TOURIST PLACES OF INDIA / TOURIST BUREAU INDIA: KARNATAKA TOURIST PLACES,CHANNAKESHWARA TEMPLE

Channakeshava Temple

Channakeshava temple located @ Belur of Hasan District,Karnataka.It Was built by the Hoysala King Visnuvardhana on the banks of the river yagachi.It is originally called by the name ''Vijayanarayana temple'' when the Hoysala Empire was the major power in South India. It is 40 km from Hassan city and 220 km from Bangalore. Chennakesava (lit, "handsome Kesava") is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Belur is well known for its marvelous temples built during the rule of the Hoysala dynasty, making it and nearby Halebidu favored tourist destinations in Karnataka state. These temple complexes have been proposed to be listed under UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

History of temple

The temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD. Scholars are divided about the reasons for the construction of the temple. The military successes of Vishnuvardhana is considered a probable reason. Some scholars believe Vishnuvardhana commissioned the temple to surpass his overlord, King Vikramaditya VI of the Western Chalukya Empire (who ruled from Basavakalyan), after his initial military victories against the Chalukyas. According to another theory, Vishnuvardhana was celebrating his famous victory against the Chola dynasty of Tamil country in the battle of Talakad (1116 AD), which resulted in the annexation of Gangavadi (modern southern Karnataka) by the Hoysalas.Another theory points to Vishnuvardhana's conversion from Jainism to Vaishnavism (a sect of Hinduism) after coming under the influence of saint Ramanujacharya, considering this is a predominantly Vaishnava temple in sculptural iconography. The Hoysalas employed many noted architects and artisans who developed a new architectural tradition, which art critic Adam Hardy called the Karnata Dravida tradition.In all 118 inscriptions have been recovered from the temple complex, covering the period 1117 AD to the 18th century, giving historians details of the artists employed, grants made to the temple and renovations .
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Architecture and Sculptures

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Architecture

The ornate gopurams in the Chennakesava temple are attractive. The sacrosanct platform of the temple has a golden horse along with the temple chariot. Lord Vishnu’s carrying the Garuda is at the entrance and faces the temple.

The temple structure has exclusive filigree gleams which shine like metal. The sculptures are well proportioned. Soapstone which is light greenish in colour has been used to create the Chennakesava temple. Smaller temples of Ranmaganayaki and Soumyanaki, the beloved of Lord Chennakesava lie within the temple premises. One gets to see temples of Anjaneya and Narasimha from here. The senior queen of King Vishnuvardhana, Shantaladevi who was a dance legend, built the Channigaraya temple.

The exterior of the temple is intricately carved. Mythological stories as well as stories from the Upanishads and Puranas are depicted here. Beadwork carvings can also be found in the temple art and architecture. Every piece of art work has been depicted very carefully and with skilled craftsmanship. The celestial nymphs or Madanikas are the other highlights of the temple’s beautiful art and architecture. The Madanikas are an epitome of the feminine form of Queen Shitladevi. The varied moods of the Madanikas are clearly depicted in the architecture.

sculptures

Image of the Hindu god Krishna playing a flute in a sanctum of the Chennakesava temple, Somanathapura
The ceiling of the mantapa (hall) is supported by lathe turned pillars, a standard feature in Hoysala constructions. Between pillars, the ceiling is domical and intricately decorated. These decorations could include multi-petalled lotuses, banana bud motifs based on stepped ponds and snake like (ananta) knots (symbolising eternity). Of the three shrines, one shrine has the image of the god Keshava, but the image is missing from the sanctum. The other two shrines house images of Janardhana and Venugopala (all three images are forms of the Hindu god Vishnu). This is strictly a Vaishnava temple and there are no depictions of any forms of the Hindu god Shiva. Other sculptures include of depictions of affluence of that age including members of the royal family riding richly decorated chariots, soldiers and commoners riding horses, camel drawn vehicles, dancers, musicians, hunters armed with bows and arrows and accompanied by their dogs, all heading for a hunt. There are sculptures of royal palaces protected by armed guards, intricate carvings of jewellery, such as pendants, necklaces, waistbands and rings and of woman sporting hair styles that were in vogue. The names of many architects and sculptors are etched on stone from which it is evident that the artists were both local and from outside the region. Famous among them are the locals such as Ruvari Mallithamma, Masanithamma, Chameya, Rameya, Chaudeya and Nanjeya while Pallavachari and Cholavachari are prominent artists from Tamil country.

