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 Kedareshwara Temple looks similar to the Hoysaleswara Temple in its architecture and design but very small compared to the latter. Also the temple is more or less in ruins without proper maintenance. In fact, you will not find much visitors even during day time. People simply choose to ignore this for the bigger and more famous temple nearby. The current entrance to the temple complex is from its side as the main path is filled with bushes.

Veera Ballala II and his younger Queen Abhinva Ketala Devi built the temple of Kedareshwara in 1319 A.D. This temple was praised by Ferguson two centuries ago as "Gem of Indian Architecture". He expressed that if this temple had been illustrated in any thing like completeness there was probably nothing in India which would have conveyed a better idea of what its architecture was capable of doing. Unfortunately portions of the temple collapsed more than 70 years ago and it was not possible to bring it to its original shape.

As any typical Hoysala temple construction, you can find the the temple is on an elevated octagonal jagati. Similar to the Hoysaleswara Temple, this temple has 9 levels of friezes from the basement and you can refer to the description about the friezes here. Like the Hoysaleswara Temple, there is meshed window made of stone in some parts of the temple especially near the entrances and small pillars on the other parts.

Above the friezes you will find the statues of the various godly forms and mythological stories. In all, there are about 200 different sculptures above the friezes. I will not talk about them much as they are similar to the ones we have seen in the Hoysaleswara Temple Eg. Mahishasura Mardhini, Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhana Mountain, Varaha form of Lord Vishnu etc. Lets go inside the temple.

As you enter the temple, you will enter a pillared mukhamantapa with shrines in front and either sides. The architecture of the pillars is also a typical Hoysala style with 5 sections. As you see in this picture, the front two pillars are of a different style again a Hoysala mark. There are no idols in two of the shrines but you will find a small Linga on a pedestal in the shrine right in front. The inside of the sanctums are pretty simple with no craftwork. But one thing is evident that the shrines on either side held sculptures and not Linga. We can recognize this by the small square holes on the pedestal. A Linga is normally carved out of a single stone including the pedestal. Some locals worship the temple even if there is no priest appointed. Inside the most beautiful parts is the ceiling and the spiked pillars, which are amazing to touch and feel.

Even though this temple is much smaller than the Hoysaleswara Temple, it has all the aspects and features that the latter has. The ASI has to renovate the external sculpture so that people take interest to visit it. There was one more temple on my itinerary for the day, so had to move quickly out to my final destination, one more rarely visited place.

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.

If the experience in Belur was not enough for one day, i landed at this place. From a distance it looks like a simple plain(large though…) temple. But as i got nearer, i thought the architect of this temple must have been mad. How can you fill the entire outer wall with sculptures without leaving space? This is simply crazy but awesome. Now lets talk about Halebidu in general and this temple in particular.

Dwarasamudra was the capital of the Hoysalas during the 12th century. After being attacked by Allauddin Khilji and Malik Kafur in the 14th century, it fell into a state of disrepair and was called Halebidu (ruined city) by the locals. This town is well known for the two beautiful temples, the Kedareshwara temple (built in 1219 A.D. by Ketaladevi, a queen of Veera Ballala II) and the Hoysaleswara Temple. We will talk about the Kedareshwara Temple in a different Post.

The Hoysaleswara Temple was commissioned by Ketumalla, the commander of King Vishnuvardhana, according to an inscription dated 1121 A.D. It is a simple Dvikuta vimana (two shrined, one for Hoysaleswara and the other for Shantaleswara) and is built with chloritic chist (also known as Soap Stone). As a typical signature of Hoysala Temples, this one too stands on an octagonal elevated jagati. The two shrines are connected by a pavilion inside. The plan of the inside of the temple is simple but the exterior looks different because of the introduction of many projections and recesses in the walls.

The temple was built at a height that provided the architects sufficient horizontal and vertical space to depict large and small sculptures.

The overall effect of the vertical and horizontal lines, the play of the outline, the effect of light and shade and the plan of the projections and recesses all amounts to a marvellous exhibition of human artistic brain. This temple of Halebidu, has been described as an "outstanding example of Hindu architecture" and as the "supreme climax of Indian architecture".

