The Chennakeshava temple, dedicated to the Hindu god

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

, is located in Aralaguppe, a small town in Karnataka state, India. Aralaguppe is located 60 km from the city of

Hassan Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

. The temple was built around 1250 during the rule of the Hoysala Empire King

Vira Someshwara Vira Someshwara ( kn, ವೀರ ಸೋಮೇಶ್ವರ) (1234–1263) was a king of the Hoysala Empire. The preoccupation of Vira Narasimha II in the affairs of Tamil country resulted in neglect of northern territories and he had to face Seun ...

.Foekema (1996), p 39 The temple is a protected monument under the Karnataka state division of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

Temple plan

A profile of the Chennakeshava Temple at Aralaguppe

Though the temple is simple and elegant, it is a highly articulate example of

Hoysala architecture Hoysala architecture is the building style in Hindu temple architecture developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a state of India. Hoysala influence was at its pe ...

. Architecturally, the plan is 16-star pointed (stellate) with a well design ''

shikhara ''Shikhara'' ( IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chambe ...

'' (tower) over the ''vimana'' (shrine). The ''

kalasa Kalasa is a tehsil located in Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka. Kalasa is home to the Kalaseshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Kalasa lies 92 Kilometres South-west of Chickmagalur and is located on the banks of the Bhadra River. Kannad ...

'' on top (a decorative water-pot at the top of the towerFoekema (1996), p 27) is missing though.Foekema (1996), p 40 The tower starts with a topping roof which is also 16-star pointed and is followed by four tiers of square roofs, some of which still have their decorative ''kalasa''.Kamath (2001), p 134 This is a ''ekakuta'' plan (single shrine with a tower) with the temple raised on a platform called '' jagati''.Foekema (1996), p 21, p 25Kamath (2001), p 135 The decorative plan of the walls of the shrine and the ''

mantapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...

'' (hall) is of the "new kind", a plan in which the temple has two eaves. The first heavy eave runs below the superstructure and all around the temple with a projection of about half a meter. The second eave runs around the temple about a meter below the first. In between the two eaves are the well chiseled miniature decorative towers (

aedicula In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, ...

) on

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s. Below the second eaves are the wall panel of images of Hindu deities and their attendants in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

.Foekema (1996), p 28 Below this, at the base, are the six equal-width rectangular moldings (

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

). Starting from the top, the friezes depict ''hansa'' (birds) in the first frieze, ''

makara ''Makara'' ( sa, मकर, translit=Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, a ...

'' (aquatic monsters) in the second, epics and other stories in the third (which in this case is from the Hindu epic

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

and stories of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

), leafy scrolls in the fourth, horses in the fifth and elephants at the bottom.Foekema (1996), p 29, p 40 The cella (sanctum) contains an image of

Keshava Keshava (Sanskrit: ') is an epithet of Vishnu in Hindu tradition. Keshava means Parabrahman, according to Hindu scriptures. The name appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata. Keshava is also venerated ...

(a version of the Hindu god Krishna) raised on a large pedestal.

Gallery

File:Chennakeshava Temple at Aralaguppe(stellate shrine wall).JPG, Star pointed shrine architecture, Chennakeshava temple at Aralaguppe File:Chennakeshava Temple at Aralaguppe (stellate shrine).JPG, Star pointed shrine from another angle, Chennakeshava temple at Aralaguppe File:A Ceiling inside the mantapa (hall) at Chennakeshava Temple at Aralaguppe.JPG, Ornate domical bay ceiling in Chennakeshava temple at Aralaguppe File:Chennakeshava Temple at Aralaguppe (tower close up).JPG, Close up of star pointed (stellate) ''vimana'' in Chennakeshava temple at Aralaguppe

Notes

References

* Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 * {{coord missing, Karnataka Hindu temples in Tumkur district 13th-century Hindu temples