Nuggehalli
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Nuggehalli also known as Nuggihalli is a town in Hassan district in Karnataka, India. It is located on the Tiptur-Channarayanapatna state highway. It is about 50 km from Hassan city. It is connected by road with Bangalore, the state capital. Nuggehalli is home to two beautiful Hoysala temples, the Lakshminarasimha temple built in 1246 CE and the Sadasiva temple built in 1249 CE by Bommanna Dandanayaka, a commander in the Hoysala Empire during he rule of King Vira Someshwara. The town was called Vijaya Somanathapura in ancient times and was founded as an agrahara (place of learning) by Bommanna Dandanayaka. Prior to coming under the control of the Hoysalas, the area was ruled by the Chola dynasty who had built a Jayagondeshwara temple. The temple later was also patronised by King Vishnuvardhana in 1121 CE.
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[edit] Lakshmi-Narasimha Temple
This is a good example of a richly decorated Hoysala temple built in the trikuta (three towers) vimana (prayer hall) style with fine sculptures adorning the walls.[1] The material used is Chloritic Schist (Soapstone)[2] and the temple is built on a jagati (platform) that closely follows the plan of the temple.[3] The size of the original temple can be considered small, to which a larger open mantapa(hall) was later added. The three shrines are located around a central closed mantapa with 9 bays.[4] The ceiling of the closed mantapa is supported by four lathe turned pillars and is deeply domed in the center.[5] The central shrine is the most prominent and has a large tower. This shrine has a vestibule that connects the shrine to the mandapa. Consequently, the vestibule also has a tower that looks like an extension of the main tower and is called the sukanasi or nose.[6] The other two shrines have smaller towers and because they have no vestibule to connect them to the central mantapa, they have no sukanasi.
From outside, the temple actually looks like a ekakuta (single shrine) temple because the two lateral shrines are simply extensions of the wall of the mantapa. Their towers are a later addition. This is a classic example of a trikuta that looks like a ekakuta.[7] A large open hall with tall pillars with "faces" was added during later times making the original porch and closed mantapa look like the inner portion of the temple. The central shrine has five projections per side and the tower is complete though without the kalasa.[8] Since the shrine is square in plan, the topping roof (helmet like sculptured stone) follows the same plan. There are three tiers of decorative smaller roofs bearing their own kalasa that form the body of the tower. The superstructure on top of the vestibule forming the nose also has two tiers of decorative roofs. This is why the sukanasi looks like an extension of the main tower. The two lateral shrines also have five projections per side. The top of these shrines and the wall of the mantapa are crowned with a row of decorated roofs just like the main shrine.
The temple is of a later Hoysala style and below the superstructure of the vimana run "eaves" all round the temple.[9] It projects about half a meter from the wall. There is a second eaves running about a meter below the upper eaves with decorative towers placed between them. The wall images of Gods and Goddesses are below the lower eaves and there are 120 such sculptured panels in all below which are six different mouldings of equal size. This broadly is called horizontal treatment.[10] The six mouldings of the base is divided into two sections. Going from the very base of the wall, the first horizontal layer contains procession of elephants, above which are a horsemen and then a band of foliage. The second horizontal section has depictions from the Hindu epics and puranic scenes executed with detail. Above this are two friezes of yalis (or makara, an imaginary beast) and hamsas (swans). The vimana tower is divided into three horizontal sections and is even more ornate than the walls.[11]
The icons in the panels are mostly Vaishnava and they are attributed to two well known Hoysala sculptors, Baichoja and Mallitamma.[12] There are few icons of Shiva in the form of Bhairava and Bhairavi also. Baichoja's sculptures are on the south side of the temple and have a certain peace and dignity about them. Mallitamma's sculptures are on the north side and while they are not as fine, they are lively and have greater variety.[13] The three shrines contain the images of Venugopala, Keshava and Lakshminarasimha, all forms of Vishnu.
[edit] Sadasiva temple
This is an unusual Hoysala temple built in the ekakuta architecture with nagara styled tower. The walls of the shrine and the mantapa are severe looking as there is no sculptural decoration. Yet this temple is considered important from the architecture point of view. The temple is built on a jagati and Soapstone is the material used.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Most Hoysala temples are either ekakuta (one tower), dvikuta (two towers) or trikuta, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Gerard Foekema, pp 25
- ^ The Western Chalukya carvings were done on green schist (Soapstone). This technique was adopted by the Hoysalas too, Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, Takeo Kamiya
- ^ This is a Hoysala innovation, Arthikaje, Mangalore. History of Karnataka-Religion, Literature, Art and Architecture in Hoysala Empire. © 1998-00 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2006-11-28., The Jagati is in perfect unity with the rest of the temple according to Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide To Hoysala Temples, pp 25
- ^ A bay is a square or rectangular compartment in the hall, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 52, pp 93
- ^ This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples, A Concise History of Karnataka, pp 117, Dr. S.U. Kamath
- ^ It is on the sukanasi that the Hoysala emblem is placed, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 22
- ^ Often in Hoysala temples, only the central shrine of three shrines has a tower. So the term trikuta may not literally by true, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 24
- ^ water pot like stone structure on top of the tower. This is often lost over the centuries and normally seen replaced by a metallic pinnacle, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, pp 27
- ^ An eaves is a projecting roof, overhanging the wall, Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 93
- ^ A Concise History of Karnataka, pp 134, Dr. S.U.Kamath
- ^ Art critic Percy Brown calls this one of the distinguishing features of Hoysala art, A Concise history of Karnataka, pp 134, Dr S.U. Kamath
- ^ M S Dwarakinath. A haven for architecture lovers. Spectrum, Deccan Herald, Tuesday, April 26, 2005. Decan Herald. Retrieved on 2006-11-28., Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples pp 85
- ^ Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, pp 85
[edit] References
- Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath (2001). A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002).
- Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 ISBN 81-7017-345-0
- A haven for architecture lovers. Spectrum, Deccan Herald, Tuesday, April 26, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-11-28.
- History of Karnataka, Religion, Literature, Art and Architecture in Hoysala Empire, Arthikaje. © 1998-00 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Retrieved on 2006-11-28.