The temple has four porches for entry and the one normally used by visitors as main entry today is actually a lateral entrance (north). There is one entry on the south side and two on the east side, facing two large detached open pavilions whose ceiling is supported by lathe turned pillars. In addition there is a sanctuary for the Sun God Surya, whose image stands 7 ft. (2.1 m) tall. The pavilions enshrine large images of Nandi, and share the same jagati as the main temple.

With this high level description of the temple, we can start to explore, starting with the inner structure.

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.

My first destination is a very small village called Mosale which is at a distance of 14 Kilometres from the town of Hassan. We had to take a detour from the main road, travel 3 kilometres on a very bad and muddy road passing through 2 other villages on the way to reach this village which has not more than 25 houses. There is very limited public transport available up till here, so watch out. There are nice paddy fields on either side of this road and it is a pleasant journey with nice breeze. The Chennakesava and Nageshwara Temples are right in the middle of this very small village.

This is a twin temple complex facing east and is without any pedestal. Both these temples are modelled on the Ekakuta, meaning one floor. The temples are of typical Hoysala architecture and in active worship. The priest lives quite nearby opens the temple for the customary rituals everyday. Otherwise the temples are opened only if there are tourists. We will first visit the Chennakesava Temple which in the right of the complex. The temple has been partially rebuilt outside and you get to see it by the sculptures made in cement on the top level. The entire outer part of the temple is carved with amazing sculptures. Each sculpture is carved in such a way that they reside in a shrine which is superseded by a turret. Most of the idols are disfigured with the wear and tear over the centuries.

As the main deity Chennakesava is one of the forms of Lord Vishnu, you will find the sculptures of his incarnations on the outer walls. There is a small mantapa  supported by round pillars at the door. There are dwarapalas at this entrance through which i walk inside to enter the Mukhamantapa. Both the dwarapalas are evidently monoliths, however the faces are disfigured.

The mukhamantapa has four round pillars made of black stone. The upper structure lies supported on these pillars. The pillars are delicately carved with amazing design on the round wheel. However, for some reason the design is incomplete on some part of the wheels. The temple is 950 years old and its clearly evident in the wear and tear inside. However, its being maintained on and off by the ASI. There are around 6 smaller shrines in this temple dedicated to the Devi form and incarnations of Lord Vishnu. One shrine is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the god with an elephant head. The main deity, Chennakesava occupies the shrine in the middle. The ceiling is entirely carved with various designs and human forms.  I spent around 10 minutes inside this temple and came outside to have a tour of the outer structure of the two temples.

As i mentioned earlier, the entire outer side is carved with various forms of Vishnu and others. For example, in this picture you can see Garuda, Lord Vishnu and a Devi idol. There are other sculptures like Krishna lifting the Govardhana mountain, dancing on the Snake called Kaliya and other stories in his life. Most of the idols are disfigured as they were made out of terracotta unlike the main structure which was made of stone. I entered the other temple in this complex once i completed my tour of the outside.

The Nageshwara Temple is similar in structure to the Chennakesava Temple, however the deity is Lord Siva in the Linga form. The architecture inside looks the same like the other temple with the same five turrets over a shrine.We find a small antarala here unlike the other temple in the complex. We will of course find the Nandi Bull in the mukhamantapa right in front of the antarala. Even the pillars are of the same design. The ceiling has been recently renovated with the stone treated with chemicals by the ASI. There are again more than one shrine inside with Linga and Karthikeya as one of the deity. There are two inscriptions that you find in stone plates and the text wore off over the centuries. They are no doubt inscriptions mentioning about the King Veera Ballala and the commissioning of these two temples.

With the excitement of exploring a new place i moved on to visit the next place, Doddagadavalli. For the blog, we will talk a a little about Hoysala architecture and its nitty-gritty things in the next Post.

The Rangamantapa of the Varadaraja Perumal Temple is extremely beautiful and worth talking in detail and this post is almost entirely dedicated to it. This hall is currently being used for performing special rituals for the Lord. Each March, a great celebration of the Lord’s wedding is held in this hall. This Rangamantapa was commissioned by the great Vijayanagara ruler, Krishnadevaraya in whose time the Vijaya Vittala Temple of Hampi was also constructed. Both of them have their unique aspects and this mantapa is more detailed in its architecture.

