Musafir

I entered the temple from near one of the Nandi pavilions. Right in front, is the shrine of Linga and a long corridor in front. The two corridors connect the natya mantapas which are in front of each of the main shrines. There are 108 pillars inside and each is of a different design.  Each of them is more than 16 feet in height, some stellar in shape, most of them roundish with designs like bell or kalasa or flower vase combined perpendicularly to make a harmonious single attractive tall piece. Even though the pillars look monolithic, they are actually formed out of five pieces. The natya mantapa is rounded by four pillars with dancing figures carved on each of them. In all, 84 sculptures were carved inside the temple and 70 of them are currently missing (stolen by British) and can be found today in the Victoria Museum, London. It is said that in those days, Queen Shanthala used to dance in this natya mantapa as worship to Lord Siva.

The entire ceiling is divided into 22 square panels and each square is exquisitely carved with forms of Bramha, Vishnu and Siva. The various sculptures were carved separately and interlocked with the ceiling which gives a monolithic look. The pillars here also follow the same technique. Now lets talk about the sanctum portions. The inside of the sanctum is pretty dark and a little lit with artificial sources. There is the Prarthana Mantapa outside the sanctum and is again barred from entering. You will find the beautiful sculptures of the two guardians of Lord Siva, Nandi and Bhrungi outside the Mantapa. Each stands 5 feet tall and is exquisitely carved with 300 ornaments each. The carving is so detailed that you can notice even the smallest designs in greater detail.

As mentioned earlier, It took 190 years and seven generations to complete this awesome temple. There were many people that donated funds for the construction and we can find Sanskrit (Devanagari Script) and Kannada inscriptions mentioning the names of the donors and information about them. There are 42 miniature shrines inside and outside the temple structure. The once housed idols in some form, however are empty today as a result of the invasion by Malik Kafur. The Hoysaleswara section of the temple has a Linga and a small Nandi in front of the sanctum. Both the shrines have a well carved entrance with a makara torana

There is not much to see inside the temple structure apart from the monolithic dwarapalas of both the Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara sanctums. This temple is known for its beauty of the external structure whereas the  Chennakesava Temple in Belur is known for its inner structure. I mentioned earlier that the temple has 4 entrances and we will talk about the external structure in detail in the coming post starting with the Royal Entrance.

There are some places when we see, we get a feeling that God himself created them. The Chennakesava Temple (also called Vijayanarayana Temple in olden days) in Belur is one of them. This is one extraordinary temple which is so vast that it took 103 years to complete. Belur is 40 kilometres from Hassan town and is on the banks of the Yagachi river.

The Chennakesava Temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in the year 1117 A.D, which many scholars believe was to promote his military success against Cholas, Chalukyas and others. A total of 118 inscriptions have been recovered from the temple complex, covering the period between c. 1117 CE to 18th century, which give details of the artists employed, grants made to the temple and renovations. The Hoysalas employed many noted architects and artisans who developed a new architectural tradition, which some historians call Karnata Dravida tradition. The master sculptor was Jakkanacharya and later his son Dankanacharya completed the construction. Jakkanacharya was entitled ‘Amara silpi’ (Immortal Sculptor). The credit of carving most of the sculptures goes to Jakkanacharya. A legend says that Dankanacharya found that the main statue of Lord Vishnu was faulty and had frog inside it. Jakkana, shocked to believe this, cuts his right hand. He will begin to build the other temple and contemplates the task. Later, the old temple(which had faulty statue) came to be known as Kappe Chennigaraaya's temple (kappe=frog).

By the time i reached Belur, it was very cloudy and i anticipated downpour. One needs at least an hour to spend in this complex. I could have spent as much as half a day, however due to the time constraint spent two hours. The main entrance to the complex is crowned by a rajagopura built during the Vijayanagara reign in the area. The view once i entered the temple is amazing. There lies a masterpiece in front stretching wide welcoming the visitors. The temple complex, the Chennakesava temple is in the centre, facing east and flanked by Kappe Channigraya temple on its right, and a small Sowmyanayaki (Lakshmi) temple set slightly back. On its left, set slightly back is the Ranganayaki(Andal) temple. There are also shrines dedicated to Saint Ramanuja and the twelve alwars in this temple complex.

There are smaller shrines on either ways of the steps that lead inside the temple. They are very beautifully carved out of one stone with intricate designs. Each shrine has a kalasa on top and sculptures of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu beautifully carved inside. One the topmost step, you will find large life like sculptures of the Royal Emblem of the Hoysala Dynasty (Sala killing the Tiger) on either sides. The sculpture is so detailed that even some not so insignificant details like Sala holding the dagger are shown. The temple was built using soap stone which will be soft when unearthed, however turns hard as it gets exposed to light and air.

