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The Hoysala rulers are now consigned to books of
history but the temples they built are still frequented by millions –
devotees, tourists and scholars – mainly for the astounding
sculptural embellishments on the walls unparalleled in the annals of
Indian temple architecture.
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 pillared
navranga 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.
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. It is the triple
shrined-temple of Somnathpura, near Mysore, which is the best
preserved among the Hoysala temples. Built in 1269 by Somnath a high
official under Narasimha III, this temple is dedicated to Prasanna
Chenna Kesava. Set within an enclosed courtyard, with 64 cells in
the pillared corridors, the temple stands on a platform. The towers
over the three cells in the sanctum are small in height. The image
of the chief deity – Kesav, is missing but those of Janardana
and Venugopal in the northern and southern cells are still there.
The interior has contained some of the most ornate pillars and
intricately carved ceilings, particularly the one with a lotus bud.
The exterior is covered
with the most lavish display of 194 sculptured images of gods and
goddesses. Here Krishna is the presiding deity. The sculptures
depict him playing a flute and subduing the seven hooded cobra.
Vishnu sits reclining on the coils of the sheshnag (cobra) –
representing the immanent sustaining power of the universe.
Other prominent examples
of Hoysala temple architecture are to be found at Godavalli,
Nagamanga, Koramanga, Harhara, Nugihalli and Arsikere. Most possibly
because of direct royal patronage and presence, the temples at Belur,
Halebid and Somnathpura show this Hoysala style at its highest
perfection. Also for the first time in the history of Indian temple
architecture, sculptors were allowed to carve out their names on the
panels they made. Hence we have such names as Ballanna, Bochana,
Kedaroja, Devoja among a host of them. Some had titles which read
‘champion over sculptors’, ‘a tiger among sculptors’
a lion to the elephants titled sculptors and a pair of large scissors
to the necks of titled sculptors! The name Jakkanachari, however,
has been associated with the most splendid work of at Belur.
BADAMI
Badami, or Vatapi as it
was once called, is redolent with the fragrance of years gone by. In
its temples and fort, Badami preserves an important chapter in the
history of architecture in Karnataka.
Located in North
Karnataka (550 kilometres from Bangalore), Vatapi was the capital of
the Chalukya empire founded by Pulakesin I in the 6th
century A.D. The Chalukyas are remarkable not simply for their
military conquests or expanding the boundaries of their kingdom. In
fact, the Chalukyas are to be credited with pioneering a new
architectural style, examples of which can be seen in Badami, Aihole,
Pattadakal and other neighbouring areas. They built a number of
temples and other monuments that marked the beginning of the Hindu
style of architecture.
During the medieval
period (AD 600-1200), architectural styles in India became
systematized and various temples and monuments subscribing to the
different styles were built all over India. Initially there were two
essential styles – the north Indian Indo-Aryan Nagara style and
the South Indian Dravidian style. During the reign of the
Chalukyas there evolved a new style which combined the best of the
Nagara and Dravidian styles. Called the Chalukyan style, this
style manifested in many cave temples dedicated to Brahmanical
deities as well as many Buddhist chaityaalayas and Jain
monasteries.
It is interesting to
study how the synthesis took place under place under the Chalukyas.
Mutual relations between the Pallavas, the creators of the Dravidian
style and the Chalukyas resulted in many Dravidian style temples
being built in the Chalukya kingdom. The Malgitti Sivalya at Badami
is typical of the style.
The cave temples of
Badami which date back to 600 and 700 AD are carved out of sandstone
hills. Each has a sanctum, a hall, an open verandah and pillars.
What makes these cave temples remarkable are the large number of
exquisite carvings and sculptures. In the skillful hands of the
Chalukyan artisans, the sandstone seems to have become as pliant as
putty. There are many beautiful murals as well.
The free standing stone
temples in Badami provide information about the development of the
Chalukyan style of architecture as many seem to have been
experimental constructions. The early temples do not seem like
temples at all and appear to be large court halls to which shrines
were attached. The Laadkhan Temple at Aihole belongs to this earlier
phase of Chalukya architecture. The temple complex at Kintigudi
appears to be from the same period as evident in the simple design
and lack of stylized decorations. The next phase of development is
visible in the Gowdaragudi temple which is a more complex structure.
The pinnacle of this style is revealed in the temples of Pattadakal
and Aihole which combine beauty and functionality, ornamentation and
architecture in a harmonious blend of the North and South.
It is said that the
better known caves of Elephanta and Ellora were patterned on Badami.
The Chalukyas of Vatapi thus initiated an architectural style which
eventually culminated in one of the masterpieces of that age –
the Kailashnatha temple at Ellora built by Krishna I, the Rashtrakuta
ruler whose dynasty succeeded the Chalukyas of Badami. The
Kailashnatha temple has been hewn out of an entire hillock cut out
from the parent hill and combines the best of cave and free standing
temples. Badami can thus be credited with inspiring many such
buildings of unsurpassable beauty.
Today, nothing remains of
the past greatness of Aihole and Badami except some stone temples and
lithic records. But they do make for an interesting study of the
evolution of Indian architecture.
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