ruin and neglect. [8] It is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Hassan city and about 210 kilometres (130 mi) from Bengaluru. [9]

The Hoysaleswara temple is a Shaivism tradition monument, yet reverentially includes many themes from Vaishnavism and Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, as well as images from Jainism. [10]

The Hoysaleswara temple is a twin-temple dedicated to Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara Shiva lingas, named after the masculine and feminine aspects, both equal and joined at their transept. It has two Nandi shrines outside, where each seated Nandi face the respective Shiva linga inside. [11] The temple includes a smaller sanctum for the Hindu Sun god Surya. It once had superstructure towers, but no longer and the temple looks flat. [12] The temple faces east, though the monument is presently visited from the north side. Both the main temples and the Nandi shrines are based on a square plan. [13] The temple was carved from soapstone.

It is notable for its sculptures, intricate reliefs, detailed friezes as well its history, iconography, inscriptions in North Indian and South Indian scripts. The temple artwork provides a pictorial window into the life and culture in the 12th century South India. About 340 large reliefs depict the Hindu theology and associated legends. [10] Numerous smaller friezes narrate Hindu texts such as the Ramayana , the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana . Some friezes below large reliefs portray its narrative episodes. [2] [14] [11]

The artwork in Hoysaleswara temple is damaged but largely intact. Within a few kilometers of the temple are numerous ruins of Hoysala architecture, including the Jain Basadi complex and the Kedareshwara temple.

The Hoysaleswara Temple, along with the nearby Chennakeshava Temple at Belur and the Keshava Temple at Somanathapura was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2023 as part of the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas. [2]

Location

The Hoysaleswara Temple is in Halebidu, also called Halebeedu, Halebid, Dorasamudra. Halebidu is a town in Hassan district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Hassan. [9] The temple is about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Belur, Karnataka temples. [9] Halebidu has no nearby airport, and is about 210 kilometres (130 mi) west of Bengaluru (IATA Code: BLR), about 4 hours drive accessible with a four lane NH75 highway through Hassan. Halebidu is connected by railway network at Hassan to major cities of Karnataka. [9]

History

The Hoysalesvara temple was one of the first to be properly surveyed in Karnataka between 1801 and 1806. After the invention of photography, it was one of the earliest to be photographed in British India. These show neglect and scattered ruins. Halebid temple archival photographs 1850s.jpg
The Hoysalesvara temple was one of the first to be properly surveyed in Karnataka between 1801 and 1806. After the invention of photography, it was one of the earliest to be photographed in British India. These show neglect and scattered ruins.

The Hoysala period of South Indian history began about 1000 CE and continued through 1346 CE. In this period, they built around 1,500 temples in 958 centres. [16] Halebidu was originally called Dorasamudra in its inscriptions, possibly derived from Dvarasamudra (Sanskrit words "Dvara" (gateway, door) and Samudra (ocean, sea, large water body)). The capital used to be Belur, Karnataka, but Dorasamudra became the established capital under king Vishnuvardhana and served as the capital of the Hoyasala Empire for nearly 300 years. [12] [17] [16]

Unlike other Hoysala temples that have survived into the modern age, and despite numerous inscriptions in the temple premises, the Hoysaleswara Temple lacks a dedication inscription. [12] It is likely lost, along with the many other features of the original temple. An inscription found about five kilometers from the temple site, near the Kallesvara temple ruins in Ghattadahalli, states that Ketamalla – officer in the employ of king Vishnuvardhana constructed this temple. It also notes that the king made grant of lands to support the construction, the operation and the maintenance of the Shiva temple in Saka 1043, or 1121 CE. [12] It was not the only temple built in that era. The inscriptions suggest that the capital consisted of numerous other temples, both of Hinduism and Jainism traditions, along with stepwells, ponds and mantapas (mandapas, public halls) in the vicinity of the large Dorasamudhra lake. [18] It is the largest temple built by the Hoysalas that is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in South India. [19]

The Hoysala Empire and its capital Dorasamudra was invaded, plundered and destroyed in early 14th century by the Delhi Sultanate armies of Alauddin Khilji, [20] [5] [21] with Belur and Halebidu becoming the target of plunder and destruction in 1326 CE by another Delhi Sultanate army of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. [22] The territory was taken over by the Vijayanagara Empire. [20] The Hoysala kingdom, states James C. Harle, came to an end in mid 14th century, when King Ballala III was killed in a war with the Muslim army of Madurai Sultanate. [23] Dorasamudra and its temples became ruins, the capital abandoned and the site became known as "Halebidu" (literally, "old camp or capital"). [24] About 300 of the original Hoysala Empire temples survive in different states of damage, scattered around Karnataka. Of these, states Hardy, about 70 had been studied to varying degrees of detail by 1995. [25]

