THE ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY OF INDIA
view of Halebid temple
Kappe Chennigaraya temple
The Kappe Chennigaraya temple situated to the south of the keshave temple in the complex ahs 2 celles. The main cell has a beautiful sculpture of Chennakeshava, 6.5 feet high over a pitha.The Prabhavali has Dasavatara Sculptures.The pitha has an inscription of Shantala the senior queen of Hoysala King Vishnuvardana, stating that it was consecrated by her in the year 1117A.D.
The temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. It was built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana’s grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes with no portion left blank.
The intricate workmanship includes elephants, lions, horses, episodes from the Indian mythological epics, and sensuous dancers (Shilabalikas). Inside the temple are a number of ornate pillars. Darpana Sundari ( Lady with the mirror ) carved on walls of Belur Temple is one of major attraction in complex.Here are some pictures captured when we were there.
There are two more shrines here that are still in use by devotees and there is a Pushkarni or stepped well to the right side of the main entrance. The Dravida style rayagopuram at the entrance which was a later addition by the Vijayanagar kings, who considered this deity as one of their Kuladevata or family god.
The lowermost frieze panel around the temple is made up entirely of elephants.
Belur was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire. According to inscriptions discovered here, it was also referred to as Velapuri.
The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple ( dedicated to Chennakeshava , meaning handsome Vishnu) as the centre piece, surrounded by the Kappe Chennigraya temple built by Shantaladevi, queen of king Vishnuvardhana.
The credit of carving most of the sculptures goes to Jakanachari. A legend says that Dankanachari(son of Jakanachari) found that the main statue of Lord Vishnu was faulty and had frog inside it. Jakana, 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 kappechennigaraaya’s temple. (kappe=frog)
How to reach Belur:
By bus: Belur is just 222KM from Bangalore, 149Km from Mysore and 124Km from Mangalore.There are many KSRTC buses running this way.Any bus that goes towards Chikmagalur has a stop here.
By Rail: The nearest railway station is Hassan, which is 40 kms from Belur.
There are two more shrines here that are still in use by devotees and there is a Pushkarni or stepped well to the right side of the main entrance. The Dravida style rayagopuram at the entrance which was a later addition by the Vijayanagar kings, who considered this deity as one of their Kuladevata or family god
On the whole, it’s a worth visit place for sure. You will feel proud of our architects.
STUNNING CARVING OF HOYSALESWARA TEMPLE
HALEBID
Halebid (Hale’beedu) literally means ‘the ruined city’. During the 12th and 13th centuries AD, it flourished as the capital of the Hoysala Dynasty for about 150 years. It was then known as Dwarasamudra (gateway to the seas). However, it was twice attacked by invaders who robbed it of its treasures, leaving behind the ruins of the once-magnificent Shiva temple. The Hoysalas then shifted their capital to Belur, leaving behind Halebid, a city once grand and since reduced to poverty and ruins. The Shiva Temple, Hoysaleshwara, is unique for its two shrines in the Linga form and gigantic figures of Nandi (sacred bull). It is actually two temples attached along the north-south axis by pillared walls. This temple is twice the size of Belur's Chennakeshava Temple and the figures are larger as well.
GARBH
Belur was once the capital of a powerful empire on the banks of River Yagachi, now called the Banaras of the South, aka Dakshina Varanasi. Belur's main temple, Chennakeshava (dedicated to Lord Krishna and set in a compound with several smaller temples and a pond), was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD to celebrate Hoysala military victories. It took over a hundred years to complete and its architecture is foreign to the prevailing Hoysala style of the 12th century – it is exceptionally large (about 100-ft high) and its decoration very lavish (with a magnificent gateway tower – gopuram) in Dravidian style. It is delicate in its filigree work, with the added attraction of bracketed figures of celestial dancers, called Madanikas and exclusive to Belur, and an innumerable variety of intricate pillars. Contrary to Indian tradition, these Hoysala sculptors signed their work at this temple.
NANDI
Both these temples are masterpieces, with their exteriors adorned with horizontal friezes, sculptured in succession from the bottom. Stories from the Puranas, the Upanishads and other mythological sources have been executed in most exquisite and authentic detail, as have tales from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Each work has a significance, a tale to tell. It takes at least two hours to do a round of the temple exteriors. You will completely lose yourself as well as all track of time here. There is so much to see in just one temple and it could take a few days to do all.
