hoysala – GOPS

POETRY IN STONE : MADANIKAS OF BELUR

Name of the Hoysala empire comes from Kannada folklore that tells the story of a young man called Sala who fights and kills a lion (or tiger) to save his Master Sudatta. “Hoy, Sala” in Kannada language means “Strike Sala” which became the name of the dynasty he founded. The pictorial representation of this incident became the emblem of Hoysala empire too. A statue of Sala fighting the lion welcomes you at the entrance of Chennakesava temple at Belur. The temple was built during the rule of Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala dynasty in 12th Century AD. According to the legend, Chief Architects of Chennakeshava Temple were ‘Amarashilpi Jakanacharya’ and his son ‘Dankanacharya’. Please go through my detailed article on the history of Belur & Halebid by clicking here. Chennakesava temple is well-known for extremely fine carvings, sculptures and motifs on its outer walls. The most famous and exquisite ones among these are the 42 well-carved bracket figures known as Madanikas (Chaste Maidens or Salabhanjikas). 38 of these are placed outside the temple while 4 of them could be found inside. Vishnuvardhana’s Queen Shantala Devi was considered to be the epitome of perfect feminine beauty and the Madanika sculptures were crafted by portraying the queen […]

May 18

A SNEAK PEAK INTO HOYSALA HISTORY : BELAVADI & ARSIKERE

“Hoy, Sala !” in Kannada language means “Strike Sala !”, a dialogue that comes from Kannada folklore. As per the story, a young boy called Sala fought with a lion (or tiger) and saved his Jain Guru named Sudatta. The young warrior became the founder of an empire called ‘Hoysala’ and a depiction of this incident was adopted as the emblem of Hoysala dynasty. Hoysala Empire ruled the Deccan Plateau region of Southern India between the 10th and 14th centuries. They developed their own style of architecture and built a number of impeccable masterpieces around the kingdom, thus leaving their cultural imprint in and around the region. Several of these architectural wonders still exist in Karnataka, the most prominent ones are listed below in chronological order : Click the name of a temple to go through a photo tour. TEMPLE PLACE YEAR KING Chennakesava Belur 1117 Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleswara Halebidu 1120 Vishnuvardhana Kedareshwara Halebidu 1200 Veera Ballala II Veeranarayana Belavadi 1200 Veera Ballala II Ishvara (Shivalaya) Arsikere 1220 Veera Ballala II Kesava Somanathapura 1268 Narasimha III VEERA NARAYANA TEMPLE, BELAVADI Belavadi is a little village located 10 km north-west of Halebid (Halebeedu), the ancient capital of Hoysala kingdom. Belavadi is also known […]

FACE TO FACE WITH HISTORY :: BELUR & HALEBID

Belur (ಬೇಲೂರು) was the early capital of Hoysala Empire. Halebidu is located 16 km away from Belur, both belong to the Hassan district and among the major tourist destinations in Karnataka. Belur is situated by the banks of river Yagachi, a tributary of river Kaveri . It is around 222 Km from Bangalore. The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple, which is famous for its exquisite carvings and Hoysala workmanship. ‘Chenna’ Kesava literally means ‘Handsome Vishnu’ who is the main deity of this temple, being worshipped in the centre of the temple complex, surrounded by Kappe Chennigraya temple and a few other shrines. The temple was built by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE, to commemorate his victory over the Cholas at Talakkad . (read about Talakkad here). Legend has it that the construction of this temple took 103 years. This style of detailed and intricate carving is typical to the Hoysala temples of Karnataka and it portrays scenes from Hindu mythology as well as the contemporary culture, art forms and weaponry. The material used for carving is known as Soapstone (Green schist) which gives them the incredible finish . The soft version of soapstone could be shaped even using our […]

Jan 27

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: SOMANATHPURA

Chennakesava Temple was constructed in 1268 C.E by Soma, a Dandanayaka (commander) during the reign of King Narasimha III in the Hoysala Kingdom. Such detailed and intricate carving style is typical to the Hoysala temples of Karnataka. These masterpieces were carved out of Soapstone (Green schist) which gives them the incredible finish . Unlike granite or marble, the soft version of soapstone could be shaped even using our finger nails. Instead of the usual hammer/chiselling process with stones, most of such pillars & sculptures were made by lathe turning or scraping motion of the tools. A bit of polishing using oil would give them life-like appearance too. The side walls have been exquisitely carved, portraying the cavalry, elephants and scenes from the epics like Mahabharat, Ramayan & Bhagavat. From the extreme detailing of the sculpures influenced by the culture, clothing, dances, jewelry, weaponry etc, research students could learn a lot about history of that period. This Vaishnava temple has an east-facing building with a strong boundary wall (prakara) and three shrines (trikuta) constructed over a star shaped platform (jagati). The temple is equally beautiful compared to Belur & Halebid temples of the similar architecture. (Read about Belur & Halebid here). […]

Jan 22

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage 4 comments tags: architecture, bangalore, curse, dunes, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, hoysala, karnataka, kaveri, Kirtinarayana, mysore, mysterious, photography, river, road, route, sand, talakad, talakkad, talakkadu

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: MYSTERIOUS TALAKAD

They say ‘fact is stranger than fiction !!’ Talakad is a historic site near Mysore in India. Talakad once had over 30 temples that today are buried under sand. Massive sand dunes cover a vast spread area where the natives talk about several myths & legends about this unnatural phenomenon. Excavation is still going on and several Temples have been recovered from sand dunes . The photos here are taken by me from the same location within a gap of 24 years. In the first picture, we were standing on top of the partly visible Mahadwara (“grand entrance”) of Kirtinarayana temple which had been fully recovered and restored now (shown in the picture below). Talakkad was developed by the Ganga Dynasty in the first millennium CE, and then by the Tamil Cholas from the 11th through the 12th centuries. Talakkad came under the rule of Hoysalas in the 12th century. It was then taken over by the Vijayanagar rulers and the Maharajas of Mysore. Talakkad got buried under sand over 400 years back and there are several theories behind this mystery. Scientific study suggests that it could an eco-disaster triggered by a series of earthquakes. People also believe that the area got […]

POETRY IN STONE : MADANIKAS OF BELUR

A SNEAK PEAK INTO HOYSALA HISTORY : BELAVADI & ARSIKERE

FACE TO FACE WITH HISTORY :: BELUR & HALEBID

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: SOMANATHPURA

GREAT INDIAN ARCHITECTURE SERIES :: MYSTERIOUS TALAKAD

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