Musafir

It took a lot of time for me to start writing this post as i was not very sure which is the temple i was looking at in my pictures. After lot of browsing and comparing photographs, i figured out that this is in fact the Veera Narayana Temple in Belavadi. Nice lesson learnt. Finish writing about the places as soon as possible. After all, i am writing about this almost 1.5 years after my travel.

This was one of the last destinations on my first day of the Hassan District Tour. I was very tired and my feet were paining with all the barefoot strolls in the Belur and Halebidu Temples spanning hours and i had very little time. Belavadi is a small village situated 29 kilometres south east of Chikmagalur on Chikmagalur — Javagal Highway and 10 kilometres North West of Halebidu. It was a pleasant site with lawns when i went over to the temple. You see first see a gopura kind of a construction (very wide though) with two elephant sculptures at either side of the entrance.

Once you cross this hall, you will come across one more small pillared mantapa again with elephants on either side. The pillars are round with nice cuts. It is evident that these two halls are not maintained by either the government or the locals. As you pass the mantapa, you will enter the main temple complex with the dhwajasthambha and the temple.

This ornate trikuta (three towers) temple was built in 1200 CE by Hoysala Veera Ballala II and Chloritic schist (Soap Stone) was used to build it. There are three shrines inside dedicated to Veeranarayana, Venugopala and Yoga- Narasimha. The plan of this temple is unique in that two of the shrines (Venugopala and Yoga Narasimha) face each other on either side of a wide and spacious open mantapa (hall) containing 37  bays. There is a small entrance in the middle of the hall through which i entered the temple. The mantapa looks very beautiful with the two rows of pillars. An important feature of the temple is the stone bench which runs all round the edge of the mukhamantapa. It is ornamented with rosettes and plasters. The shrines were locked. However, there were some locals sitting outside the temple and they informed the caretaker at once and they were opened while i was busy taking pictures :).

22 pillars, 20 of which are round bell-shaped ones, support the Mukhamantapa of the Veera Narayana shrine and the other two are star-shaped.  It has an 8 ft. (2.4 m) tall image of Veera Narayana with four hands, well elaborated with ornamentation and standing on a padmasana (lotus seat),  which is considered one of the best examples of Hoysala art. The inner walls of this shrine are plain but its roof is well decorated. The tower of the shrine consists of three tiers of decorated miniature roofs.

The other two symmetrical shrines have different plans. One shrine is square while the other is star shaped.  In all other aspects the two shrines are identical. All shrines have well sculptured decoration on the towers and the sculptures on the walls are bold and look good from a distance.   The southern shrine has an 8 ft. (2.4 m) tall image of Venugopala including a garuda pedestal (Krishna with flute) standing cross-legged and his fingers are lifted as if playing the flute. The northern shrine has a 7 ft. (2.1 m) tall image of Yoga Narasimha with protruding eyes, sitting in a yoga posture. The image has a band carved around it to help keep the legs in position.

The outer wall of the temple shows the older Hoysala style where there is one eave running around the temple where the superstructure meets the wall of the shrine and below this are decorative towers on pilasters.

This was the end of my very tiring first day. I sat happily in my cab to take me back to my hotel in Hassan. A hot water bath erased all my pain. After having a nice dinner with a beer, i looked at all my photographs for the day and slept thinking of my journey on the second day starting with the Manjarabad Fort, Sakleshpur.

The detail in which the sculptures of those days are carved is no longer found today. Sculptures that we see in temples like Swamynarayan may be beautiful in their designs; However, they are created with machines and cannot even be compared with the great detail of thought and effort that was put in those days. One small example is the Mahishasura Mardhini sculpture which shows Lord Parvathi in the form of Durga slaying the demon Mahishasura (in the form of a wild Buffalo). If you keenly observe, you can see that the tongue of the buffalo is sticking out and the expression on its face clearly shows that its dead. You can identify it with the bent head and the position of Goddess Durga’s leg. One more minute detail which is an example work of the great artisans are the skin folds on the buffalo’s neck. These details actually make these sculptures immortal. You can find many examples like this in the Hoysaleswara Temple. There is a statue called Nada Bramha which is a statue of a musician playing a drum. He wears a crown. Needless to say, the sculpture is monolithic. It is so delicately carved that you can see the small gaps in the crown as a design. Even a small ounce of carelessness would have totally ruined the sculpture and this their commitment to this level of detail has to be saluted.

