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 […]