With the defeat of Tipu Sultan in 1799, Mysore came under the influence of the colonial British rule and scholarship. The Hoysaleswara temple ruins were among the earliest surveyed, [26] then earliest photographed in the 1850s, [15] and the subject of several rounds of good will repairs and restoration that lacked thorough documentation. Ruin panels from other temples were reused here to cover the Nandi mandapa, parts of friezes used to repair the plinth. Thus, the Hoysaleswara temple as it is survives in the contemporary era is a composite of the original Hindu temple architecture and design that was open, to which stone screens with outer walls and doors were added by the 14th-century, whose crowning towers (shikhara) have been lost, and whose ruins were repaired and restored many times in the 19th and 20th-century. [27]

Description

12th century Halebid Shiva temple plan annotated 12th century Halebid Shiva temple plan annotated.jpg
12th century Halebid Shiva temple plan annotated

The Hoysaleswara temple, also spelled as Hoysaleshwara or Hoywalesvara temple, is a twin-temple, or dvikuta vimana (plan with two shrines and two superstructures). The two temples are of the same size, and their sanctums open to the east, facing sunrise. The sanctum of the "Hoysaleswara" (the king) and the other for "Shantaleswara" (the queen, Shantala Devi) both have a Shiva linga. Outside on the east side of the main temples are two smaller shrines, each with seated Nandi. [28] [29] To the east of the southern Nandi shrine is a smaller attached Surya shrine, where there is a 7 feet (2.1 m) tall Surya statue facing the Nandi and the sanctum. Historians such as Adam Hardy state that the Hoysalesware temple shows evidence of other shrines but these are now missing, lost to history. [28] [29]

A Nandi shrine (left) facing the sanctum of the main temple Le Temple de Hoysaleshwara (Halebid, Inde) (14398516978).jpg
A Nandi shrine (left) facing the sanctum of the main temple

The temple complex as a whole is placed on a jagati (literally, worldly platform). The platform is 15 feet wide around the outer walls of the temple, meant for the visitor to walk on and view the artwork clockwise while completing the circumambulation of the sanctums. It is called the pradakshina-patha (path for circumambulation). [30] The smaller shrines share the same jagati as the main temple, connected by stone stairs. The two sanctums are next to each other in a north–south alignment, both face east, and each have in front a mandapa (also spelled mantapa, community hall). The two mandapas are connected giving a view of a large, open navaranga for family and public gatherings. [29] [13]

12th-century first Nandi facing Shiva shrine at Shaivism Hindu temple Hoysaleswara arts Halebidu Karnataka India 2.jpg
North Nandi shrine
12th-century second Nandi facing second Shiva shrine at Shaivism Hindu temple Hoysaleswara arts Halebidu Karnataka India.jpg
South Nandi shrine

The temple had towers on top of each sanctum, but they are now missing. According to Foekema, these towers must have followed the star shape of the shrine, because Hoyasala temples that are better preserved have them. [31] The superstructure over the vestibule which connects the shrine to the mantapa, called sukanasi (a low tower that looks like an extension of the main tower) is also missing. Similar the row of decorated miniature roofs, the eastern perimeter walls and other shrines with the main temple are all gone. [32]

The temple was built with chloritic schist, more commonly known as greenschist or soapstone. [33] The soapstone is soft when quarried and easier to carve into intricate shapes, but hardens over time when exposed to air.

Outer walls

12th century Hoysaleshwara temple Halebidu outer wall reliefs and friezes 01.jpg
12th century Hoysaleshwara temple Halebidu outer wall reliefs and friezes 02.jpg
Artwork on the outer walls of the temple are in bands. 1: marching playful elephants; 2: lions; 3: thin miniature scroll; 4: horsemen in different postures; 5: thin miniature scroll; 6: friezes narrating legends from the Hindu texts; 7: makaras; 8: hamsa and peacocks; 9: professionals, daily life of people alternately standing and sitting; 10: mythical creatures, festivals, ceremonies; 11: artha, kama, dharma scenes including courtship and mithuna (eroticism, sex), various occupations, some mythical scenes; 12: large image panels (deities, spiritual stories from Hindu texts). [34] [35]
Dancing Saraswati holding a manuscript, pen, the alapini vina and other symbols of knowledge and arts. 1150 CE Hoysaleswara temple Halebidu Karnataka, Dancing Saraswati.jpg
Dancing Saraswati holding a manuscript, pen, the alapini vina and other symbols of knowledge and arts.

