The Lakshminarasimha temple at Nuggehalli is a 13th-century Hindu temple with Hoysala architecture in Nuggehalli village, Hassan district, Karnataka, India. This three shrine Vaishnava complex is dedicated to Keshava, Lakshminarayana and Venugopala. The temple is notable for its

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...

reliefs,

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

reliefs such as those of

Harihara Harihara (Sanskrit: हरिहर) is the fused sattvika characterisation of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara) from Hindu theology. Hari is the form of Vishnu, and Hara is the form of Shiva. Harihara is also known as Shankaranarayana ("Shankara ...

, Dakshinamurti, Chandikesvara and

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...

reliefs such as of Durga Mahisasuramardini, dancing Lakshmi and

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a ...

, as well as Vedic deities such as

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...

and

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

. The lower section depicts scenes from the Hindu epics and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. The artwork completed and signed by the Hoysala artist Mallitamma are particularly notable.R Narasimhachar (1915), Annual Report Archaeological Survey of Mysore June 1913, pp. 2–3 with Plate II

Location and date

Nuggehalli, also referred to as Nuggihalli or Nuggelli, is located in Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district in Karnataka state, India. It is located on the Tiptur-

Channarayapatna Channarayapatna is a town and Taluk headquarters in Hassan district of Karnataka, India. It lies on the Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway 75 in Karnataka, India.It has number of temples like Channakeshava temple, Anjaneya temple, Tejigereyam ...

state highway and is about 50 km from Hassan city (NH 75, SH 47). It is about 80 km southeast of Halebidu, and is well connected by road with

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, the state capital. The town was called Vijaya Somanathapura before the 14th-century and gained importance as an ''agrahara'' (place of learning) during the time of Bommanna Dandanayaka. The Lakshmi Narasimha temple was built in 1246 CE by Bommanna Dandanayaka, a commander in the

Hoysala Empire The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

during the rule of King Vira Someshwara. It is a good example of 13th century Hoysala architecture. Located a short distance away in Nuggehalli, and built around the same time is the Sadashiva temple.Foekema (1996), p. 83.

Architecture

Lakshminarasimha temple, Nuggehalli Karnataka

This is a good example of a richly decorated Hoysala temple built in the ''trikuta'' (three towers) ''

vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also mentio ...

'' (shrine) style with fine sculptures adorning the walls.Quote:"Most Hoysala temples are either ekakuta (one tower), dvikuta (two towers) or trikuta, Foekema (1996), p. 25 The material used is Chloritic Schist, more commonly known as

Soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the ...

).Quote:"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 The temple is built on a '' jagati'' (platform) that closely follows the plan of the temple.Quote:"The Jagati is in perfect unity with the rest of the temple", Foekema (1996), p. 25 On it are the three shrines located around a central closed ''ranga-mantapa''. The ceiling of this ''mantapa'' is supported by four lathe turned pillars which is deeply domed in the center.Quote:"This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples", Kamath(2001), p. 117 The central shrine is the most prominent one and has a large tower. This shrine has a

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

that connects the shrine to 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 temple ...

'' (hall). Above the vestibule is a short extension called the ''sukanasi''.Quote:"It is on the ''sukanasi'' that the Hoysala crest is placed". The crest consists of a sculpture of "Sala" the mythical founder of the empire, fighting the lion. Foekema (1996), p. 22 The other two shrines have smaller towers. The main tower has lost the ''

kalasha A kalasha, also spelled kalash or kalasa, also called ghat or ghot ( sa, कलश , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal ( brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large base and small mouth, large en ...

'' (decorative structure on top).Quote:"water pot like decorative stone structure on top of the tower. This is often lost over the centuries and normally seen replaced by a metallic pinnacle", Foekema (1996), p. 27 Since the shrine is square in plan, the topping roof follows the same plan. There are three tiers of decorative smaller roofs that form the body 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 three shrines are dedicated to Venugopala, Keshava and Lakshminarasimha, all

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...

s of

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" within ...

. From outside, the temple actually looks like an ''ekakuta'' (single tower and shrine) temple because the two lateral shrines are simple extensions of the wall of the ''mantapa''. This is a classic example of a ''trikuta'' (three shrines and towers) that looks like a ''ekakuta''.Fokema (1996), p. 84 A large open ''mantapa''(hall) was added after the main temple was complete. This makes the closed ''mantapa'' look like the inner portion of the temple. The central shrine has five projections per side. According to art critic Gerard Foekema, the temple illustrates the Hoysala style for the wall sections. The roof meets the outer walls of the temple with two

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

all round the temple.Quote:"An eaves is a projecting roof, overhanging the wall", Foekema (1996), p. 93 The upper eave projects about half a meter from the wall. There is a second eave running about a meter below the upper eaves with decorative miniature towers (

aedicule 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, n ...

) between them. The wall images of Hindu gods and goddesses and their attendants are below the lower eaves, and there are 120 such sculptured panels in all. Below these are six moldings of equal size with decorations in

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 ...

. This according to historian Kamath is the "horizontal treatment" that is a hallmark of the later Hoysala temples.<Kamath (2001), p. 134 The six moldings at the base of the wall is divided into two sections. Starting from the base where the wall meets the ''jagati'', the first horizontal molding contains procession of elephants, above which are a horsemen, and a band of foliage on the third. The second horizontal section starts with 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.Foekema (1996), p. 24Quote:"Art critic Percy Brown calls this one of the distinguishing features of Hoysala art", Kamath (2001), p. 134 The images in the panels mostly depict

legends and they are attributed to two well known Hoysala sculptors, Baichoja and Mallitamma.Foekema (1996), p.85 However, like many Hindu temples, other traditions are included. This temple has some panels with

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

and related legends, such as in the form of

Bhairava Bhairava (Sanskrit: भैरव ) or Kala Bhairava is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva associated with annihilation. In Trika system ''Bhai ...

along with his consort

Bhairavi Bhairavi ( sa, भैरवी) is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava. Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terror" or "awe-inspiring". She is th ...

. Baichoja's sculptures are on the south side of the temple. Mallitamma's sculptures are on the north side.Foekema, (2001), p. 85

Gallery

File:Lakshminarasimha temple at Nuggehalli north western closeup view.jpg, The original temple on the jagati File:Lord Krishna Carrying the Govardhan Mountain - Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Nuggehalli 11.jpg, Krishna Goverdhandhara File:Goddess Durga - Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Nuggehalli 17.jpg, Durga Mahisasuramardini File:Relief sculpture of dancing Ganesha in Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Nuggehall.JPG, Dancing Ganesha File:Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Nuggehalli - 7.jpg, Garuda File:Molding frieze and Hindu deities in relief in Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Nuggehalli.JPG, Temple's base moldings

References

Bibliography

* 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 *

External links