The first look of this wedding hall from outside itself creates a lot of interest. We see amazingly carved pillars on the entire outer side. Each of the pillars are carved with either mythological figures or warriors on horses. For example, in the picture that you see here, the Gods of Love in Hindu Mythology Rathi Devi and Manmatha are carved on a parrot and a swan respectively. We see another long chain carved out of stone hanging here. You will find this chain at all the four corners of this mantapa. The most amazing part of this chain is that the rings can move freely within even though the entire chain is made of a single stone. The entrance of the mantapa is in typical Vijayanagara style with a crocodile head on both sides.

There are a hundred pillars in this wedding hall. Out of them 4 are made of wood and the remaining of stone. The four pillars are on the platform where the rituals are held. You will find nice creeper designs on the parapet which inspire the Kanchipuram Sarees. The architecture of the temple is a mixture of cultures. Where you find the stories of godly figures like Rama and Krishna, you will also find the concepts of Kamasutra at the same place. There are many sculptures with amorous couples in this hall. There are many amazing aspects of this mantapa and we shall talk about some of them.

There is this sculpture of a warrior on a horse carved on a pillar. He has two heads and a single body. He is depicted as a North Indian or a Mughal on one side in terms of the dressing. If you go to the other side of the horse, you will be amazed to see that the same person looks like a South Indian with his dressing and face.  In Hindu mythology, there is a story of a fight between Lord Krishna and the bear Jambavanta. This is so well depicted here and the bear is carved with the minute detail including its teeth which are sharp. And all this is entirely monolithic.

Many parts and stories of the Ramayana are carved on the pillars. Various dance forms in India like Kathakali and Bharatanatyam are depicted here. Not only gods and goddesses, the then sculptors used to carve common people who come across in our daily lives. You can see figured of clowns and businessmen in the pillars of the South Indian mantapas and temples. There are beautiful sculptures of the 10 forms of Lord Vishnu, the Dasavatara. This is a very common art. The one thing where this pillared hall stands apart is the level of detail with which each of the pillars are carved.  For example, in the picture that you see above, the way the saree is tied and the jewellery is also shown in detail.

The ten incarnations of Vishnu are also carved on one side of the platform, but in small size. If you see the corners of the platform, you will find beautiful flowers chiselled out of the stone and looks beautiful. It is a pity that this art does not exist today. But the time this temple was constructed, the Portuguese were already in India. We can see sculptures of Portuguese warriors and soldiers. You can see their guns and rifles carved too. The temple was originally built in the 10th century by the Cholas and this mantapa, a later addition by the Vijayanagara King Sri Krishnadevaraya.

There are four pillars in here which has three animals carved on them, a horse, a elephant and a Yali. A Yali as we know is a mystic animal with a lion body and with long teeth poking out of its mouth. There is one statue of Vishnu carrying a bow, conch, wheel and playing a flute. So this statue covers three aspects Vishnu, Rama and Krishna. One statue depicts the replica of the prime deity of the temple, Varadaraja Perumal. There is also a beautiful depictions of the Narasimha aspect of Vishnu coming out of a huge pillar and later killing the demon king, Hiranyakasipa. There are some interesting sculptures like three humans with six legs and six hands. The body in the middle is common to the other two on the left and right.

I met Mr. David from Australia in this mantapa and he enquired me about the temple history. I knew a surprising fact here. Foreigners are more interested and knowledgeable about our Gods and Goddesses than we Indians are. There was one priest in this mantapa who showed him figures of amorous couples and explained him about the various aspects of Kamasutra. It was real light moment when he asked the priest “You meant to be a holy man??”. We both laughed heartily at this question.

There is a pillar with an English soldier with a double barrel gun. I had to lean down and go near the temple tank to a have a view of it. There is one statue on which when you tap with a iron piece, produces three different sounds the same as when you tap a big Gold, Silver and Stone piece. And the view from the platform is too good. You will see the rows of warriors on horses on one side. The design on the platform is so intricate and delicate that we can actually pass a thin twig from within the holes. This art is extinct now. You can see big temples like the Birla Temple or the Swaminarayan temple which are costly and grand but they are nowhere comparable to these masterpieces. After spending almost an hour in this mantapa alone, i moved on to my further destinations.

