Showing posts with label Karnataka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karnataka. Show all posts

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Surya Temple - Kalkere, Haveri, Karnataka, India- Beutiful sculpture in small villege

 Built during the Chalukya dynasty, a great temples worth visiting and sculptures are live looking.











There are many lesser-known temples in Karnataka, India Lesser known temples in Karnataka, India

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Temples of the Hoysala

Temples of the Hoysala

The Hoysala Empire was a Southern mighty Indian empire that ruled from 10th and 14th centuries A.D. Belur was initial capital of the Hoysala Empire later moved to Halebidu.
During the reign, the Hoysalas built over 1500 temples throughout their empire. Today, however, only a little over a hundred of these monuments survive.Hoysalas promoted  tolerance, with Shaivite, Vaishnavite, Jainism .They were meant to be expressions of spiritual purpose and vehicles of spiritual practice and attainment.
Stone Chariot at Vittala Temple - Hoysala
Stone Chariot at Vittala Temple displays the magnificence of the Hoysala architecture. Photo source.
Hoysala temples were built on platforms and had a star-shaped plan ,hybrid of the nagara style from northern India and the Dravidian style The intricate decorations  cover the exterior walls  include depictions of deities, dance and music, hunting, the daily life of the peoples, and scenes from three of Hinduism’s greatest literary works – the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Bhagavatham.  
A section from the world famous hoysala architecture in India
A section from the world famous hoysala architecture in India. Source: BigStockPhoto

At the first capital of the Hoysalas, Belur is the Chennakeshava Temple Complex. This is situated at the centre of the old walled town on the banks of the Yagachi River. It was dedicated to the god Vishnu, and Shiva. There are  118 stone inscriptions covering the period from A.D. 1117 to the 18th century have been found there. These inscriptions provide us with fascinating details about the artists who were employed, grants made to the temple, and the renovations that were done.
Carvings of worshippers at Hampi
Carvings of worshippers lined up along a wall at Hampi. Source: BigStockPhoto
Belur city was attacked numerous times,finally succeeded in sacking the capital in A.D. 1310. This resulted in the destruction of the main temple in the centre of the city as well as numerous other smaller temples, shrines and palace buildings. One of these remaining temples is the Hoysaleshwara Temple. This temple was built in A.D. 1121 during the reign of King Vishnuvardhana Hoysalas, and was dedicated to Shiva. While it was the kings who usually sponsored the grandest temples in Southern India, this one was dedicated by the wealthy citizens and merchants of Halebidu.  
Carvings on the Hoysaleshwara Temple
The intricate carvings on the Hoysaleshwara Temple. Source: BigStockPhoto
On the occasion of World Heritage Day 2014 (18 April 2014), UNESCO granted India another 15 sites on its tentative World Heritage Sites. This meant that India now has a total of 48 sites on this tentative list. Of these sites, 3 of them are from Southern India, and one of these is the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysala.
Featured image: The Chennakeshava Temple built in 1117 AD by the Hoysalas at Belur Karnataka India. Source: BigStockPhoto
chennakesava temple 
Ḏḥwty
References
Drishti The Vision Foundation, 2014. World Heritage Day. [Online]
Available at: http://www.drishtiias.com/upsc-current-affairs-article-World-Heritage-Day
Government of Karnataka, Department of Tourism, 2014. Blazing Trail of Golden Era... Tourist Guide of Hassan District. [Online]
Available at: http://www.hassan.nic.in/pdfs/tourism/Hassan-District-Tourism-Golden%20Era.pdf
The New India Press, 2014. 3 Sites on Tentative Heritage List. [Online]
Available at: http://m.newindianexpress.com/karnataka/313147
UNESCO, 2014. Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala. [Online]
Available at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5898/
Wikipedia, 2014. Chennakesava Temple. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennakesava_Temple
Wikipedia, 2014. Hoysala Empire. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysala_Empire
Wikipedia, 2014. Hoysaleswara Temple. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysaleswara_temple

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Doddabasappa Temple at Dambal, Gadag District, Karnataka

Doddabasappa Temple at Dambal, 12th century CE, Gadag District, Karnataka

The sanctum contains a Shiva linga, the symbol of the presiding deity, God Shiva. The temple interior is a standard construction and consists of a sanctum (cella), a vestibule (antarala) and a main mantapa (also called navaranga or hall). The vestibule connects the sanctum to the mantapa. The Western Chalukya monuments, regional variants of existing dravida (South Indian) temples, defined the Karnata dravida architectural tradition.
 

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Cave temple at Badami, Karnataka

A user's photo.Cave temple at Badami, Karnataka
Badami cave temples have rock cut halls with three basic features: pillared veranda, columned hall and a sanctum cut out deep i...nto rock.
One noteworthy feature of these cave temples is the running frieze of Ganas in various amusing postures caved in relief on each plinth.
The outside verandas of the cave temples are rather plain, but the inner hall contains rich and prolific sculptural symbolism. Art critic Dr. M. Sheshadri wrote of the Chalukya art that they cut rock like Titans but finished like jewellers.