The Vijayanarayana Temple is located in the town of

Gundlupet Gundlupet also known as Land of Tigers (''Gundlupētē'' in Kannada) is a municipal town situated in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, India. It is also known as "''The flower pot of India''". It is situated 60 km away from NH 766 and ...

Chamarajanagar district Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is the southernmost district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in 1998. Chamarajanagar town is the headquarters of this district. It is the third leas ...

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. The temple dates back to the 10th century rule of the

Western Ganga Dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (m ...

, though it has received continuous patronage from later kingdoms as well, up to the 15th 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, Bell ...

period. Tradition has it that the Hoysala Empire King

Vishnuvardhana Vishnuvardhana (r. 1108–1152 CE) was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the modern state of Karnataka, India. He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in c.1108. Originally a followe ...

was responsible for the consecration of the deity Vijayanarayana, a version of the Hindu god

Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...

(or

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 ...

Temple plan

The temple consists of a 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 ' ...

''), a vestibule (called ''sukhanasi'') that connects the sanctum to the ''navaranga'' (closed hall where devotees gather for prayers) and an open hall ('' mandapa''). The base on which the walls of the ''navaranga'' are built (called ''adhisthana'') has the several moldings. The walls that rise from this have slender decorative pilasters. The open ''mantapa'' that has several ornate pillars appears to have modified the original north–south entrances that existed in the ''navaranga'' (also called ''mukhamantapa''). The entrance to temple has an impressive row of '' yali'' pillars that depict warriors riding lions. The temple has numerous independent sculptures including Anantha,

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...

, and

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

, the monkey god from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Yali pillared entrance in Vijayanarayana temple at Gundlupet

Notes

References

External links

{{coord missing, Karnataka 10th-century Hindu temples Vijayanagara Empire Hindu temples in Chamarajanagar district Vishnu temples