In this blog, i discussed just the most important structures in Kanchipuram. Otherwise, there are numerous other old temples like the Sankupani Vinayakar, Yathoktakari Perumal, Deepaprakasa Perumal, Kachapeswarar. It is difficult to give an account of all these temples in detail. Each of them is as old as the temples i had written about and each are being maintained and the deities worshipped. Particularly, a lot of locals visit the Sankupani Vinayakar temple and a special ritual was being performed at the time i visited this temple.

Kanchipuram was in its glory during the Cholas, Pallavas and the Vijayanagara rule. Art and architecture were given a lot of importance by the people and rulers alike. Even the kings were lovers of art and artists themselves. We have a good example of Krishnadevaraya who was a writer and musician himself. The King was treated as a messenger of God and the people respected him. People were lot god fearing than they are today. That is the reason Kanchipuram once or even today is called as The Land of Thousand Temples.

As for the blog, watch out for my next series on Hassan District, Karnataka.

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This is the last of the most important places to visit in Kanchipuram. I talk about one of the most beautiful temples here, the Varadaraja Perumal Temple. The Ekambareshwar Temple is mentioned as Siva Kanchi and this temple as Vishnu Kanchi in our Vedas. If you want to see an amalgamation of cultures, it is this temple that sets as an example. This is initially built by the Pallava, then Chola and later expanded and beautified by the Vijayanagara rulers, who are great patrons of art. According to one local legend, this temple commemorates the site where Brahma performed a yajna to invoke the presence of Vishnu. This ritual was carried out on an altar raised upon a high square platform.

It was almost 4 PM when i visited this place. I had a couple of hours with me so i spent leisurely exploring every part of the temple. The gopura of the temple was under renovation and there was a covering of thatch on it. There are inscriptions in the Tamil language on either side inside the gopura. A small mantapa leads to the main sanctuary. Forms of the Dasavatara and various other sculptures like creepers are carved on the pillars that support this mantapa. There is a second gopura through which we enter the main temple complex.

There is an extremely beautiful Rangamantapa in the outer complex on the left which we will talk about soon. There is a small long mantapa just after the first gopura. You find a chain at all the ends of the ceiling. On closer look we will be amazed to notice that the chains are also carved out of stone. Remarkable was the art which enabled a stone carved in to a proper chain where each ring move freely within the other.

As i enter the main shrine, the thing that attracted me is the centuries old oil painting and the long inscriptions below it on the left wall after passing through the inner gopura. The painting tells various stories of Lord Krishna and his consorts. The lower part of the painting faded over these centuries. However, the inscriptions are still very clear. I then entered the main shrine and had to turn off my camera. The main shrine is more beautiful as the exterior. I had a nice darshan of the Lord and moved to the golden lizard. This is interesting. There a place in this temple where you will find lizards made of gold, silver and bronze and placed on the ceiling. It is believed that whoever touches these lizards will be free of the bad outcomes when a lizard falls on a person. In India, it is considered a bad omen when lizard falls on a human body.

I then had a leisure tour of the inner part of the temple. You will find small mantapas inside the main shrine. The pillars of these mantapas are either carved with nice designs like creepers or with figures of deities like Rama and Vishnu. There is one such mantapa which is made of black stone and looks great. You will find images of the Dasavatara carved on the pillars of this mantapa. As this temple is dedicated to Vishnu, you will find the forms of Lord Vishnu or goddess Lakshmi at most of the places.

At one end of the shrine is the temple tank. This tank falls between the temple and the Ranga Mantapa outside and is a nice view. There is a small mantapa in between this temple tank where special rituals are performed. I had a nice tour inside and came outside. There is a mantapa near the inner gopura and its pillars are extremely beautiful in their carvings. One of the most beautiful is the image of Lord Krishna and his lady consorts are around him.

There are other images like Vishnu in the form of a boar (Varaha) carrying the lady earth on his shoulder. Then there is an image of Hanuman carrying Vishnu. The most beautiful of them are the horses carved on these pillars and warriors on these horses. The warriors carry swords. Each minute detail is taken care of when carved. If you find soldiers on horses being carved extensively, you can assume that the temple was constructed by either the Vijayanagara kings or the Cholas. One typical example of the Chola architecture is the Brihadishwara Temple in Tanjore, which is still a wonder in its architecture.

We still have to talk about the very beautiful Ranga Mantapa (next post) and briefly about some other temples in Kanchipuram.