The temple outer walls is intricately carved. Its lowest layers consist of bands with friezes that consist of (from bottom to top) elephants, lions, scrolls with nature and miniature dancers, horses, scrolls, scenes from Hindu texts, [10] mythical beasts (makara) and swans. [36] [35] [37] According to Shadakshari Settar, the artwork shows details as "no two lions are alike in the entire span that covers more than a furlong (200 metres)", the artists "captured the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the main episodes of the Bhagavata". The temple's outer wall is a pictorial narration of Hindu epics, and its middle portion has large panels where "the entire pantheon of Hindu divinities are presented, it is a manual of Hindu iconography", states Settar. [36] According to Foekema and other art historians, the quality and quantity of the epics-related "friezes are amazing", but the panel series do not complete the story in a stretch, rather after a stretch, another text is intermingled in for a while. [38] [39] The outer walls of the Hoysaleswara temple shrines feature 340 large reliefs. [40]

The friezes and wall images on the outer wall predominantly narrate the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, the other major Shaiva and Vaishnava Puranas. [39] [41] Some main displays include (clockwise): [40]

Durga as Mahishasuramardini killing buffalo demon. 1150 CE Hoysaleswara temple Halebidu Karnataka, Mahisasuramardini.jpg
Durga as Mahishasuramardini killing buffalo demon.
A Ramayana frieze, outer wall. 12th-century Ramayana reliefs at Shaivism Hindu temple Hoysaleswara arts Halebidu Karnataka India.jpg
A Ramayana frieze, outer wall.
Harihara (left half Shiva, right Vishnu) at Hoysaleshwara Le Temple de Hoysaleshwara (Halebid, Inde) (14614865051).jpg
Harihara (left half Shiva, right Vishnu) at Hoysaleshwara

In terms of theology from different Hindu traditions, the large images on the outer walls of the west side present the following frequencies (excluding small panels and miniature friezes): [49]

The walls on the other side have more large images. [49]

Doorways and mantapa

The temple has four entrances. The one normally used by visitors as main entry nowadays is the northern entrance closest to the parking lot. There is one entry on the south side and two on the east side, facing two large detached open pavilions whose ceiling is supported by lathe turned pillars. [50]

The temple originally had an open navaranga, wherein the mantapa pavilions were visible from outside shrines and the outside was visible to those in the mandapa. In the era of Hoysala king Narasimha I, the mantapa was closed, doors were added and perforated stone screens placed, according to an inscription found in the temple. [31] [51] Along with the four doors, the later artists added dvarapalas and decorations as follows:

A better preserved dvarapala at mantapa entrance (hands broken). Hoysaleswara with broken hands.jpg
A better preserved dvarapala at mantapa entrance (hands broken).

Outside the southern doorway, in the park, are large statues, one of Ganesha. The statue was among those which were originally farther out at the temple premises outer gate, but damaged and collected from ruins there. They were recovered and placed close to the temple. The navaranga includes two small niches facing each other between the two temples where they are joined at the transept. These have carvings and artwork, but the statues inside each is missing. There is a stone panel near the western niche with a large Sanskrit inscription in a North Indian and a South Indian script. [55]

Lathe turned pillars in mantapa of Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebidu Mantapa (hall) in Hoysaleshvara Temple at Halebidu.jpg
Lathe turned pillars in mantapa of Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebidu

Pillars and ceilings

The interior walls of the temple are quite plain compared to the outer wall, except for the lathe turned pillars that run in rows between the north and south entrances. [56] The four pillars in front of each shrine are the most ornate and the only ones that have the madanika sculptures in their pillar brackets. [36]

Pillar and ceiling carvings with a damaged madanakai. 12th-century carved pillar and dancer inside Shaivism Hindu temple Hoysaleswara arts Halebidu Karnataka India, inscription below.jpg
Pillar and ceiling carvings with a damaged madanakai.