My most cherished times were those pre-dawn moments spent gazing at the sheer poetry in stone in the dark-light. The tranquillity reaches its climax in the hours just before sunrise; something inexplicable happens at this time and it is only to be experienced in solitude. I spent hours just savouring each piece of artwork and understanding its significance. Another very interesting time visually is just as the sun rises and suddenly the temple is illuminated, bringing with it the hustle and bustle of life. The temple town is now awake and about, and local devotees can be seen rushing in to start another blessed day with the Lord's darshan (view).
I joined the locals at Belur for the first darshan. Loud bells filled the air as the aarti (lighting a lamp in God’s name) began. The only light that illuminated the interiors was from the sacred diyas (oil lamps) in the sanctum sanctorum and the flame of the aarti that the priest brought to the devotees to take blessings from. I observed that unlike the temples in North India, these temples had barely any light inside, giving them a very private, sacred feel. When you come out, the sun’s glare seems particularly strong and you are forced to shade yourself – such is the contrast between inside and out. With the day now in full swing, the devotees rush off to work and the hawkers outside the temple begin their business, calling out to tourists in a lingo mix of Kannada, Hindi and English, enticing them with an array of intriguing souvenirs. The guides too chase tourists around the temple trying to persuade them to benefit from their expertise. Initially apprehensive of getting one myself, when I overheard a guide talking about the temple's history to a group of outsiders like myself, I decided to join them simply because there seemed to be no harm in acquiring some extra knowledge on temple architecture. And what I learnt did make a difference to my enjoyment of the temple artistry.
Our guide enlightened us with an interesting tale of how the Hoysala Dynasty got its name. It is said that 'hoy Sala', meaning ‘strike Sala!’, were the words called out to Sala, the legendary head of this dynasty, as he was involved in armed combat with a tiger. Sala immortalised himself and the tiger by single-handedly killing the beast, and this tale of heroism inspired the royal emblem of the Hoysala Dynasty, also to be found in the temple carvings. Hoysala architecture has its roots in today's Chikamagalur District in Karnataka. The ancient artists developed a new style of temple architecture and conceived their shrines as star-shaped structures (Vesara style) as opposed to the usual cubical form, set upon raised platforms. The Hoysalas built for their age but also for the ages to come. In their 300 years of rule, the entire area was so saturated with religious establishments that it restricted the succeeding dynasties from building more. There are over 1,500 temples at 950 centres, the guide informs us. The temples at Belur and Halebid are the cream of what remains of the Hoysala Dynasty. The most photographed and perhaps the best there ever were, they are a must on every tourist's temple itinerary.
The Hoysalas claim to immortality arises from their contribution to Kannada culture, Kannada literature and their own unique style of vesara architecture. Historians such as Henry Cousens and James Furgusson observed that the Hoysala style of architecture is essentially an extension and culmination of the vesara style initiated by the Badami Chalukyas and further enhanced by the Kalyani Chalukyas. In fact, the carved doorways, lathe turned pillars and pierced window screens used frequently by the Hoysalas is also commonly seen in earlier Kalyani Chalukya temples of north and central Karnataka. The Star shaped platform on which many Hoysala temples were constructed, the Jagati, the Zig- Zag character of the walls and the density of sculpture on gray soap stone (chloritic schist) is however a unique features of Hoysala architecture.
The Hoysaleswara temple, dating back to the 1121 C.E., is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. This magnificent temple guarded by a Nandi Bullwas never completed, despite 86 years of labour. The Jain basadi nearby are equally rich in sculptural detail. Belur and Halebid are 222 and 216 km from Bangalore, respectively. This temple is now being proposed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Hoysalas were warrior chieftains who established a great dynastic rule (1108-1310) between the Malaprabha and Kaveri in Karnataka. To a certain extent the Hoysalas adopted the Kakatiya tradition of architecture for their temples – triple shrined, cruciform ground plan and pillarednavranga halls, to which they added the most splendidly carved friezes of gods and goddesses, damsels and demons, animals and warriors.