Now lets see the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Vamana. Two different statues tell this story. The first is the dwarf man vamana asking for alms and the demon king Bali offering. Even though in original mythology, this whole thing was a dialogue, it is shown here that the King Bali offers water as a symbolic gesture for alms. The second statue shows the vamana taking the form of Trivikrama. The image on the right shows Trivikrama, with one step covering entire earth and covers the entire sky with his second leg. When he looks for a third step, the demon King Bali offers his head and Vishnu presses him down to the Patala. One the top left of the image, Bramha is shown washing the feet of Trivikrama and the water flowing over to the earth as the river Ganga. See the imagination of the artist. Fishes and tortoises are carved on the flowing pattern to depict it as a river. Vishnu’s carrier Garuda is shown with folded hands in front.

There is the statue of the Sun God with his two wives Sandhya (Sunset) and Chaya (Shadow). The statue of Chennakesava the main deity of the temple at Belur is carved at multiple places here even though this temple is primarily a Saiva one. It is said that these small statues looks exactly like the 9 feet one in Belur. In fact many of the statues like incarnations of Lord Vishnu and the various forms of Durga are repeated here with the immense size of the temple. There is also this large panel depicting the story Parijatapaharanam.. The background of the story is Krishna saving the Indraloka from a disaster and asking for the Parijatha (Lotus) Tree  in favour, Indra not conceding to the request and this angering Krishna and taking away the tree by force which ends in a fight between them. The artist’s imagination puts Krishna in the form of Lord Vishnu on his carrier Garuda along with Satyabhama, his wife. Indra comes on his carrier, the Iravatha (Elephant) with his wife Sachi Devi. Indra is shown holding his weapon the Vajrayudha and the elephant in a battle position ready to pounce. Many stories like this are depicted in the numerous panels and in the friezes of this temple.

Apart from the mythological forms, images of people and their various professions where also carved. In a particular one, you can find the sculpture of a person with a trouser like clothing and a wig. That was the clothing that was worn by the Dharmadhikari (the designation of the person who took care of the law and order during the Hoysala rule). These kind of sculptures found in many other temples across South India and they give a nice idea of the rule and the government structure. The amazing thing of those sculptures are that they depict the usage of some items which the modern man is said to have invented hundreds of years later., For example, two people are shown drinking coconut water through a straw pipe. People are shown using instruments like binoculars and telescope (Durbhin) and war artillery throwing missile like armoury. It is just the greatness of Indian culture that, we have known and used things long before the Western World even thought on similar lines.

Another detailed sculpture is the demon king Ravana lifting the moutain Kailasa which is abode of Lord Siva. Ravana is a great devotee of Lord Siva and is shown with 10 heads and 20 hands. The different kind of people and animals found on a typical mountain are shown in this sculpture and on the top are Lord Siva and Parvathi. This depiction is found in many other temples across India and the most famous of them is in the Cave 16 of the Ellora Caves. There is a small museum in the temple complex and that was closed at the time i had been there. There is a statue of Gomateswara in the complex. As we come to the end of our tour of this amazing structure, i would like people to note that i had just discussed only some of the most important aspects of the temple. This temple is extensive and will require considerable time to explore the length and breadth of it.

As for the blog, we will continue exploring the Hassan District and the next destination is Basadihalli, a small hamlet near Halebidu.