The fused mandapa features a row of pillars aligned along the north-west axis. In the central navaranga of each temple's mandapa are four pillars and a raised ceiling that is intricately carved. Each of the four pillars of this central navaranga had four standing madanakai (Salabhanjika, mostly female) figures, or a total of 16 standing figures per temple. Of the 32 figures on the central pillars for the two temples, 11 remain. Only 6 damaged ones have survived in the north temple and 5 in the south temple. A closer examination of the pillar's capital suggests that there was a figure on each pillar in the eastern row facing the sunrise, but all of these show signs of destruction and none of those images have survived. The pillar near the second eastern door have two damaged madanakai, but the better preserved are those in the central navaranga. [55]

Sanctum

A sanctum inside the Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebidu A sanctum inside the Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebidu.jpg
A sanctum inside the Hoysaleshwara temple in Halebidu

The twin-temple has two sanctums (garbha griha), both with Shiva linga. One sanctum is dedicated to "Hoysaleswara" Shiva (the king) and the other for "Shantaleswara" Shiva (the queen, Shantala). Both are of equal size. Each sanctum is a square with a darsana dvara (view doorway) on the east, with three inches on the north, west and south. The doorways are flanked on each side by a dvarapala, each leading to a sukanasi (vestibule chamber). There is intricate carving above the lintel between the dvarapalas, presenting Shiva with Parvati, along with other devas and devis, as well as two large makaras (mythical syncretic sea creatures). On the makaras are Varuna and his wife Varuni riding. The doorjambs are decorated with purnaghatas (vessels of abundance). The sanctum square originally had a tower (shikhara) above rising towards the sky to complete the vimana superstructure, but the towers have been lost to history and the temple looks flat. The sanctum walls are plain, avoiding distraction to the devotee and focussing the attention of the visitor at the spiritual symbol. [57] [58]

The temple has smaller shrines with its own sanctum. For example, the Nandi shrines feature a Nandi in its sanctum, while the Surya shrine features the Hindu Sun god. [28] [29]

Other monuments

The Hoysaleswara Temple premises include a museum managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. It contains numerous pieces of ruins and temple artwork recovered from the site for closer three dimensional examination. The temple premises also has the so-called Garuda Sthamba (Garuda pillar) to the south of the temple. It is also damaged, with its top portion gone. [59] It contains an inscription that breaks off in the middle of the sentence. The part which can be read states that a general Lakshmana, his wife and followers sacrificed themselves after the death of Ballala II. In the middle of the pillar are eight male figures, four of whom are shown as using their swords to sacrifice themselves (siditale-godu). [59] One of the sacrificer is shown seated in a namaste posture preparing for the sacrifice, while others are shown in the process of the sacrifice. The images represent the devotion of these to their leader and their determination to die with him. [59]

ASI museum in Halebidu with a display of artwork ruins. Relief sculptures of Nataraja (l) and Parvati (r) from the Hoysala period at the ASI museum in Halebidu.JPG
ASI museum in Halebidu with a display of artwork ruins.

The temple premises show evidence of other shrine and temples. Just like the Surya (Sun) monument that is to the east of one Nandi, there was a Chandra (Moon) monument attached to the other Nandi. Excavations on the southwest side of the temple revealed the remains of a destroyed temple. [60]

Artists

Numerous temple artwork panels contain signatures or statements by the artists or the guild they belonged to, and these are usually at the artwork's pedestal or underneath. The most repeated names of artists found at the Hoysaleswara temple include Manibalaki, Mabala, Ballana, Bochana, Ketana, Bama, Balaki and Revoja. [49] The guilds can be identified by the organization's icon marked and names inscribed such as Agni-Indra, Indra, Paduca (.west) and Paduvala-badaga (.northwest). [49]

Reception

According to the 19th-century art critic James Fergusson, it is a "marvellous exhibition of human labor to be found even in the patient east and surpasses anything in Gothic art". [61] The Hoysaleswara temple of Halebidu, has been described by Percy Brown as the "highest achievement of Hoysala architecture" and as the "supreme climax of Indian architecture" despite appearing rather flat and dull from distance given the towers are now missing. [62]

Richard Oakley was among the early photographers who visited this temple in the 1850s. He called it "most gorgeous" and "far surpasses" any South Indian temple he had seen:

I was strongly recommended by my old friend, Dr. Neill, of the 1st Madras Light Cavalry, to visit Hallibeede, the site of Dhoor Summooder, the ancient Capital of Bellal Deo, the Sovereign of the Carnatic. I was told of a wonderful temple said to exist there, but very few of the many from whom I sought information, knew anything about it, and it was with very great difficulty, and after a march of some twenty days along the most miserable cross country roads conceivable, that I succeeded in finding this splendid Temple. Having seen a great number of the most celebrated Pagodas in the South of India, I can unhesitatingly assert, it far surpasses any, even the most gorgeous of these beautiful structures . . .. Having a Photographic Apparatus with me, I lost no time in committing to waxed paper faithful representations of almost every portion of the sculpture, which literally covers its walls.!

