built by Tamil kings chola The Someshwara temple (also spelt Someshvara or Somesvara), situated in

Kolar Kolar or Kolara is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar district. The city is known for its milk production and gold mines. It is also known for Someshwara temple and Kolaramma temple. History The Wes ...

town of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state, India, built by Tamil kings Chola.is an ornate 14th century

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bellary ...

era Dravidian style construction. ''Someshwara'', another name for the Hindu god

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 Hindu ...

is the presiding deity in the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. The temple is protected by 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 Alexande ...

as a monument of national importance.

Temple plan

According to art historian George Michel, the general plan of the temple resembles that of the Someshvara temple in Bangalore, except, this temple is more rich in finish and detail.Michell (1995), p69 The temple is noted for its tall superstructure (''

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...

'') over the main entrance (''mahadwara''). The superstructure is built of brick and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

. Though both temples have a large open pillared ''mukhamantapa'' (hall) leading to the sanctum (''

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ''M ...

''), in Kolar the open ''mantapa'' has a central hall surrounded by a raised floor. Several ornate pillars on the raised floor support the ceiling of the ''mantapa''. The main shrine has a ''dravida'' (south Indian) style tower (''

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'' chamber ...

''), a vestibule (''sukanasi'') that connects the sanctum to a ''navaranga'' (closed hall) which leads to the large pillared ''mukhamandapa''. The temple is enclosed by a cloistered wall (''prakara''). At the frontal extension of the hall are four full length pillars depicting riders on '' Yalis'' ("mythical beasts"). An ornate ''Kalyana mantapa'' ("marriage hall") built of granite, at the south-west corner of the complex, has pillars with decorative sculptures 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 the ...

. Michell dates the temple to about the 17th century, but the Archaeological Survey of India dates the temple to the early

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

rule of the 14th century. The base of the temple outer wall (''adhishthana'') consists of decorative moldings, with friezes of elephants, dwarfs and lions embellishing the upper moldings . The outer wall of the temple has miniature decorative pilasters (''kumbha'') with

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

s ('' aedicule''). ≠≠≠≠≠≠≠

Notes

References

* * *

Gallery

File:Sign board at Someshvara temple in Kolar.JPG, Archaeological Survey of India sign board, describing details of the Someshwara temple File:Entrance to mantapa (hall) in Someshvara Temple at Kolar.JPG, Open main mantapa (hall) leading to the sanctum in Someshwara temple at Kolar File:Someshvara Temple (frontal profile) at Kolar.JPG, A profile of the front of the Someshwara temple at Kolar File:Main mantapa (hall) in Someshvara Temple at Kolar.JPG, A view of the open mantapa in Someshwara temple at Kolar File:Open Mantapa (hall) in Someshvara temple at Kolar.JPG, A view of the open mantapa in the Someshwara temple at Kolar File:Kalyana Mantapa (hall) in Someshvara temple at Kolar.JPG, An ornate Kalyana mantapa at the rear of the complex in the Someshwara temple at Kolar File:Yali Pillars in mantapa (hall) in Someshvara Temple at Kolar.JPG, Yali pillars of the open mantapa in Someshwara temple at Kolar File:Someshwara Temple Kalyana Mandapa Ornamental Pillar, Kolar.JPG, Decorative pillars of ''Kalyana mantapa'' with exquisite relief

External links

{{coord missing, Karnataka Shiva temples in Karnataka Hindu temples in Kolar district