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. 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.
Shravanabelagola is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 144 km from Bangalore. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural activity under the patronage of Western Ganga dynasty of Talakad. Chandragupta Maurya is said to have died here in 298 BCE after he became a Jain monk and assumed an ascetic life style.
The Someshwara temple, situated in Kolar town of Karnataka state, India, is an ornate 14th century Vijayanagara era Dravidian style construction. Someshwara, another name for the Hindu god Shiva is the presiding deity in the temple. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance.
Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga. The general belief is that the Western Gangas began their rule during a time when multiple native clans asserted their freedom due to the weakening of the Pallava empire in South India, a geo-political event sometimes attributed to the southern conquests of Samudra Gupta. The Western Ganga sovereignty lasted from about 350 to 550 CE, initially ruling from Kolar and later, moving their capital to Talakadu on the banks of the Kaveri River in modern Mysore district.
Chavundraya or Chamundaraya was an Indian military commander, architect, poet and minister. He served in the court of the Western Ganga dynasty of Talakad. A person of many talents, in 982 he commissioned the construction of the monolithic statue of Bahubali, the Gomateshwara, at Shravanabelagola, an important place of pilgrimage for Jainism. He was a devotee of the Jain Acharya Nemichandra and Ajitasena Bhattaraka and was an influential person during the reigns of Marasimha II Satyavakya, (963–975). Rachamalla IV Satyavakya, (975–986) and Rachamalla V (Rakkasaganga), (986–999).
Karnataka, a state in South India has a long association with Jainism, a religion which enjoyed patronage of major historic kingdoms in the state such as the Rastrakuta Dynasty, Western Ganga, Kadamba and Chalukya dynasties and the Hoysala Empire. Today the state is home to a number of Jain monuments, such as temples, Gommata statues and stambhas.
The Ranganthaswamy temple in Srirangapatna, in the Mandya district of Karnataka state, India, is dedicated to the Hindu god Ranganatha. It is one of the five important pilgrimage sites of Smartha -BaboorKamme & Sri Vaishnavism along the river Kaveri for devotees of Ranganatha. These five sacred sites are together known as Pancharanga Kshetrams in Southern India. Since Srirangapatna is the first temple starting from upstream, the deity is known as Adi Ranga. The town of Srirangapatna, which derives its name from the temple, is located on an island in the river Kaveri.
The Kalleshvara temple is located in Aralaguppe, a village in the Tiptur taluk of Tumkur district, in the Indian state of Karnataka.
The Mallikarjuna temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is in Basaralu, a small town in the Mandya district, Karnataka state, India. Basaralu is close to Nagamangala and about 65 km from the culturally important city of Mysore. The temple was built by Harihara Dhannayaka around 1234 A.D. during the rule of the Hoysala Empire King Vira Narasimha II. This temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Nageshvara temple complex is located in Begur, a small town within the Bangalore urban district of Karnataka state, India. From inscriptions, it is known that Begur was once called Veppur, and Kelele. Two shrines within the temple complex, the Nageshvara and Nageshvarasvami were commissioned during the rule of Western Ganga Dynasty Kings Nitimarga I and Ereyappa Nitimarga II. The remaining shrines are considered a later day legacy of the rule of the Chola Dynasty over the region. An Old Kannada inscription, dated c. 890, that describes a "Bengaluru war" was discovered in this temple complex by the epigraphist R. Narasimhachar. The inscription is recorded in "Epigraphia Carnatica". This is the earliest evidence of the existence of a place called Bengaluru.
The Tyagada Brahmadeva Pillar is a decorated free standing pillar, 2.3 m tall, commissioned by Chamundaraya, an important minister and commander in the Western Ganga kingdom, during the rule of King Marasimha II (963–975), Rachamalla IV (975–986) and Rachamalla V. The pillar dates to around 983 C.E. and exists on the Vindyagiri hill in the important Jain heritage town Shravanabelagola, in the Karnataka state, India. On the base of the pillar, on the north side, is an inscription in old Kannada language of the same period, which according to epigraphist and historian B.L. Rice confirms Chamundaraya's involvement in the erection of the pillar. Free standing pillars are a characteristic feature of the Western Ganga art and are broadly classified as "Mahastambha" and "Brahmastambha".