Richard Banner Oakley (1856), Quoted by Janet Dewan [63]

James Fergusson never visited this temple or Halebid, but he was the first to review all available field notes on Hoysalesvara temple after he had retired and returned to England. He focused exclusively on the Hoysalesvara temple, published a brief art-historical review in 1866, followed by a more complete analysis in 1876. He wrote: [64]

If it were possible to illustrate the Halebid temple to such an extent as to render its peculiarities familiar there would be few things more interesting or more instructive than to institute a comparison with the Parthenon at Athens. (...) [The Halebid temple] is regular, but with a studied variety of outline in plan, and even greater variety in detail. All the pillars in the Parthenon are identical, while no facets of the Indian temple are the same; every convolution of every scroll is different. No two canopies in the whole building are alike, and every part exhibits a joyous exuberance of fancy scorning every mechanical restraint. All that is wild in human faith or warm in human feeling is found portrayed in these walls; but of pure intellect there is little – less than there is human feeling in the Parthenon.

James Fergusson (1876), Quoted by Adam Hardy [65]

According to Kristen Kasdorf, Fergusson's publications on Indian architecture have been influential, served as the introductory foundation to several generations of scholars. His exclusive focus on this temple helped bring attention to it, but without the context of other Halebid temples. Fergusson erred in many details including his wrong guess that Hoysalas started building the Hoysalesvara temple in 1235, continued working on it over 85 years and stopped construction due to the "Mahomedan invasion" of 1310. [66] Fergusson's error was copied in many Indian texts for a while. A more correct history emerged as more inscriptions were discovered and translated by scholars. His commentary on the Hoysalesvara temple, states Kadorf, expresses admiration yet "falls squarely within the purview of the prevailing imperialist narrative" where the Western monuments were portrayed as "rational" while the Eastern monuments called as "chaotic", "emotional and excess reigning over serious measured judgment". Fergusson's reception of the Hoysalesvara temple was often quoted at length for nearly a century, and continues to be quoted for the Western audience without the necessary context. [66]

In the 20th-century, Indian authors such as Narasimachar and Srikantaiya published their monographs, calling it as one of the temples that realised the "magnificence of the Hoysala art". Krishna – one of the directors of Mysore Archaeological department under the Wodeyars, wrote his 1930 annual report – which remains the most thorough report on the site to date. [67] The temple should compared to jewelry, and not other temples, wrote Krishna, with reliefs and sculptures of "high class possessing beauty of ideas and art". [68]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoysala architecture</span> Medieval Hindu temple style

Hoysala architecture is the building style in Hindu temple architecture developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a state of India. Hoysala influence was at its peak in the 13th century, when it dominated the Southern Deccan Plateau region. Large and small temples built during this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. These three temples were accorded UNESCO world heritage site status in 2023. Other examples of Hoysala craftsmanship are the temples at Belavadi, Amruthapura, Hosaholalu, Mosale, Arasikere, Basaralu, Kikkeri and Nuggehalli. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian style is more distinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halebidu</span> Village in Karnataka, India

Halebidu is a town located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Historically known as Dwarasamudra, Halebidu became the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 11th century CE. In the modern era literature it is sometimes referred to as Halebeedu or Halebid as the phonetic equivalent, a local name after it was damaged and deserted after being ransacked and looted twice by the forces of the Turko-Persian Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennakeshava Temple, Somanathapura</span> 13th-century Hoysala Hindu temple in south Mysuru Drisict Karnataka

The Chennakesava Temple, also referred to as Chennakeshava Temple and Keshava Temple, is a Vaishnava Hindu temple on the banks of River Kaveri at Somanathapura,Karnataka, India. The temple was consecrated in 1258 CE by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a general of the Hoysala King Narasimha III. It is located 38 kilometres (24 mi) east of Mysuru city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belur, Karnataka</span> Town in Karnataka, India

Belur is a town and taluk in Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. The town is renowned for its Chennakeshava Temple dedicated to Vishnu, one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture and the largest Hindu temple complex that has survived from pre-14th-century Karnata-Dravida tradition. A historic site inspired by the teachings of Ramanujacharya, it has been a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage center since at least the 12th century. It was also the first capital of the Hoysala dynasty, before they built Dwarasamudra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati</span>