Any tourist that comes to Kanchipuram are referred to three temples and this is one of them. We had already seen the Kailasanathar Temple earlier. It is mentioned in olden records that this town had 1000 temples once upon a time and was and is still today a prominent centre of worship. And with the Kanchi Mutt established here, it is always famous.

On the way to the Ekambareshwara Temple, we come across an other temple of prominence. I do not remember the name of the temple and unfortunately, i lost my iternary of this trip. One thing is for sure that this is a Siva shrine considering the Nandi statue that we see in front of the temple. The temple is relatively smaller compared to the others. However, a lot of locals visited this place when i was there.

As you see in this picture, the temple is small but is built with amazing architecture entirely. The ceiling is a hemisphere and topped with three kalasas. Surprisingly, we find Vishnu idols carved on top of this temple. We may recognize them only on a closer look. We can also identify this on the sculptures that are carved on the gopura. Photography was not actually allowed inside this temple complex and i remembered switching off my camera after the priest shouted at me. I had a good darshan and moved on to the Ekambaranathar temple.

This is the principal Saiva sanctuary at Kanchipuram & also the largest religious edifice in the vicinity, easily recognized by the soaring gopuras that dominate the city's skyline. A lofty pavilion is built in the middle of the street that leads up to the south gateway of the complex. Images of Ravana lifting Kailasa, Karthikeya with six heads, and Bhairava are carved on the pillars of this pavilion. This temple spreads over an area of 12.14 hectares and is surrounded by a huge stonewall built in the early 16th century during the days of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Ekambareshwar temple is of hoary antiquity, beginning as a small fane, it has grown over the centuries into a large one with innumerable shrines, Mandapams, Gopurams and Tanks. It is considered to be one of the most ancient temples in India and has been in existence even prior to 600 AD. The gopura that provides the focus for this street rises no less than 58.5 m (192 feet) high. This impressive structure was erected in 1509 by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadeva Raya. The pyramidal tower has eight diminishing storeys in plaster-covered brickwork. The vaulted roof has arched ends surmounted by monster masks with bulging eyes, pot finials adorn the ridge. The lower part of the gopura is of stone and carved with beautiful images of dwarapalas and other deities.

The entrance to the inner complex is magnificent and the ceiling is a typical example of Vijayanagara architecture. The wooden door stands tall and decorated with kalasa kind of spokes. The sides of the doors is carved beautifully with creepers from the top to bottom. As we enter through the door, we see a painting on the left which tells about the legend that is associated with this temple.

According to the legend, Parvati, once in Kailasa, playfully closed the eyes of Lord Shiva, plunging the entire world in darkness. An angry Shiva cursed the Devi to turn dark like Kali. The Goddess descended on this place and did penance under a mango tree, making a Lingam out of earth. Hence, much significance is attached to this shrine and the mango tree, situated within the temple.

There is a Mantapa on the right side just after we enter through the main entrance. The Mantapas inside were constructed over generations of kings and dynasties. A clear distinction can be noticed in the architecture of each of the dynasties. Temples in Kanchipuram are always a amalgamation of art. Once we move further we see the main temple. It seems a narrow long one with not much place to move inside. Also, the outer side is recently renovated with colourful paintings. We cannot appreciate its true beauty and magnificence unless we move inside the shrine.

The view that we see in the picture above is only a small part of the temple. However, we also see the sanctum here. The temple tank is surrounded by four corridors like the one we see in this picture. The temple is supposed to have 1000 pillars in all the four courtyards. Once we enter the temple from the side, what we see further which looks like a small courtyard and a first view of the art.

Turn your head to the right and you see pillars with Pallava style of architecture. A ferocious lion is carved at the top of each of the pillar. There is one amazing thing in this pillars that i have not noticed in any of the places that i had visited before. There is one more thin pillar supporting the main pillar. However, both pillars are not different. The thin one is carved out of the main pillar. The main pillar is carved with various forms of deities. And there is a small gaps between the supporting and the main pillar. One may not feel the greatness of this just be seeing one pillar. But if there are a series of these that one sees, they would definitely appreciate the greatness.

