Hoysala architecture is a distinctive style of temple architecture that flourished in the region of Karnataka, India. During the 11thand 14th centuries, the rulers of Hoysala dynasty gave importance to art and architecture, especially for the temples. These temples are adorned with intricate and ornate designs, and exquisite carvings depicting various deities that narrate Hindu mythological tales preserving the heritage.
5 Significant Temples Of Hoysala Art In Arasikere
Gandhareshwara Temple
The Gangadhareshwara Temple is one of the other Hoysala temples in this town. The temple is situated in the north-east direction of the town. It is in a dilapidated condition and difficult to carry out renovation. However, the rest is retained by the villagers and its pujas are performed daily. The walls of its outer shell have collapsed and are scattered nearby. If properly excavated and reconstructed, a beautiful temple is likely to come to life. To the west there is a mandapa which looks like an entrance hall. It appears to have shifted the mandapa elsewhere and placed a sculpture of a broken elephant in it.
Nandi sculptures and Shivalingas are in good condition in gangadhareshwara temple. The adhishthana of the temple is buried in the ground. When you enter, you will see that the height of the sanctum sanctorum and the sanctum sanctorum is low. Since it is whitewashed, it does not look like a temple on the surface. To the north-east of the temple is a pushkarini. There are many ancient monuments like Veerabhadra Temple, Chandranatha Jain Basadi, etc. in Javagal.
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Baneshwara Temple
Due to its geographical location Banavara became an important place for the Hoysalas. For it is only natural that Banavaravur, which was the centre of Dwarasamudra, the capital of the Hoysalas, was important for many important factors such as commerce, politics, army, agriculture, etc. Later on, it was the main place for many royal families like Vijayanagara, Marathas, Mysore kings, etc. The old part of Banavara town still has the remains of forts. Large trees have grown on the walls of this fort, which is made of only stone and mud. The courtyard of the fort with a single entrance is right in front of the temple.
There are indications that it was a warehouse. The vijayanagara style anjaneya idol opposite the entrance of the town is magnificent. There are several ancient and innovative temples along this road. As far as the Hoysala temple is concerned, there are two temples here. One of them is the ancient Channakeshava temple. It has now lost its Hoysala style. The structures of the Vijayanagara period are visible everywhere. But the original idol of Channakeshava is beautiful and is an important link in the Hoysala history here. There is a large inscription in front of the vast courtyard of the temple. There is a Vrindavana outside the temple. In front of it stands the statue of ancient Venugopala.
Since the outer wall of the temple was refined to that time, the carvings are not visible. Inside the temple, there are idols of Chamundeshwari, Soumyanayaki and Hanuman to the left of the sanctum sanctorum of Channakeshava. Another temple at Banavara belongs to Baneshwara. There was a Hoysala temple there. The work of reviving it is now underway. The pillars and outer walls of the original temple have been demolished. A huge piece of legislation has been retained. Sculptures of Shivalinga, Basavanna, Mahishasura Mardini and Ganapati have been reserved in the temple.
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Lakshmi Narsimha Temple
Javagallu is located at a distance of 50 km from Hassan and 20 km from Halebidu. Though there is a Lakshmi Narasimha temple here, the main idol in adhishthana is that of Sridhar, one of the 24 forms of Lord Vishnu. Apart from this, there are idols of Venugopala and Lakshmi Narasimha in the other two sanctum sanctorums. It was established in 1250 CE. It is believed to have been built in 1250. It was built by Veera Someshwara. No inscription on the construction of the temple has been found.
The structure of the temple is very similar to that of other Hoysala temples and is reminiscent of the temple at Somanathapura. This is actually the Trikutachala temple. But since the same sanctum sanctorum has only one peak, it does not feel like Trikutachala when viewed from the outside. The metal kalash has been installed as the stone kalash on the amalaka on the peak has been destroyed. The Hoysala emblem at Sukanasi is also missing. The sculptures on the outer wall of the mandapa seem to be of a new kind. There are a total of 141 sculptures.
All the sculptures seem to have been carved without haste and without a break. Interestingly, the sculptures here have a tinge of folklore. The base with a structure that extends half a meter forward is also special. As can be seen from the top in the lower bars, the first has swans, the second has makaras, the third has ramayana, mahabharata, bhagavata stories, the fourth has leafy vines, five have horses and the sixth bar has rows of elephants. There are large sculptures with clear features of the Chaturvinshati (24) idols of Lord Vishnu. These are good source sculptures for those who want to know about it.
The reason why the Hoysala temples have survived to this extent today is due to the interest of the Vijayanagara kings. Otherwise, the Hoysala structures would have collapsed. It shows respect for their love of God and sculptures. The Mysore kings also supported some temples.
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Shiva Temple
The Shiva temple at Arasikere is situated at an important place, it has not received the importance it deserves. It was once known as Aihole of the South. Many of the temples here have now been demolished. There were also Jain abodes. Some of the temples have been changed and their original form has disappeared. The artistry of the Shiva temple here is full of many aspects that need to be seen and appreciated. Standing atop a sprawling star-shaped verandah, the temple has an elaborate dome and a huge Bhuvaneswari that no other Hoysala temple has. There are miniature idols in the inner courtyard of its roof. The structure of the small pillars holding up the dome, the Kakshasana, the small statues beneath it are all attractive.
Following the star-shaped structure around the temple, idols of Lord Vishnu are seen at the junction of every corner. Though the deity here is Ishwara, a large number of vishnu sculptures are seen on the outer wall. The sculptures of devakoshthas and shikharas are common. The Bhumija-style peak is surrounded by pillars and on each pillar, though there are beautiful idols, they are all broken. Hands are broken, faces have been stoned and disfigured. However, it is also noteworthy that there are more male sculptures than female idols. The idol of Nandi is assembled in Sukanasi. The Bhuvaneswaris of Navaranga are simple structures of chachauka.
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Lakshmi Narayana Temple
Arakere village on the road leading to Banavara, between Javagallu and Halebidu in Hassan district, was known as Sarvajnapura. Vedic scholars were encouraged in this agrahara. Damodar Setti, a merchant from Kerala, built the Trikutachala temple in the centre of this village in 1233 during the reign of Narasimha II. The outer wall of the temple is not very attractive. There are simple carvings of Dasavatara, sculptures of various gods and goddesses. The pillars in the Navaranga are large in size. These too look round without much carvings. There are intricately carved Bhuvaneswaris. Though the main deity of the temple is Channakeshava, it is popularly known as Lakshminarasimha Temple.
There are idols of Keshava, Venugopala and Lakshmi Narasimha in the three sanctum sanctorums. The peak above the main sanctum sanctorum is constructed in the style of Phansa. If the Belur temple appears to be perfect, in the temples of areas such as Arakere, there are signs of a gradual development of Hoysala sculpture. There is a Shiva temple to the north-east of the village. In its sanctum sanctorum there are sculptures of Ramalingeswara, Nandi, Ganesha, Surya, Kartikeya, Saptamatrika, Keshava, Bhairava, etc. in the Navaranga. The temple has been renovated and the original form has changed. To the south-east of the temple is a lighthouse of the Vijayanagara period.
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Also Read;
The Symbolism Of Remembrance In Architecture (thearchspace.com)
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