The Chennakesava temple has three entrances and the doorways have decorated sculptures called dvarapalaka (doorkeepers) on either side. Two main Sthambha (pillar) are there in this temple complex. The pillar facing the main temple, the Garuda sthambha was erected in the Vijayanagar period while the pillar on the right, the Deepa sthambha dates from the Hoysala period.  We will talk about this Deepa Sthamba after a little while. A dhwajasthamba signifies that the temple is still functional and there is a deity who is worshipped. Absence of flag post tell us that the temple is a monument.

This is just the beginning of an amazing temple constructed for over 100 years with 1000 sculptors working on it. As i move inside the temple, i look forward to have a great darshan of the beautiful Chennakesava.

My next destination is again to a small remote village called Doddagadavalli which is 16 kilometres from Hassan. Here you will find the magnificent Lakshmi Temple constructed during the reign of King Vishnuvardhana. And the location chosen for this temple is superb. It is amidst coconut plantations and near a lake shore. Doddagadavalli is again a very small village with not more than a 100 houses. The temple was locked when i reached over there. We had to wait for 10 minutes before the priest was called.

There is nice landscaping done by the Archaeological Survey of India inside this temples complex. As we enter the main gate and move in, we come to a small mantapa which leads to the inner complex. There are two rows of round pillars between which there is the walkway. Right in front of this mantapa, we find some broken statues and inscriptions. I walk through the mantapa and enter the main temple complex.

This temple is said to have commissioned by a merchant called Kullahuna Rahuta and his wife Sahaja Devi. It is one of the earliest ones built in the Hoysala style and it does not stand on a “jagati” unlike normal Hoysala temples. The temple is a chatuskuta construction (four towers). Three of the vimanas (shrines) have a common square mantapa (hall) with 9 bays. Each vimana has a vestibule connecting it to the central mantapa. On top of the vestibule is its own tower called sukanasi. The sukanasi holds the Hoysala emblem of Sala fighting the tiger. Of the four towers, three are undecorated and they look stepped pyramidal with a pile of dented horizontal mouldings with the kalasa on top. The fourth tower is very well decorated which is typical of Hoysala designs and is the tower of the main shrine that houses the Lakshmi Devi image.

The temple is dark inside except for light sources in the sanctum. The ceiling of the central hall are extraordinary carved. Thanks to the closed nature of the temple architecture, you need some torch to see the details. If you are lucky enough, the caretaker would have a battery operated torch with him.

You will find round pillars right along the pathway inside the temple. Some parts of the wall are beautifully carved the others are very raw. The main deity Lakshmi is in the middle shrine and Vishnu and Siva are to the right. While the shrines of Lakshmi , Vishnu and Siva shares a common Mantapa ( square hall) , the shrine of Kali is connected to the Mantapa via an oblong hall. The two entrances to the temple are located in this oblong hall.

The Kali shrine is to the left outside which i found something interesting and unique. There are two sculptures of large demonic living corpses called ’betala’. As seen in this image, you see the skeleton and a human head held in it right hand. These betala images are absolutely unique to the temple of Doddagadavalli. Though it is not unusual to spot such demon images in other Hoysala temple, here they are carved in a mysterious style that evokes a cult like outlook to the shrine. I

Another unusual feature of the temple is the existence of four more shrines at each corner of the temple complex with two sides of each shrine attached to the courtyard wall. Each of these minor shrines has its own tower, kalasa and Hoysala emblem. On the whole the temple complex has nine towers which is unusual for a Hoysala temple. There is also a Bhairava temple in this complex, but its barred from entering inside. In the court , between the main temple and the Bhairava temple is a stone plank with inscriptions and images carved on it. This temple compound contains about six such inscriptions explaining the construction and patronage. In all probability many people would have contributed its construction at various points in time and hence many such planks installed at various points. This temple is almost intact except for the worn out sculptures outside. Nothing has been done by the ASI to preserve this amazing legacy. This temple needs urgent attention.

I spent nearly half an hour in this temple, covering every aspect and every corner inside. I was very excited with the fact that i was knowing about a new dynasty. The Hoysala rulers are not well known as their contemporary kingdoms are. As i am come outside this temple, i looked forward to my next pit-stop, the beautiful Chennakesava Temple at Belur.

Before we talk about the architecture, we will talk a little bit about the dynasty. The Hoysala Empire was a prominent South Indian Kannadiga empire that ruled most of the modern day state of Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur but was later moved to Halebidu. By the 13th century, they governed most of present-day Karnataka, minor parts of Tamil Nadu and parts of western Andhra Pradesh in Deccan India. The most notable rulers of the dynasty were Vishnuvardhana (1108-1152) and Veera Ballala II (1173 - 1220) in whose rule the kingdom flourished greatly in terms of art. The are became part of the Vijayanagara empire after the death of the last king, Veera Ballala III (1292-1343). We know about the dynasty and the administration from many inscriptions that are there in the temples in this part of Karnataka.