The sculptures of Darpana Sundari, The Bhasma Mohini and the Huntress are some of the favourites. The royal dynasty’s emblem is the hallmark of the temple which is the major attraction on entering the temple and this is visible in every Hoysala temples. The chief deity, Kesava and Lord Krishna are worshipped here. The six foot tall, beautiful image of Lord Krishna installed at the sanctum looks marvellous

Plan

The monument consists of a shrine, an open hall and a platform. The shrineBelur3.jpg (59877 bytes) (vimana, mulaprasada) is larger than usual, its pedestal measures about 10 by 10 meters while a more usual size is 5 by 5 meters. Its architectural style is NÃ£gara (North Indian) but this is rather difficult to see because its tower is lost. The hall (mandapa) is of the open type, originally it only had a parapet. Later on the space between parapet and roof has been closed-off with magnificent screens, together with the further embellishment of the temple. The platform (jagati) is an essential part of the over-all design of the monument. It forms a unity with the rest of the elevation because it carefully follows the outlines of the shrine and the hall. Its three flights of steps add dignity to the entrances of the hall and it provides a walkway around the shrine (pradakshinapatha). Circumambulation of the shrine is an important form of worship.

Pillers and Sculptures

Sculpture of the Hoysala emblem in the Chennakeshava temple at Belur
The pillars inside the hall are an attraction and the most popular one is the Narasimha pillar which at one time could have revolved on its ball bearings. According to the historian Kamath, there is a rich diversity about the pillar styles here. While all the forty eight pillars are unique and the many ceiling sections are well decorated, nothing surpasses the finish of the four central pillars and the ceiling they support. These pillars may have been hand chiseled while the others were lathe turned.All of these four pillars bear madanikas (Salabhanjika–celestial damsels). There are 42 of them in the temple complex, one each on the four central pillars inside the hall and the remaining 38 are outside, between the eaves on the outer walls of the hall.They are also called shilabalika and represent the ideal female form. They are depicted in various forms, such as dancers, musicians and drummers, and are rarely erotic in nature. Some madanikas that usually are popular with tourists are the Darpana Sundari (lit,"beauty with mirror"), "The lady with the parrot", "The huntress" and Bhasma mohini. Other interesting sculptures inside the mantapa are Sthamba buttalika (pillar with an image in frieze) which is more in the Chola style indicating that the Hoysalas may have employed Chola craftsman along with locals. These images have less decor than regular Hoysala sculptures, the mohini pillar being an example.

Ornate lathe turned pillars in mantapa, a standard Hoysala idiom
At the base of the outer walls are friezes of charging elephants (six hundred and fifty of them) which symbolize stability and strength, above which are lions which symbolize courage, and further up are horses which symbolize speed. Above the horses are panels with floral designs signifying beauty above which are sculptures with depictions from the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. According to Kamath, this style of articulation is called horizontal treatment with friezes. Hoysala artisans preferred to be discreet about eroticism, mingling miniature erotic sculptures in not so conspicuous places such as recesses and niches. Sculptures depict daily life in a broad sense.

Gajasurasamhara: A frieze depicting the god Shiva slaying Gajasura the demon in the Chennakeshava temple at Belur
The doorways to the mantapa have on both sides an image of "Sala" slaying a lion.[25] Historian Kamath claims this is a tiger. Though Sala is known to be the founder of the Hoysala empire in popular legend, there is no support for this theory from scholars such as D.M. Durrett, B.R. Joshi and Hayavadhana Rao. Normally this image is placed on the sukanasi (tower over the vestibule) adjoining the main tower. Legend has it that Sala killed the lion (or tiger) which was about to pounce on a meditating saint who sought Sala's help. Some historians speculate that the legend may have gained importance after King Vishnuvardhana's victory over the Chola dynasty in the battle of Talakad, the tiger being the royal emblem of the Cholas.[26][27]

Other important sculptures here are the Narasimha (a form of Vishnu) image in the south western corner, Gajasurasamhara (Hindu god Shiva slaying demon in form of elephant) on the western side, the winged Garuda, a consort of the god Vishnu standing facing the temple, dancing Kali (a form of Durga), a seated Ganesha (son of Shiva), a boy with an umbrella and a king (the Vamana Avatar or incarnation of Vishnu), Ravana shaking Mount Kailash, Durga slaying demon Mahishasura, standing Brahma, Varaha (avatar of Vishnu), Shiva dancing on demon (Andhakasura), Bhairava (avatar of Shiva), Pandava prince Arjuna shooting a fish seeing its reflection, and the Sun god Surya. The sculptural style of the wall images bear similarities with wall sculptures in contemporary temples of northern Karnataka and adjacent Maharashtra.