Even though this is primarily a Siva shrine, we see many forms of Lord Vishnu like Lord Rama, Narasimha and Krishna on the temples. From this, we can understand that even though there were huge differences and conflicts between Saivaites and Vaishnavaites in the early history, they gradually reduced leading to harmony among the people and within the religion.

There is one small shrine of Goddess Kali that you find here. It is a black statue with eight hands. Each of the hands hold a different weapon and one in the abhaya mudra. What a temple of Siva is without a Nandi? We can find a beautiful idol of Nandi outside the main temple in a smaller mantapa. The mantapa is old, however the ceiling seems to be a recent construction. Even the Nandi statue is painted. If this is just for the beautification of the statue, it is sad to having demolished the actual beauty of it.

The above is the view if we turn our head to the right after entering the main temple. What do you see when you turn you head left is better experienced than said. We see a long series of pillars leading to the main sanctum. In between these statues, we find the dhwajasthamba standing magnificently in front. The pillars on each side have figures of horses ridden by warriors. They either are saluting the supreme deity or we can say that they depict the glory of the kingdom and the king who is a patron of the temples. These pillars are in typical Pallava architecture. Each of the pillars are carved from top to bottom with many deities, the prominent of which is the Devi aspect of Parvati.

I will talk more about this temple in the coming post too…

This is perhaps the monument which gave this town the name of ‘Seven Pagodas’ by earlier mariners. This high rising monument is located at the sea shore, hence the name Shore Temple, and is visible from quite a distance across the ocean. This monument would have acted as a landmark for the ships to get the right directions to safely dock at nearby shore. First look of the monument gives the feeling of a pagoda, which European mariners were quite familiar with hence they gave the name ‘Seven Pagodas’ to this town. It was indeed earlier thought as the work of Chinese or Egyptians, which was only later clarified with extensive study of various monuments of the town. The local villagers tells about stories of seven such monuments with gilded top crowns which they were able to see just above the water level, however all were submerged soon. ASI took up the task of underwater archaeology however nothing much was found to support the existence of those monuments. It is quite clear that the sea has encroached much of the ground of the temple, as ASI did a wonderful job to clear out the debris from 8 feet sand accumulated by continuous drift from the sea and constructed break-water wall all around the sea shore to save the temple from further damage.

This temple complex consist three different temples, raised above the same platform. Towers of the two temples have survived, but of the one is missing. Temple with smaller tower faces west while temple with large tower faces east towards the sea. Both the towers are pyramidal stepped structure which is topped with an octagonal sikhara above. The octagonal sikhara puts this into Dravidian style of temple architecture.

The large temple tower has three recessed storeys. The cornice of each storey has regular arrangement of kudus(horseshoe dormer windows) as seen in the cave temples. Octagonal sikhara is mounted over a circular griva. This sikhara is topped  with a kalasa and finial. The inner cell, garbhagriha, is a square of 12 feet sides and 11 feet high. There is a somaskanda panel at the back wall of this cell, while two similar panels are there in the porch of the temple. The enshrined Shivalinga is of typical Rajasimha style, made of black basalt stone with multi-faceted sides, sixteen in this case, and slightly fluted at the top such as to form the crown above the top. The upper part of the linga is broken. The total height of the linga would have been six feet out of this one feet is buried in the ground to fit in the hole to support the vertical shaft. The garbhagriha is preceded by a ardha-mandapa, in which south wall is sculpted Brahma and north wall is depicting Vishnu. On outer northern wall of the sanctum, we find two sculptures of interest, Shiva as Tripurantaka and Durga. There is an open circumambulatory path around this shrine. Many of the sculptures on the external walls are in much ruined condition.