Akkana Basadi is a Jain temple (basadi) built in 1181 A.D., during the rule of Hoysala empire King Veera Ballala II. The basadi was constructed by the devout Jain lady Achiyakka, wife of Chandramouli, a Brahmin minister in the court of the Hoysala king. The main deity of the temple is the twenty-third Jain Tirthankar Parshwanath. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is part of a Archaeological Survey of India Adarsh Smarak Monument along with other temples in the Shravanabelagola group of monuments.
The Brahma Jinalaya, sometimes called as the Greater Jain Temple of Lakkundi, is an early 11th-century Mahavira temple in Lakkundi, Gadag District of Karnataka state, India. The temple is attributed to Attiyabbe, the wife of the local governor Dandanayaka Nagadeva. It faces east, has a mukhamandapa, a gudhamandapa and its sanctum is covered by a sur-temple style vimana superstructure. The temple is notable for its reliefs depicting Jaina artwork, statues of the Tirthankaras and the two Hindu statues of Brahma and Saraswati inside its inner mandapa.
The Group of temples at Talakad, located about 45 km south-east of the culturally important city of Mysore in the Karnataka state of India are ancient Hindu temples built by multiple South Indian dynasties. Archaeological excavations of the sand dunes at Talakad have shown the existence of several ruined temples built during the rule of the Western Ganga dynasty (c.345-999). However, according to historian I. K. Sarma, only two temples, the Pataleshvara and Maraleshvara, built during the reign of King Rachamalla Satyavakya IV (r.975-986) are intact. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Vaidyeshvara temple, the largest, the most intact and ornate of the group bears Ganga-Chola-Hoysala architectural features. Its consecration is assignable to the 10th century with improvements made up to the 14th century. According to the art historian Adam Hardy, the Kirtinarayana temple was built in 1117 A.D. by the famous Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana to celebrate his victory over the Cholas in the battle of Talakad. It has currently been dismantled by the ASI for renovation. Only its mahadwara is intact. The Sand dunes of Talakad are protected by the Karnataka state division of the ASI. The Vaidyeshvara and Kirtinarayana temples are protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.
Shantinatha Basadi, a Jain temple dedicated to the sixteenth Tirthankar Shantinatha is located in the historically important temple town of Jinanathapura near Shravanabelagola. It is a village in Channarayapatna taluk in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India.
Dharanendra is the Yaksha of Parshvanatha, twenty-third Tirthankara in Jainism. He enjoys an independent religious life and is very popular amongst Jains. According to the Jain tradition, when Lord Parshvanatha was a prince, he saved two snakes that had been trapped in a log in an Kamath’s fire. Later, these snakes were reborn as Dharanendra, the lord of the underworld Naga Kingdom, and Padmavati. They, then sheltered Parshvanatha when he was harassed by Meghalin. Śvētāmbara tradition, however, does not list Padmavati among the main queens of Dharanendra.
Govindanahalli is a small village in Mandya district of Karnataka state, southern India.
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. These temples were constructed in the 12th century during the reign of Hoysala Empire along with Kedareshwara temple and Hoysaleswara Temple have been proposed to be listed under UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chavundaraya basadi or Chamundaraya basadi or Boppa-Chaityalya is one of the fifteen basadis located on the Chandragiri Hill in Shravanabelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Archaeological Survey of India has listed the Chavundaraya basadi in group of monuments in Shravanabelagola as Adarsh Smarak Monument.
Parshvanatha Basadi or Kamatha Parshvanatha Basadi is a Jain temple (basadi) located on Chandragiri Hill in Shravanabelagola, a town in Karnataka, India.