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, also referred to as Lakshminarasimha temple of Bhadravati, is a 13th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, built by the Hoysala ruler Vira Someshwara. It is located in Bhadravati, Shimoga District of Karnataka state, India. The temple opens to the east and has three sanctums, one each dedicated to Venogopala, Lakshminarasimha and Vishnu-Puroshottama. It is notable for its Vesara architecture, with artwork that includes legends and deities of Vaishnavism, as well as those of Shaivism, Shaktism and Vedic deities. Important reliefs include those of Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Bhairava, Sarasvati, Brahma, Surya, Harihara, and others. The temple's original shikaras were ruined, and have been restored with a conical structure. According to Adam Hardy – a scholar of Indian temple architecture, this temple has two "exceptional" stellate structures highlighting the architectural sophistication of the Hoysalas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennakeshava Temple, Belur</span> 12th-century Vishnu temple complex in Belur, Karnataka (Hoysala Empire era)

Chennakeshava Temple, also referred to as Keshava, Kesava or Vijayanarayana Temple of Belur, is a 12th-century Hindu temple in, Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE, on the banks of the Yagachi River in Belur, an early Hoysala Empire capital. The temple was built over three generations and took 103 years to finish. It was repeatedly damaged and plundered during wars, repeatedly rebuilt and repaired over its history. It is 35 km from Hassan city and about 220 km from Bengaluru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Veera Narayana temple, also referred to as the Viranarayana temple of Belavadi, is a triple Hindu temple with a complex Hoysala architecture completed around 1200 CE. Close to Halebidu, this is a better preserved large Hoysala monument found in the small village of Belavadi, Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshminarayana Temple, Hosaholalu</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Lakshminarayana Temple is a 13th-century Hindu temple with Hoysala architecture in Hosaholalu, Mandya district of Karnataka, India. Dedicated to Vishnu, this three-shrine monument is notable for its finely carved plinth (adhisthana) with panels of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. It has one of the most beautifully embellished Hoysala tower projection (sukanasa) that integrates the Dravida motifs with asta-bhadra Bhumija motifs from central India. Also notable are polish and jewelry-like carvings inside the temple's mandapa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Chalukya architecture</span> 11–12th century Indian building style

Western Chalukya architecture, also known as Kalyani Chalukya or Later Chalukya architecture, is the distinctive style of ornamented architecture that evolved during the rule of the Western Chalukya Empire in the Tungabhadra region of modern central Karnataka, India, during the 11th and 12th centuries. Western Chalukyan political influence was at its peak in the Deccan Plateau during this period. The centre of cultural and temple-building activity lay in the Tungabhadra region, where large medieval workshops built numerous monuments. These monuments, regional variants of pre-existing dravida temples, form a climax to the wider regional temple architecture tradition called Vesara or Karnata dravida. Temples of all sizes built by the Chalukyan architects during this era remain today as examples of the architectural style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishvara Temple, Arasikere</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Ishvara temple, also referred to as the Ishwara or Isvara temple, is an early 13th-century Hindu temple in Arsikere, Hassan district, Karnataka India. Dedicated to Shiva, it is one of the most notable early Hoysala architecture examples with a rotating circular plan, a domed mandapa with 16-point star shape, a pancatala vimana, and a galaxy of artwork depicting Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Vedic legends of Hinduism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucesvara Temple, Koravangala</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

Bucesvara temple, also referred to as the Buceswara, Bucheshwara or Bhucheshvara temple, is a 12th-century Hindu temples in Koravangala village, Karnataka, India. The most sophisticated historical temple in the village, it is considered to be the flag-bearer of Hoysala architecture and was built by a wealthy patron named Buchi during the reign of king Ballala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahmeshvara Temple, Kikkeri</span>

The Brahmeshvara temple, also referred to as the Brahmeshwara or Brahmesvara temple, is a 12th-century Hindu temple with Hoysala architecture in Kikkeri village, Mandya district of Karnataka state, India. Along with two other major historic temples within the village, the Brahmeshvara temple is one of many major ruined temples with notable artwork in Kikkeri area close to the more famous monuments of Shravanabelagola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshminarasimha Temple, Haranhalli</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli, sometimes referred to as Lakshmi Narasimha temple of Haranhalli, is one of two major historic Hindu temples that have survived in Haranhalli, Karnataka, India. It is triple-shrine temple dedicated to Vishnu, while the other – Someshvara Temple, Haranhalli few hundred meters to the east – is dedicated to Shiva. Both temples reflect a Vesara-style Hoysala architecture, share similar design ideas and features, and were completed in the 1230s by three wealthy brothers – Peddanna Heggade, Sovanna and Kesanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalleshwara Temple, Hire Hadagali</span> Village in Karnataka, India

