Belavadi
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Belavadi, also known as Ekachakranagara is a town in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state. It is famous for the ornate Viranarayana temple built by the Hoysalas.
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[edit] Location
Belavadi is located 29 kms southeast of Chikmagalur town on the Chikmagalur-Javagal highway and 10 kms north west of Halebidu. It is located at a very convinient distance from the famous temple towns of Belur and Halebidu and a visit to this quiet town is a rewarding experience.
[edit] Viranarayana temple
This ornate trikuta (three toweres) temple was built in 1200 CE by Hoysala Veera Ballala II. The material used is Chloritic schist.[1] Each of the shrines has a complete superstructure (tower on top of shrine) and is one of the largest examples of Hoysala architecture. While the famous temples at Belur and Halebidu are known for their intricate sculptures, this temple is known for its architecture.[2]
Temple plan
The plan of this temple is unique in that two of the shrines face each other on either side of a wide and spacious open mantapa (hall) containing 37 bays.[3] There is also an older shrine containing a closed mantapa with 13 bays and a closed mantapa with 9 bays at the end of which is a central shrine. This third shrine is an older construction and exhibits a perfect Hoysala architectural idiom containing all the basic elements of Hoysala temple.[4] The inner walls of the older shrine are plain but its roof is well decorated. In all, the temple has 59 bays, indicating the use of many pillars, most of which are lathe turned and hence bell shaped [5] while others have carvings on them. The outer wall of the temple shows the older Hoysala style where there is one eaves running around the temple where the superstructure meets the wall of the shrine and below this are decorative towers on pilasters. A panel of Hindu deities and their attendents are below these miniature towers followed by a set of five different moudlings forming the base of the wall.[6]
The newer structure containing the two symmetrical shrines have different plans. One shrine is square while the other is star shaped. The tower of the shrine below the kalasa[7] consists of three tiers of decorated miniature roofs. They also have different shaped Sukanasi[8] which consist of two tiers of decorated miniature roofs. In all other aspects the two shrines are identicle. All shrines have well sculptured decoration on the towers and the sculptures on the walls are bold and look good from a distance.[9] The important sculptures with fine finish are that of Lord Krishna dancing on the head of Kalia the serpant and Garuda (eagle). This is a Vaishnava temple and all three shrines have images of Lord Vishnu in different forms. The central shrine (older shrine) has a 8 ft tall image of Narayana with four hands which is considered one of the best examples of Hoysala art. It is well elaborated with ornamentation standing on a padmasana (lotus seat), the southern shrine has a 8 ft tall image of Venugopala including a garuda pedestal (Krishna with flute) and the northern shrine has a 7 ft tall image of Yoganarasimha, sitting in a yoga posture.[10] Kirtimukhas (demon faces) are used to make the vimana (shrine) towers ornate along with other sculptures.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Dr. S.U. Kamath A Concise History of Karnataka, pp 136. The Western Chalukya carvings were done on green schist (Soapstone). This technique was adopted by the Hoysalas too, Takeo Kamiya. Architecture of the Indian subcontinent, 20 September 1996. Gerard da Cunha-Architecture Autonomous, Bardez, Goa, India. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
- ^ Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, pp 53
- ^ A bay is a square or rectangualar compartment in the hall, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, pp 93
- ^ Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, pp 53
- ^ This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples, A Concise History of Karnataka, pp 117, Dr. S.U. Kamath
- ^ An eaves is a projecting roof, overhanging the wall, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 93
- ^ water pot like structure at the peak of the tower, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 27
- ^ tower on top of vestibule connecting hall and shrine, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 22
- ^ In the opinion of Gerard Foekema, these sculptures are not so fine and impressive from close unlike many other Hoysala temples, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, pp 54-55
- ^ I Sesunathan. Belavadi exudes Hoysala’s beauty. Spectrum, Deccan Herald, Tuesday, May 9, 2006. Decan Herald. Retrieved on 2006-11-26..
[edit] References
- Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 ISBN 81-7017-345-0
- Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath, A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002)
- Belavadi exudes Hoysala’s beauty. Spectrum, Deccan Herald, Tuesday, May 9, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
- Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