The middle shrine, without any tower, is sandwiched in between small and large Shiva temples. This is a rectangular shrine to enshrine Anantasayana (Sleeping posture of Vishnu over Sesha) image of Vishnu. This image is very mush ruined and the attributes in his hands are beyond recognition. There is an inscription in Pallava Grantha script on the  lintel of this shrine which suggests that this is perhaps the earliest shrine of the complex. The smaller Shiva temple is sculpted in similar design as that of large temple or Dharmaraja Ratha. The tower is stepped pyramidal in design, topped with an octagonal sikhara mounted on a circular griha. The sikhara is topped with a kalasa and finial above that. The cell has a somaskanda panel at the back wall. There would have been a mandapa in front of this temple, however this is missing now.

In recent excavations, a compound is found near the main shrine, within the complex. This compound has a circular shrine in the middle which has rampant lions on its pilasters. It has a circular sikhara. Inside is shown a figure of Ganesha. There would have been a kalasa above this sikhara however it is missing now. Another interesting discovery is an image of Varaha (boar) placed within this compound. We have seen similar Varaha images at Khajuraho and Eran, however those images are shown representing varaha coming out of the ocean carrying Bhu-devi. This Varaha at Mahabalipuram is in different posture, it is shown with its head down and pressing its hind legs with force such as to plunge into the ocean. There is no figure of Bhu-devi hence it is assumed that the scene represented here is of the start of spectacle of getting Bhu-devi from the depths of the ocean. As the shrine and the Varaha are constructed at the base of the compound, hence when it would have been filled with water, this would have presented a marvellous fascinating scene of Varaha submerged in waters to get Bhu-devi from its depths.

Within the compound of this temple, is a monolith sculpture of a lion. This is partly  carved out of rock and partly sculpted. This majestic lion is seated majestically with a hole in its torso. This hole in its torso is perhaps a representation of a cave shrine. Inside the back of the hole, is carved a miniature image of Durga in Mahishasurmardini posture. Creation of this space near the heart of the lion also represents that concept of most loved person residing with your heart, viewers can recall a famous story from Ramayana where Hanuman opened up his heart to shown that Rama with Sita live within his heart. In similar fashion, for lion, being the mount of goddess Durga, it is quite appropriate to carve her image near its heart. A female guardian is shown sitting on lions leg, carrying a bow.

Hundreds of sculptures are found in this vicinity and are displayed as an open air  museum. There are few inscriptions found in this temple. Some of those are listed below.
1. On the lintel of Vishnu shrine is an inscription which refers this temple as Narapatisimha Pallava Vishnu Griha. Narapatisimha is a title of Rajasimha, as seen among his list of titles from Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchi.
2. On the plinth of two balipithas excavated in the courtyard of this temple, there is found a damaged Sanskrit record of six verses written in Pallava Grantha script. This inscription praises Pallava King Atyantakama, a title of Rajasimha.
3. In the slab of smaller Shiva temple, which is now inserted in the base, are found two inscriptions of Rajaraja Chola I dated in his twenty-fifth year of reign, 1010 CE. The names of the three temples mentioned in these inscriptions are,Kshatriyasimha Pallaveshvara-griham, Rajasimha Pallaveshvara-griham and Pllikondaruliya-devar. The whole complex is referred as Jalashayana. These inscriptions also indicates that the Vishnu shrine was executed first among all the shrines.

We now move on to the last leg of the trip to Mahabalipuram, the Tiger Cave.

The Pancha Pandava Cave is connected to the Arjuna’s penance and it is a raw and unfinished structure in the inside. However, it is beautifully carved on the outside and lions are carved on the pillars. There is one interesting piece here. One of the pillars is not carved as you see in the picture.

This is the biggest excavation at the site measure 50 feet in length. A cell is cut in the centre but is attached to the back. Behind the front pillars, there is another row of pillars which divide the Cave in five sections but all the sections are unfinished. There is not much to see in this cave and i move ahead to see the Krishna’s Butterball.