The Kalleshwara temple is located in the town of Hire Hadagali of the Hoovina Hadagalitaluk in Bellary district of Karnataka state, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshminarasimha Temple, Javagal</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Lakshminarasimha temple at Javagal, sometimes referred to as Lakshmi Narasimha temple of Javagallu, is a mid-13th century Hindu temple with Hoysala architecture. It is located in Javagal about 20 km northeast from Halebidu and 50 km from Hassan city, Karnataka state, India. This triple shrine temple is dedicated to Narasimha – the man-lion avatar of Vishnu. It was completed between 1250–1260 A.D. by King Vira Someshwara of the Hoysala Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaitabheshvara Temple, Kubatur</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Kaitabheshvara temple is located in the town of Kubatur, near Anavatti in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India. The temple was constructed during the reign of Hoysala King Vinayaditya around 1100 AD. The Hoysala ruling family was during this time a powerful feudatory of the imperial Western Chalukya Empire ruled by King Vikramaditya VI. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the architectural signature of the temple is mainly "Chalukyan". Art historian Adam Hardy classifies the style involved in the construction of the temple as "Later Chalukya, non mainstream, far end of spectrum". The building material used is soapstone The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nageshvara-Chennakeshava Temple complex, Mosale</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Nageshvara-Chennakeshava temple complex, sometimes referred to as the Nagesvara and Chennakesava temples of Mosale, are a pair of nearly identical Hindu temples in the village of Mosale near Hassan city, Karnataka, India. One for Shiva, other for Vishnu, this pair is a set of highly ornamented stone temples, illustrating the Hoysala architecture. These temples also include panels of artwork related to the goddess tradition of Hinduism (Shaktism) and Vedic deities. Another notable feature of these temples is the artwork in their ceilings, how the shilpins (artisans) integrated the historic pre-Hoysala architectural innovations from the Chalukya era. Further, the temples include north Indian Bhumija and south Indian Vesara aedicules on the outer walls above the panels. It is unclear when this temple pair was built, but given the style and architectural innovations embedded therein, it was likely complete before 1250 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kedareshwara Temple, Halebidu</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

Kedareshwara Temple is a Hoysala era construction in the historically important town of Halebidu, in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It is located a short distance away from the famous Hoysaleswara Temple. The temple was constructed by Hoysala King Veera Ballala II and his Queen Ketaladevi, and the main deity is Ishwara. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadasiva Temple, Nuggehalli</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

The Sadasiva temple at Nuggehalli is a 13th-century Shiva temple with Hoysala architecture in Nuggehalli village, Hassan district, Karnataka, India. The temple is one of the best illustrations of the Hoysala era Nagara temple with the stellate style, remarkable for its octagonal star configuration with clean, simple aesthetics. The brilliant synthesis of South Indian ideas with North Indian architectural plan makes it a special monument. It is also notable for its artwork that depicts legends of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Vedic deities together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jain temples, Halebidu</span> Jain temples in the state of Karnataka

Jain Basadi complex in Halebidu, Hassan district consists of three Jain Basadis dedicated to the Jain Tirthankars Parshvanatha, Shantinatha and Adinatha. The complex is situated near Kedareshwara temple and Dwarasamudra lake. The temple complex also includes a step well called Hulikere Kalyani.