In 1117 Vishnuvardhana built the Chennakeseva temple at Belur, located on the bank of the river Yagachi, to commemorate his victory over the Cholas at Talkad. The main shrine entrance is guarded by twin statues of a youth slaying a tiger and two miniature vimana models flanking the stops leading to the 1.5 mere high stellar platform. The compact struc6ture and its perfect proportions are striking. The wealth of sculptured friezes is at once bewildering since from the base to the projected eaves every inch of available wall surface is covered with the most exquisitely sculptured images. But the Hoysala sculpture reaches its apogee in sculptures of celestial maidens, carved with a marvelous plasticity of modelling and imbued with the most accomplished grace and elegance. These madannikais or celestial beauties, depict the various occupations of their indolent life style – nursing pets, dancing, admiring their own beauty in the mirror, warding off a playful monkey, frightened by a scorpion. These small figures under the broad eaves stand out in their fantastic jewellery, elaborate coiffures intricately pierced, scrolled and scalloped canopies. For these figures alone. Belur temple would be India’s greatest but there is much more.
Both the Belur and Halebid temples suffered heavily during the two invasions hence their features are only a matter of conjecture.
Pillars in the navranga hall are lathe-turned, ingeniously carved and marvelously smooth. No two pillars look alike. The hall is triratha, on a diamond-shaped plan with entrances on the east, north and south sides. The ceiling is a modified utksipta type with concentric rings ornamented with figures. Look at the four figures of a scintillating beauty: these were modelled after, it is believed, the queen, Shantaladevi. In fact, she was the model for many a Hoysala apsara figure. At the center of the hall is a polished stone platform on which the queen danced in praise of the Lord Chennakeseva.
Outside, on the vimana, the Hoysala sculptors have done the most marvelous work – unending rows of nearly 650 elephants, horses, lions, birds, warriors both mythical and real, each piece differently postured on the wall are the bigger panels with sculptures of gods and goddesses in scenes from the great Indian epics – the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and Bhagwat Purana.
The huge walled court at Belue contains three other smaller temples: the Channigaraya temple built by the queen, Shantaladevi, completed by her son later; the Soumyanayaki and the Andal temples behind the main edifice; and the Veeranarayana temple. These temples also contain splendid places of sculpture and would claim much admiration for their splendour but for their existence under the shadow of this magnificent Chennakeseva temple. The 1175 Ballaba II who contributed the great jali (lattice) screens, also built the Vasudeva Tritha pond to the north-east of the court.
The Belur temple was damaged when Ganga Salar of Kaburgi, Deccan commander of Tughlaq’s army, invaded the temple for its huge treasures of diamonds and gold. The much needed repairs to the structure were done by the Vijayanagar rulers when they came to power under the Hoysalas. In 1397, Gudu, a general of Harihara II, constructed the storied gopuram to replace the ruined gateway. The architectural styles of the main temples and this gopuram present the most striking contrast of magnificent traditions. The Navranga hall of the Channigaraya temple had to be rebuilt. At this time was added the deepasthambha yagyashala in front of the Chennakeseva porch. But the much dilapidated and ruined tower crowning the Chennakeseva temple had to be removed entirely in case it collapsed and completely destroyed the interior.
The most striking feature of the Belur temple, as of all other Hoysala shrines, is its high plinthed star-shaped jagati (platform) on which the edifice has been built. The gorgeous sculptured panels are positioned at a convenient height so that you don’t have to crane your necks to observe all the details.
About 17 kilometre eastward from Belur stands Halebid, the capital of the Hoysalas after Belur. It was called Dwarsamundra, a lake dug up for the welfare of the people. Here Ketumalla, a general of Vishnuvardhana supervised building of a double-shrined Shiva temple, named after Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara. The core structure was nearly complete in 1142 but sculptural embellishments continued for another three generations, still left uncompleted when the Khiljis in 1310 and Tughlaqs in 1327 invaded and plundered the town.
The Hoysalas dedicated this temple to Shiva, as the Belur temple was dedicated to Vishnu. On the southern side entrances are two small Nandi shrines. These Nandis carry some exquisitely carved ornamentation, jewellery and garlands. Their postures are so natural, that they appear to smile.
