Have you ever wondered what the Hoysala Architecture looks like? For many years, you may have been exploring famous Indian architectural styles such as Mughal, Dravidian ,Vijayanagara, etc. One of its unique kind of Indian-born style is the Hoysala architecture.
Let us delve into the examples of the impressive temples in the Krishnaraja Pete region.
4 Indian-Born Style Hoysala Art Temple In Krishnaraja pete
Lakshmi Narayana Temple
The Lakshminarayana temple was built by the Hoysalas in 1179. To its north-east is the Janneshwar temple. It has been repaired recently. The total size of the temple has increased as it is situated on a star-shaped jagati. There is a six-striped polygonal adhishthana with no carvings. The outer wall of the temple is simple and simple with no sculptures, no structure like kudyastambhas. According to the inscription, the Mahajanas took 46 varaha gadyanas from Maranna and Bommanna of Gandasi and granted them the right to worship the deity and they performed the rituals. It is also evident from the fact that the renovation and maintenance of the temple belonged to the Mahajans of Sindaghatta. Inside the temple, there is a garbhagriha, sukanasa, navaranga, mukha mantapa, etc. There are gatekeepers, jalandra structures. The Kapota part of the peak seems to extend slightly forward. The Navaranga has beautifully designed vithanas with nine columns and reliefs of ashtadikpalas. On top of it is a Dravidian style peak. Karnakutas are installed at the corners of the summit and a cage in the centre. The griva of the peak has provided a good basis for the Koota stupa. There is a structure of kirtimukhas in the Koota Stupi. There are two devakoshthas at the jagati level for the beginning of the temple. It is also a simple structure and the idols inside are no longer there. There is a structure of Kakshasana in front of the mandapa. The idol of Lakshminarayana in the sanctum sanctorum is very beautiful. On the outside is a prakara and a semi-constructed Rajagopuram structure. To the north-east of the temple is a tall tulsi katte.
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Sangmeshwara And Janneshwara Temple
The Dwikuta temples of Sangameshwara and Janneshwara (Jangameshwara) in the same place. There does not seem to be a consensus on the duration of its construction. Its structure is similar to the Panchalingeshwara temple at Govindanahalli. There is the use of both granite and sandstone. The sanctum sanctorum. There are no peaks above. On the one hand, it is thought to have been built during the reign of Ballala III in 1299, while in some gazetteers it is mentioned in some gazetteers that it was built during the reign of Vishnuvardhana or Ballala II in 1179. One is a Vaishnava temple and the other two are Saiva temples. There are twelve spindle-built pillars in the Navaranga, of which the carving of four pillars is amazing. The outer wall of the temple is simple without any carvings. Carvings are visible inside. Especially the vithanas here have retained their beauty. The navaranga pillars and vithanas are the attractions here. Nandi is also the main attraction of this temple. This beautifully constructed Nandi is carefully preserved. The nerves on Nandi’s face are also developed.
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Basveshwara Temple
Basaveshwara Temple at Hirekalale is located in K.R. Nagar. It is located at a distance of 8 km from the town. It is also known as Arkeshwara. It was built in the 10th century. There is an inscription of donating acres of land around the temple for the maintenance of the temple. If the lamp in the temple is lit every day, it will be alive. The oil required for the lamp was collected and donated through the tax levied on the betel leaf trade. The inscription records the donation of Lakkiji of the Kalamukha sect by washing his feet. This temple is also known as Basaveshwara Temple. As per the agreement between Hirekalale and Chikkalale towns, the puja rituals of the temple are shared for six-six months. The prakara of this temple was rebuilt during the reign of mysore kings. This is not a very large temple. Recently a mantapa has been constructed between nandikambha and temples. It is said that what is here is the Swayambhu Ankara Linga. The temple needs to be renovated. The villagers are also thinking about it. The time has not yet come. The inscription in front of the temple is whitewashed. It is written on all four sides. The pillars of Navaranga are also painted. Tiles have been installed in the sanctum sanctorum. No one feels that all this is wrong behaviour in the name of reform. This is a drawback. The concerned departments have to work towards providing proper awareness on this. The temple has sanctum sanctorum, antaraala, navaranga, etc. The pillars are very simple as they seem to belong to the early days of the Hoysalas. First there was the peak of the masonry. It has been updated. The neighbouring town is Chikkakalale. It is evident from the inscription that Hirikalale had the name Piriyakalale. Ganapati, Nandi, Bhairava, scattered inscriptions, hero stones, mastikallus, vamanamudra stones are some of the features of the stones, though not good carvings. But they are organized because they are arranged together. Such ancient temples need so much care. The adhishthana of the temple is buried in the soil. Since it has been repaired from time to time, the original form appears to be hidden on the outside. But this was necessary from the point of view of protection. Every year on Buddha Purnima, the utsavamurthy of Basavanna is brought from the nearby Chikkalale.
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Ishwara Temple
Thengatta is a small village located at a distance of 15 km from Krishnarajpet in Mandya district. Built in 1133 during the reign of Hoysala king Narasimha I, the Hoysaleshwara temple is now known as ishwara temple. According to another record, though it was built during the reign of Narasimha, it was jointly constructed in 1117 by Hadavala Kolayya of Thengatta, Hadavala Kavanna, Kencha Hadavala, Kalayanayaka and Heggade Manjaiah of Chikkatte, sons of Chavundavva. There is also information about the sculptors who built this temple. Hence, it is mentioned here that Bammoja was the son of Haloja of Kikkeri. It is easy to identify those sculptures due to the uniformity of the Hoysala style. It is noteworthy that there was a system for this uniformity.
This temple at Thenghatta is not a big one. The temple, which is in a dilapidated condition, needs to be renovated. Art is valuable from the point of view of beauty. The five-striped doorway is attractive. The temple has attractive vithanas with sanctum sanctorum, sukanasa, navaranga and mukhamantapa. There is a beautiful idol of Shiva and Parvati here. In this, the head of Lord Shiva is broken. Shiva’s family and their vehicles are depicted in detail. There are sculptures of saptamatrikas, bhairavas and sculptures in the Navaranga. The temple has kadamba nagara shikhara. The wall has a simple decoration of the kudyastambhas. The pillar peaks here resemble the peak of the temple. There is an idol of Bhairava which is different from the north-east of the temple.
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