The Kamakshi Temple is very near to the Ekambareshwar Temple and is the only Amman temple in Kanchi. This is one of the Sakthi Peethams is run by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha founded by Adi Sankaracharya. The temple is most probably built by the Pallava Kings in 6th century A.D. Unfortunately, i don’t remember visiting this temple as none of the photographs i have taken resemble this temple. It is very unfortunate that i visit Kanchipuram and miss the Kamakshi Amman temple.

The Vaikuntha Perumal Temple is one of the oldest of the temples in Kanchipuram which date to the same time as Kailasanathar Temple. We can say this by the structure and the similarity in the material used for construction and the sculptures. It is said that the temple was constructed in the 6th century by the Pallava King, Nandivarman. The entrance to the temple is very simple without any gopuram. A flat mantapa leads to the inner complex. The pillars of the mantapa are carved with deities, male and female. As we enter into the temple complex, we find the dhwajasthamba in front, which shines like gold. This is a latest addition after the Vijayanagara period. There is a a columned mantapa which leads to the inner sections.

The Vaikuntha Perumal Temple is one the hundred and eight Divya Desams mentioned in our Vedas. This temple was originally known as “Parameshwara Vishnugriham” after the name of the King Nandivarman whose original name was Parameshwaravarman. The principal structure consists of three sanctuaries, one above the other on three ascending levels; these adjoin a columned mantapa which opens to west. The temple is surrounded by a colonnade. The entrance hall is an addition of the later Vijayanagara period.

I took a walk around the temple before going in. The entire outer structure is carved with lions standing on the hind legs. You will find these at regular intervals. This is a distinctive feature of the Pallava architecture which you find in the Kailasanathar Temple as well as temples in Mahabalipuram. Now i move inside the main temple. This inside sanctuary is surrounded by a colonnade, which rear wall is adorned with sculptures all around the temple.  It was mid afternoon then and the temple was actually closed to visitors. I requested the priest and had a tour. I was given only 10 minutes and had to rush off in that time.

The architecture of the temple has played a vital role in the architectural evolution of the grand thousand pillared mandapas built in the later south Indian temples. There are several inscriptions on the wall of the temple related to the wars between the Pallavas and Chalukyas. In eighth century script, they even depict the history of the temple. The inner walls of the temple are entirely carved with stories from epics. There are also sculptures which depict coronation of the King with attendants and Brahmins. It could be very well about the Pallava Kings as suggested by earlier historians like C. Meenakshi.

As i move around visiting the temple, i was very amazed by the architecture and i wondered how many years it might have taken building this great structure. No part of the temple is left empty. We either see the walls carved or pillars with lions on it. There  are many sculptures which generate a lot of interest.

One of them talks about the Birth of Pallava. He was born suddenly to Ashvatthaman on a litter of sprouts (pallava) by Menaka, a apsara, send by Indra who was afraid to lose his position on account of the austerities of Ashvatthaman. Ashvatthaman is shown in penance standing on single leg, while Menaka is shown standing in front of him. Baby Pallava is shown just in right panel, above the heap of sprouts.

As the entire construction was done on plaster, the sculptures look disfigured with the wear and tear all these centuries. Most of the panels here talk about the origin of the Pallava dynasty and the various stories and legends associated with it. These long corridors are very cold in the afternoon, so are a nice place to spend some time away from the scorching heat. The main sanctum stands in the center of the temple complex as seen in the temple sketch.

The entrance to the main sanctum is through these corridors and we make go around it from below. I had a darshan of the lord inside and went around the inner complex once again. I could have spent more than an hour if i had the time. However, as i mentioned i was left with very little time and so had to rush off. I would want to visit this temple in leisure again and cover all aspects of this wonderful creation. The one aspect i very much liked in this temple are the lion pillars and the centuries old sculptures in plaster. Some of the lion pillars which also are made of plaster are now replaced with stone ones as the earlier ones were broken.  I am not a spiritual kind of person, so i always see temples in the artistic perspective and less in terms of the deity. Over all, this temple brings back great memories. There are other temples that i visited in Kanchipuram but i will not mention all of them but the most important places. I then moved on to the best temple in terms of architecture and my favourite place in Kanchipuram, the Varadaraja Perumal Temple.