The Hoysala era was an important period in the development of art, architecture, and religion in South India. The empire is remembered today primarily for its temple architecture. Over a hundred surviving temples are scattered across Karnataka, including the well known Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. The Hoysala rulers also patronised the fine arts, encouraging literature to flourish in Kannada and Sanskrit.

Kannada folklore tells of a young man Sala, who saved his Jain guru Sudatta by striking dead a tiger he encountered near the temple of the Goddess Vasantika at Sosevur. The word "strike" literally translates to "hoy" in Hale Kannada (Old Kannada), hence the name "Hoy-sala". This killing of the tiger by Sala has become the royal emblem of the kingdom as you see in this picture. This legend first appeared in the Belur inscription of Vishnuvardhana (1117), but owing to several inconsistencies in the Sala story it remains in the realm of folklore. Now we will talk about the architecture in general.

The area in and around the districts of Hassan and Mandya are the only places where you can find this style of temple construction in the state of Karnataka. Study of the Hoysala architectural style has revealed a negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian style is more distinct. The vigorous temple building activity of the Hoysala Empire was due to the social, cultural and political events of the period. The growing military prowess of the Hoysala kings desired to surpass their Western Chalukya overlords in artistic achievement. Temples built prior to Hoysala independence in the mid-12th century reflect significant Western Chalukya influences, while later temples retain some salient features but have additional inventive decoration and ornamentation, features unique to Hoysala artisans.

The Hoysalas usually dedicated their temples to Lord Shiva or to Lord Vishnu (two of the major Hindu gods), but they occasionally chose a different deity. While King Vishnuvardhana and his descendants were Vaishnava by faith,  records show that the Hoysalas maintained religious harmony by building as many temples dedicated to Shiva as they did to Vishnu. Most of these temples have secular features with broad themes depicted in their sculptures. The Kesava temple at Somanathapura is different in that its ornamentation is strictly Vaishnava.

A Hindu temple is a place of contact between the gods or deities and man. The focus of a temple is the centre or sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) where the image of the deity resides, so temple architecture is designed to move the devotee from outside to the garbhagriha through ambulatory passageways for circumambulation and halls or chambers (mantapas) that become increasingly sacred as the deity is approached. Most Hoysala temples have a plain covered entrance porch supported by lathe turned (circular or bell-shaped) pillars which were sometimes further carved with deep fluting and moulded with decorative motifs. The temples may be built upon a platform raised by about a metre called a "jagati". Such temples will have an additional set of steps leading to an open mantapa (open hall) with parapet walls. A good example of this style is the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura. The jagati which is in unity with the rest of the temple follows a star-shaped design and the walls of the temple follow a zig-zag pattern, a Hoysala innovation.

The mantapa is the hall where groups of people gather during prayers. The entrance to the mantapa normally has a highly ornate overhead lintel called a makaratorana (makara is an imaginary beast and torana is an overhead decoration) as you see in this picture. The open mantapa which serves the purpose of an outer hall (outer mantapa) is a regular feature in larger Hoysala temples leading to an inner small closed mantapa and the shrine(s).

The vimana, also called the cella, contains the garbhagriha (Sanctum Santorum) wherein resides the image of the presiding deity. The vimana is often topped by a tower which is quite different on the outside than on the inside. Inside, the vimana is plain and square, whereas outside it is profusely decorated and can be either stellate ("star-shaped") or shaped as a staggered square, or feature a combination of these designs, giving it many projections and recesses that seem to multiply as the light falls on it.

Hoysala artists are famous for their sculptural detail, be it in the depiction of the Hindu epics, yallis , deities, kirthimukha (gargoyles), eroticism or aspects of daily life. Their workmanship shows an attention paid to precise detail. Every aspect down to a fingernail or toenail is perfected. Salabhanjika, a common form of Hoysala sculpture, is an old Indian tradition going back to Buddhist sculpture. Sala is the sala tree and bhanjika is the chaste maiden. In the Hoysala idiom, madanika figures are decorative objects put at an angle on the outer walls of the temple near the roof so that worshipers circumambulating the temple can view them. They served the function of bracket figures to pillars inside the mantapa. These madanika were sculpted as seemingly engaged in artistic activities such as music (holding musical instruments) and dance.Kirthimukhas (demon faces) adorn the towers of vimanas in some temples. Sometimes the artists left behind their signatures on the sculptures they created.

The sthamba buttalikas are pillar images that show traces of Chola art in the Chalukyan touches. Some of the artists working for the Hoysalas may have been from Chola country, a result of the expansion of the empire into Tamil-speaking regions of Southern India. The image you see here is of mohini on one of the pillars in the mantapa (closed hall) of the Chennakeshava temple and is a fine example of Chola art.

We had a nice glimpse of the Hoysala art and architecture and this will take the further posts forward in our understanding. As for the blog, i will continue with exploring the Hassan District in further posts.