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 Basadi in the Channarayapattana region.
5 Hoysala Art Basadi In Channarayapattana
Bhandari Basadi
This huge basadi was built in 1159 by Hulamayya, a general of hoysala king Narasimha during his reign. It is located at a distance of 300 meters from Vindhyagiri in the heart of Shravanabelagola town. The area of the basadi is 155 x 232 feet. The high artistic taste of the Hoysalas is reflected in the sculptures here. The decorative mandapa opposite the temple is a beautiful construction. The tower opposite the basadi is small but has a beautiful design. It is still a sacred pilgrimage site for Jains. The basadi is 12 feet wide in a rectangular shape. The place has 12 pillars and has a structure called Saraswati Mandapam in front of it so that the middle Navaranga is for dance service.
At the back of the sanctum sanctorum, 24 Jain Tirthankaras and Yaksha-Yakshis can be seen. The statue of Indra in Navaranga is magnificent. The area was later cleared during the vijayanagara period. It is known as the Basadi of 24 Tirthankaras. Apart from naming it as Bhavya Chudamani, the creator Hulamayya Bhandari has been honoured with the title Sanyaktva Chudamani. Another name for this is Gomatpuri Bhushana, which historically is a place of great respect.
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Akkana Basadi
Akkana Basadi was built in 1181 during the reign of Veera Ballala II by a Jain devotee named Achiyakka or Achaladevi. Her husband, Chandramouli, a Brahmin, was a minister in the Hoysala court. The main deity of this temple is the 23rd Jain Tirthankara, whose name is Parshvanatha. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. According to historian Adam Hardy, this is a monolithic basadi. Parshvanatha, who has a seven-headed serpent on his head, is the presiding deity. There is also a protruding sukanasi. The spindle-pillared structures and porch-mandapas found here are found in all the Hoysala temples. The same stones are used here. It is speculated that the inspiration for this was the Western Chalukyas. Though the temple is facing east, the temple has a large outer prakara. The temple is accessible from the south. If the basadi has a serious look, it is because its outer wall is flat and there is no art exhibition.
The adhishthana rests on five strips. The peak of the temple is flat. In the east-facing relief, a yogi with two auxiliary yakshas is shown on the other side of Kirtimukha. There are three shrunken stages on the summit, on which the amalaka is placed on a two-foot square. Idols of Dharmendra and Padmavati can also be seen. There are jalatras in the doorway with stripes below. There are beautiful Bhuvaneswaris in the nine divisions of the Navaranga adjacent to it. There is also a huge inscription of Old Kannada given by King Veeraballala for the construction of the temple. The main attraction of akka’s basadi is the huge pillars decorated with beads found there.
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Chandragupta Basadi
Chandragupta Basadi at Chandragiri is named after Chandragupta Maurya. This is the main basadi to be seen in Chandragiri. In front of the sanctum sanctorum of this three-room basadi is a single corridor. Later, jalandra and katanjana were installed. Built in the 12th century, the basadi has a statue of Parshvanath in the middle room and statues of Shrutakevali Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta adjacent to it. There are idols of Padmavati and Kushmandini Yakshis.
The outer wall is decorated with various sculptures. According to the inscription here, dasoja is mentioned as the son of Ramoja, the architect of Katanjana. These sculptures of Katanjana contain details of the migration of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta and the sallekhana vratas. Here is a large collection of all the paintings of Jalandra sculptures.
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Chavundaraya Basadi
The Chavundaraya Basadi itself seems to be the most beautiful and the largest of all the Basadi in Shravanabelagola. It has been named as the king of basadi by historians and architects. There is epigraphical evidence that it was built by Chavundaraya himself. There is a small inscription on the pedestal of the Jina idol on the top floor. It is engraved during the Hoysala period and the inscription mentions Trilokya Ranjana, Boppa Chaityalaya. With a square sanctum sanctorum and a one-storey structure, the temple has sukanasi, navaranga and mukhamantapa made of fine granite. There is a ladder made of stone to climb the floor. Though the outer wall is undecorated, there are good carvings on the peak.
It is dedicated to Neminatha, the twenty-second Tirthankara of the Jains. The construction of schools, kootas and cages here reflects the Dravidian style. The sculptor who created the idol of Neminatha in the sanctum sanctorum was Gangachari, the son of Hoysalachari. It is evident that he has been given the title of Mukhatilaka, the founder of the title, in Kannada. It can be inferred that this statue of Neminath may have been brought in later. Sukanasi has statues of yaksha-yakshis Sarvahna and Kushmandini. In the upper basadi there is an idol of Suparshvanatha installed by Jinadeva.
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Eradu Katte Basadi
Eradu Katte basadi houses the idol of Adinatha, the first Jain Tirthankara. It is about five feet high. The four bell-shaped pillars in the Navaranga are attractive. According to an inscription on a pillar, these belong to the 9th-10th century. It is believed that dugga maravoja, a Hoysala sculptor, had prepared it for the navaranga of the temple and was used by Gangaraja and Lakshmi devi in this basadi. It can be inferred that such pillars bearing the name of the architect were in use in the 10th-12th century. Adjacent to this basadi is an inscription of Vishnuvardhana’s wife Shantale. The basadi is a complex of four temples originally created in the 12th century from brick and mortar. It has embankments on both sides, accessible from the east and west directions. Hence, it is called two-katte basadi. To the left and right of Adinatha are the idols of men wearing chamaras. There are sculptures of yakshas and yakshis in Sukanasi. It is evident from the inscription on the pedestal that it was built by Lakshmi, the wife of Gangaraja. It may have been built around 1118.
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Also Read;
Sri Kurmam Temple – Abode Of Little Living ‘Gods’ (thearchspace.com)
My Visit To The Ambreshwar Shiva Mandir – Ambernath (thearchspace.com)
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