This is a very interesting stone. Seen from a distance, it looks as if it is ready to roll down. However, it has a base which prevents from doing so and that we know only when we go nearer it. Otherwise, it not of much interest in terms of art. The area near this stone is very rocky with huge boulders and vegetation. We need to walk on these rocks, pass through a narrow opening between two boulders and reach the Trimurthi Cave Temple.

This cave temple is a little different from the others as it does not have a pillared hall. The artists have excavated the cells directly into the cave face which is almost vertical. This is a triple celled shrine dedicated to the Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The central prominent cell is projected little forward, housing a Shiva image, which suggests that the cave was dedicated to Shiva as the main deity among the trinity. All the cells are flanked with dwarpalas on either sides.

The first cell i said to be that of Brahma. However, the sculpture inside has only one head and is wearing a cross-band on its chest, which cannot be Brahma. Some historians believe it to be of Subramanya. There is an old inscription on the floor of this cell mentioning the name Mamalla, suggesting the name of Narasimhavarman I,  in whose time this cave was commissioned.

There are two goblins on the top, on either side of Subramanya, one on left is holding a flag-post while having a pustaka in his arm-pit while that on right is shown holding a bowl of offerings. There are two devotees sitting on ground, with one hand raised in adoration and another placed on their chests.

The central shrine is a little projected to the front compared to the others. Inside the cell is an image of Shiva in a standing posture. He is shown with four arms, in his upper hand he is holding a axe and rosary of beads and his one lower hand is in abhaya mudra and another resting on his thigh. Two goblins on top are shown with one hand raised in adoration and another on their bent knees. Two devotes are  shown below, one squatting on the ground and holding a flower in one hand and other hand on his knee, while the other one is shown holding flowers in both the hands in anjali mudra. There is a lingam inserted into the base, however this is a later addition.

The rightmost cell is dedicated to Vishnu. The dvarpalas are shown in side-views, wearing kirita mukutas and yajnopavita. Inside the cell is an image of Vishnu, in standing posture. He is shown with four hands, in upper hands holding a sankha and chakra while one lower hand is in abhaya and another is resting on his thigh. Two goblins are shown on top with one hand raised in adoration. Below are shown two devotees, bent in similar fashion in adoration to the Lord.

There is a niche on southern most part of the rock where an image of Durga is carved. Durga is shown standing over a buffalo-head, representing demon Mahishasura. She is shown with eight hands, in her right hands she holds chakra (discus), khadga (sword) and ghanta (bell) while in her left hands she holds shankha (conch), dhanush(bow) and khetka (shield). Her remaining one left hand is in abhaya mudra and one right hand is on her thigh.

There is one more small temple near this Mantapa which is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The architecture of this temple is good on its top it has a small sanctum with small pillars on its front end.  Lions are carved on the pillars. I then move on to the famous Varaha Mantapa.

This place in South India is very much talked about regarding its beauty. Finally i got a change to know why. I could not plan much for this trip as compared to other places where i always do extensive research. I could just note down the various sites to visit. However, one fine Saturday i was in Mahabalipuram. And of course, i am back to self, travelling alone. As soon as i got down, i was greeted by a person in English wearing a Lungi and offered stay for a lesser price. He took me to a decent accommodation and indeed the price was less and it was near to the sea shore. I  got fresh and started off with the Itinerary and my companion, my Sony Camcorder with a 12 MP Camera..

I hired an auto for the entire day, and started off after having some heavy breakfast. As i did not prepare much for this trip, i had to rely on the auto driver. The first monument that i came across is a small Mantapa right in the middle of the road near the Bus Station. The pillars are sculpted with the images of Lord Vishnu. It is clearly a very old one and probably there was one more idol in there then. Today you will find auto rickshaws put inside this for shade. This Mantapa does not stand alone. This is actually in front of the Sthalasayana Perumal Temple which is right behind the main bus stand. The main entrance is currently closed and visitors have to an alternate on the side. I then moved inside the temple complex.