References

  1. "Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO (2014), Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala, UNESCO
  3. Kirsti Evans 1997, p. 8.
  4. Foekema (1996), p.59
  5. 1 2 Robert Bradnock; Roma Bradnock (2000). India Handbook. McGraw-Hill. p. 959. ISBN   978-0-658-01151-1.
  6. Catherine B. Asher (1995). India 2001: Reference Encyclopedia. South Asia. pp. 29–30. ISBN   978-0-945921-42-4.
  7. Joan-Pau Rubiés (2002). Travel and Ethnology in the Renaissance: South India Through European Eyes, 1250-1625. Cambridge University Press. pp. 13–15. ISBN   978-0-521-52613-5.
  8. Kamath (2001), p129
  9. 1 2 3 4 V. K. Subramanian (2003). Art Shrines of Ancient India. Abhinav Publications. pp. 75–77. ISBN   978-81-7017-431-8.
  10. 1 2 3 Kirsti Evans 1997, pp. 196–199.
  11. 1 2 Krishna 1971, pp. 33–34, 37–46.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Krishna 1971, pp. 34–36.
  13. 1 2 Gerard Foekema 1996, pp. 59–61.
  14. Kirsti Evans 1997, pp. 8–10, 196–199.
  15. 1 2 Dewan 1989, pp. 343–354.
  16. 1 2 S. Settar. "Hoysala Heritage". Frontline, Volume 20 - Issue 08, April 12–25, 2003. Frontline, From the publishers of the Hindu. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  17. Om Prakash Prasad (1979), Three Capital towns of the Hoysalas, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 40 (1979), pp. 88-90
  18. UNESCO. "Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala". UNESCO World Heritage Center. UNESCO. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  19. R. P. Arya (2007). Incredible India: Tourist & Travel Guide. Indian Map Service. p. 229.
  20. 1 2 Roshen Dalal (2002). The Puffin History of India for Children, 3000 BC - AD 1947. Penguin Books. p. 195. ISBN   978-0-14-333544-3.
  21. Abraham Eraly (2015). The Age of Wrath: A History of the Delhi Sultanate. Penguin Books. pp. 155–157. ISBN   978-93-5118-658-8.
  22. B. L. Rice (2001). Gazetteer of Mysore. Asian Educational Services. pp. 353–354. ISBN   978-81-206-0977-8.
  23. James C. Harle (1994). The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent . Yale University Press. pp.  261–267. ISBN   978-0-300-06217-5.
  24. JF Fleet, Nele-Vidu: Appayana-Vidu, The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Cambridge University Press, pp. 117-119
  25. Hardy 1995, pp. 244–245.
  26. Katherine Kasdorf 2013, pp. 37–43, 78–81 with footnotes.
  27. Katherine Kasdorf 2013, pp. 78–81 with footnotes.
  28. 1 2 3 Hardy 1995, pp. 246–247.
  29. 1 2 3 4 Krishna 1971, pp. 34–37.
  30. Kamath (2001), p. 135
  31. 1 2 Foekema (1996), p. 61
  32. Foekema (1996), p. 93
  33. Quote:"The Hoysala style is an offshoot of the Western Chalukya style", Kamath (2001), pp. 13436)
  34. Krishna 1971, pp. 34–46.
  35. 1 2 Gerard Foekema 1996, pp. 59–62.
  36. 1 2 3 S. Settar. "Hoysala Heritage". Frontline, Volume 20 - Issue 08, April 12–25, 2003. Frontline, From the publishers of the Hindu. Retrieved 22 November 2006.
  37. Kirsti Evans 1997, pp. 196–207.
  38. Gerard Foekema 1996, pp. 61–62.
  39. 1 2 Krishna 1971, pp. 37–46.
  40. 1 2 Kirsti Evans 1997, pp. 196–227.
  41. Evans, Kirsti (1999). "Visual Narratives in Indian Art: Scenes from the Mahābhārata on the Hoysala Temples". South Asian Studies. Taylor & Francis. 15 (1): 25–40. doi:10.1080/02666030.1999.9628563.
  42. Krishna 1971, pp. 37–39.
  43. 1 2 Krishna 1971, pp. 39–40.
  44. Krishna 1971, pp. 40–41.
  45. Krishna 1971, pp. 41–42.
  46. Krishna 1971, pp. 42–44.
  47. Krishna 1971, pp. 44–45.
  48. Krishna 1971, pp. 45–46.
  49. 1 2 3 4 Narasimhacharya 1990, pp. 7–8.
  50. Kamath (2001), p. 116
  51. Krishna 1971, pp. 46–47.
  52. Krishna 1971, pp. 46–48.
  53. 1 2 Evans, Kirsti (1993). "Two Lintels with Dancing Śivas in a Hoysala Temple". South Asian Studies. Taylor & Francis. 9 (1): 61–75. doi:10.1080/02666030.1993.9628460.
  54. 1 2 3 Krishna 1971, pp. 48–49.
  55. 1 2 Narasimhacharya 1990, pp. 6–8.
  56. Kamath (2001), p. 117)
  57. Krishna 1971, pp. 33–37.
  58. Hardy 1995, pp. 247–253.
  59. 1 2 3 Narasimhacharya 1990, pp. 8–9.
  60. Narasimhacharya 1990, pp. 7–9.
  61. K. Kannikeswaran. "Halebidu, Temple of the month". TempleNet. Retrieved 22 November 2006.
  62. Brown 1949, pp. 142–143.
  63. Dewan 1989, p. 343.
  64. Katherine Kasdorf 2013, pp. 19–21 with footnotes.
  65. Hardy 1995, p. 15 with note 24.
  66. 1 2 Katherine Kasdorf 2013, pp. 19–22 with footnotes.
  67. Katherine Kasdorf 2013, pp. 25–26 with footnotes.
  68. Krishna 1971, p. 6.

Bibliography