The Yoga Madhava temple, dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

god Vishnu is located in Shettikere, in the

Tumkur district Tumakuru District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the third largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from ...

of Karnataka state, India.

Temple plan

Profile of Yoga Madhava temple at Settikere 1

According to the art historian Adam Hardy, the temple which was built in 1261 A.D. by an officer of the

Hoysala empire The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...

(ruled by King Narasimha III) is a three ''vimana'' (shrine) plan with the central shrine being semi-stellate (star shaped). The other two shrines on each side of the closed ''

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) are ''semi-vimanas'' because they exhibit no tower. The building material is

Soap stone 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 zo ...

.Hardy (1995), p.343 The temple has all the standard features of the Hoysala architectural idiom:an open entrance ''mantapa'' (''mukhamantapa'' or porch) followed by a closed ''mantapa'' with no windows, ''sukhanasi'' (

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 ...

) and a '' garbhagriha'' ("sanctum").Kamath (1980), p.134 The temple gets an elevated look due to the '' jagati'' it stands on (a platform that is about a meter high).Quote:"The Jagati serves the purpose of a ''pradakshinapatha'' (circumambulation) as the shrine has no such arrangement in Hoysala temples", Kamath (2001), p.135 According to art historian Gerard Foekema, being a triple ''vimana'' construction it qualifies as a ''trikuta'' plan although only the central ''vimana'' usually has a tower (called '' shikhara'') over it. The entrance to the temple is through an open pillared porch (''mukhamantapa'') followed by a closed ''mantapa'' (or ''navaranga'').Foekema (1996), p.25 According to Hardy, the eastern side of the temple shows some later additions. The porch consists of an awning supported by lathe turned half pillars and parapets on either side.Foekema (1996), p.24 The closed hall which has no windows connects to the sanctum via a

(called ''sukhanasi''). The vestibule also as a tower (also called ''sukhanasi'') which looks like a low protrusion of the main tower over the shrine. The inner walls of the shrine are square and plain where as the outer walls are semi-stellate (semi-star shaped) with numerous recesses and projections that are used for decorative relief consisting of Aedicula and pilasters. The outer wall of the vestibule is also decorative but is inconspicuous because it appears like a short continuation of the shrine outer wall. The ceiling of the closed hall is supported by four lathe turned pillars which divide the ceiling into nine decorated bays.Foekema (1996), pp.21–22 According to art historian Percy Brown the lathe turned pillars with four brackets above are a characteristic style of the Kalyani Chalukya-Hoysala architecture.Brown in Kamath (1980), p.134 At the top of the shrine tower is the '' kalasha'', a decorative water-pot like structure that is placed over a large dome (the "helmet") which is the largest piece of sculpture in the temple measuring about 2m x 2m.Foekema (1996), p.27 The design of the tower, according to Brown, is a speciality in Hoysala art. According to him, the stellate form of the base of the shrine with its "projections and recesses" is carried through the tower giving it a "fluted effect". The tower is divided into tiers with each tier diminishing in height and culminating in an umbrella like structure.Brown in Kamath (1980), pp.134–135

Notes

References

* Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996, New Delhi * * Adam Hardy, Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation : the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries, Abhinav, 1995, New Delhi, {{ISBN, 81-7017-312-4. Hindu temples in Tumkur district Hoysala Kingdom 13th-century Hindu temples