This ancient temple was built in the 14^th century by the Vijayanagara Emperors from Chandragiri and underwent renovation in the 19th century. This temple covers an area of about 4 acres with the Rajagopuram seen from a distance. The large walls of the main entrance of the temple shows its prominence and part of it is still intact. There is this stone door where nice design is carved on either side. The wall is decorated with horses and people with folded hands in act of worship. There are two idols of Vishnu with the conch and the wheel on top of the Gopura. The doors are wooden and embossed with flower shaped attachments on them.

This temple is also named  "Mamallai" and "Kadal Mallai". The main deity here is in a reclining posture facing east and sleeping on the floor. An image of Pundarika Muni is also housed in the sanctum. The Devi idol is placed on the floor in a separate sanctum. There are shrines to Andal and Rama also. The walls of the temple is a typical signature of the Vijayanagara architecture where there are various mythological stories and flower vases carved beautifully.  This is just the beginning of a great experience ahead.

After spending for about half an hour here, i moved on to the Krishna Mandap.

This is the epitome of the marvel of the craftsmanship of Vijayanagara architecture. This is the place where art historians can spend days understanding the design and its depth. This is the place where modern technology itself awes the creation of sounds in a stone. The Vitthala temple is in every way, a wonder.

Vitthala is the Krishna aspect of Lord Vishnu. This temple is one of the largest temples of that period, built under the patronage of Devaraya II (1422-46 AD). Substantial portions of the present structure were added during Krishnadevaraya’s (1509-1529 AD.) reign. The hundred pillared mantapa (pavilion) to the southwest of the main temple, and the Eastern and Northern gateways carved with depictions of Vishnu and his other forms, are attributed to Krishnadevaraya and his queens.

Just outside the temple, there is the Vitthala Bazaar, measuring 945 mts. in length and 40 mts. in width similar to the Krishna Bazaar and even here precious stones were sold. This should have a prominent place for business, as people from other villages and countries should have been visiting this famous tourist destination. This Bazaar leads to a sacred tank called Lokapavani. Even today, this is one of the most crowded monuments.

We can feel the importance of the temple by looking at its main entrance or the Gopura. As in most of the temples of the Vijayanagara era, the lower half of the gopura is made of stone and the upper half of brick. We should really appreciate the craftsmen carving beautiful sculptures on the brick. The picture here shows an example.

The best time to visit this temple is between 4 and 5.30 PM where heat is less and we can spend at least 1 hour in the complex. As soon as we enter the temple complex, we will understand why is the Vitthala temple the best. The complex is big with some open  space before we get to the monuments. The entire complex seems to be like a sequence of pillars everywhere.  There are 7 monuments inside out of which three are big and contains lots of pillars. To the left, there is the Narasimha Mantapa, where a pillar has the sculpture of a Yogavarada Narasimha and other various forms. The inside of this Mantapa is  filled with pillars on which stories of Krishna are sculpted beautifully. There is a platform on which the pillars are the sculpted with long carvings of lions, the mark of Vijayanagara architecture.

The main temple is built on an sculptured ornate plinth. The composite pillars of the   Sabha mantapa (congregation hall) are massive, hewn out of single granite blocks, which are designed as clusters of slender pillars. Here is the wonder that everyone talks about. Some of these, when tapped gently produce musical notes. The pillars are slim and hollow from inside. How the pillars are made so, we never know. The congregation hall is on maintenance, so tourists are not allowed to enter inside. As any of the authorized guides and they will tap the pillars and they will show this feature. We can go around the temple again and again to see this wonderful creation.  You also see this picture of a person playing the mridangam (a drum). We can hear the musical notes even when we tap on the drum. Behind the congregation hall, is the main temple and the sanctum. All around the complex, a pillared balcony runs around. We can have a good view of the balcony from the side entrance of the temple. The Mukha Mantapa of the temple has large square pillars on which various stories of the life and times of Lord Krishna are depicted nicely. The inner sanctum has two stone pedestals, which probably seated the main deity and the Devi. Even if there is no idol of the main deity “Vitthala” in the inner sanctum, there is a bust sculpted on the top of the outer ceiling of the inner sanctum. The guides make a point to show it. There are two outer walls to the main temple and there is a gap between the two. This is probably for the devotees to do the Pradakshina (rounds of the sanctum). There is a long inscription at the entrance of the main temple, probably about the consecration of the temple. The Devi shrine is simple without any sculptures.