The fantastic bas relief friezes deeply carved on the chloritic schist cover the entire exterior which is the most prolific exhibition of scenes and motifs. The epics come alive on the drama petrified here forever. The lowest frieze depicts some 2000 elephants with riders and trappings, each in unrepeated stance, horses, mythical beasts, floral motifs like illuminated scrolls, miles and miles of it wrapped around the base. The 280 larger images of the deities, mostly female, are heavily bedecked with ornate jewellery and fabulous garments. They stand under a canopy of most luxuriant foliage. They hair styles are stunning from 20th century standards. There are 14 Shiva-Parvati groups besides some figures of Ganesha – amused, dancing and irate – still the most lovable of the Hindu pantheon. The dwarapalas (doorkeepers) at the southern and western entrances are carved with an insatiable appetite for detail. The Halebid temple is the greatest exhibition of sculpture on which Indian art can claim the highest rank in the world. Besides the Hoysalesvar temple Halebid has a few more temple of the highest craftsmanship. The Jain Basti temples are contemporaries of the Hoysalesvara temple. Despite their change of faith from Jainism to Vaishnavism, the rulers showed admirable religious tolerance in funding these temples. The western-most Parsvanath shrine is magnificent with its 32 pillared pavilion. Pillars in the Navranga hall are so exquisitely polished as to reflect the viewers. The ceiling in the typical Hoysala style, has been carved in intricate patterns, hardly visible in the darkness in the interior. The 14 feet high image of Tirthankara Parsavanth has a seven hooded cobra over its head. The two other shrines of Adinatha and Shantinatha are small but elegant structures. At the southern end stands a water reservoir with stone steps descending to the water surface.
Still further down the unfrequented road stands the dilapidated shrine of Kedareshwar, built by Viiraballa II and his queen Abhinava Ketla Devi in 1219. After much restoration, this temple has regained some of its lost splendour. The themes on the sculptured panels are from the Hindu epics. Praised as a gem of Indian architecture by the renowned critic Fergusson, the Kedareshwara temple is a classic example of Indian temple architecture. The interior has now been sealed to prevent any further damage to the structure. Still a marvelous work of art.
To the north-east of the Hoysalesvara temple lies a vast stretch of sand covered debris of a number of temples which have been excavated recently. These grand temples bore the havoc of devastation let loose by the Khiljis and the Tughlaqs. They not only plundered, burnt and shattered sculptured facades but dug up the foundations, leaving scattered in the whole area thousands of fragmented pieces. Some of the friezes on the lower jangha have been reassembled to show the superior standards of workmanship on these temples. Dozens of Shivalingas and their receptacles still lie in the debris. Some have been placed on reconstructed platforms. Within the compound of the grand twin temples some excavations have revealed existence of many smaller temples. At the south-west corner stands the Huccheshwar temple in sheer ruins. Walking past the open museum of sculptures and across the road some remains of the embankments of the large artificial lake, which gave the city its name Dwarsamudra (gateway to the sea), can still be seen. The present name Halebid, meaning the old capital, came after the invasion in 1310 and 1327, when the Hoysalas were vanquished.
Both the Belur and Halebid temples suffered heavily during the two invasions hence their features are only a matter of conjecture.
As per the opinion of Ferguson, the archaeological expert, it was told that this is the reflection of the Indian Vastushilpa. The innumerable number of figures carved on the outer wall can nowhere be seen in ancient sculpture. If we go around the temple in three stage we can see the
Durbar of Lord Shiva,
the childhood plays of Bala Krishna,
the fight between Karna and Arjuna
the lifting of Govardhanagiri by Krishna
Gajendramoksha on the western side and
the shooting of Matsya Yantra.
The story of Krishna and Arjuna can also be seen. The monkey army giving the ornaments to Sri Rama Chakra Vyuha Kote; Krishna and Arjuna getting down from the chariot and taking bath in the pond on hearing the death news of Abhimanyu. The demon King Ravana is lifting Kailasa Parvatha; these are all the important figures.
The rows of Makara and Hamsa as well as swan carved on them. The carving of several forms of Vishnu in Shiva temple shows the equal view of Hoysala Kings among other Gods. It will be very pleasing to see the dancing pose of Shiva carved above the walls. Even though there are thousand of carved figures one resembles the other. All the real poses of man have been carved on the wall.