Just in front of the congregation hall, is the icon of Vijayanagara and is perhaps the  most stunning achievement, typical of the Vijayanagara period, the Stone Chariot. This is the image that one see on any brochure about Hampi. This reproduction of a processional wooden chariot houses the image of Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. The whole chariot is carved with ornate designs. There is a stone ladder in front of it to reach the small enclosure where the image of Garuda is located. Two elephants are on either side of the chariot suggesting they pulling it. The wheels of the chariot are large and with designs all around them.

There is a large Rangamantapa to the right of the chariot and this is also as good as the congregation hall. The platform is beautifully carved along with the ceiling. This temple complex is one of the best i have visited till date and speaks about the grandeur of the empire and the skill of the craftsmen. I have visited other temples constructed by different dynasties, but the Vijaya Vitthala Temple will always take a special place in my heart.

We then move on to reach the river Tungabhadra where other temples are waiting to be told their story.

The first structure that comes across in the Royal Enclosure is the Hazararama Temple.

The Hazararama Temple: This is the only temple situated in the core of the royal zone between the residential and ceremonial enclosures. Dedicated to Vishnu in his aspect as Lord Rama, this 15th century temple, is the finest example of a compact Dravida Vimana type of temple. In plan it has a sanctum, vestibule,  pillared dance hall, with an entrance porch to the North and South. The Eastern porch is extended into an elegant pillared pavilion. There is a shrine for the goddess to the North which is also elegantly sculpted.

The temple is known for its sculpted friezes depicting the Ramayana, in three tiers, running all around the main shrine, and the narrative sculptures of the Lava-Kusha story on the Devi shrine. It is because of this that the temple was called the Hazara Rama. In addition, the temple is also known for the narrative sculptures of the Bhagavata, especially of Bala Krishna, and the sculpted polished pillars of the Mahamantapa (main hall). It was undoubtedly, the temple of the royal patronage.

As we move inside the temple complex, we see carvings everywhere; on walls and pillars. The story of the Ramayana starts with King Dasaratha performing  the Putrakameshthi (sacred ritual for want of children) on the left side of the main temple and ends with Ravana being killed on the front compound wall. However, the story of Lava-Kusha is found only on the Devi shrine.

Each of the sculpture is in detail and clearly explains and depicts The Ramayana. One does not find words to express awe seeing such a masterpiece. This is a place where art historians can spend hours watching each sculpture and understand the details. Even for a normal tourist, it takes a minimum of half an hour to visit the entire complex. The local guides are, of course are well versed with the story of Ramayana and explain each sculpture in detail. As we move inside the temple, its even beautiful. The main hall has four pillars made of black granite and sculpted with idols of gods and goddesses. The pillars shine even today with the limited light that passes inside. Even the ceiling is exquisitely designed with circular forms and looks very beautiful. A special mention need to be made of the outer walls of the temple which are carved with beautiful flower pots which are crafted with minute detail and beautiful idols seeing which the craftsmanship of the sculptors is clearly understood.

Normally, when the main deity is male, the Devi shrine is not sculpted in detail. But here, even the Devi shrine is sculpted with the story of Lava - Kusha and we do not see any empty space on the walls and pillars. Even the outer side of the compound wall are carved with animals and warriors. Visitors will be dumbstruck with the elegance of the temple and will move on with many memories of the place.

We move further into the Royal Enclosure to the Horses’ stables.