Lakshminarasimha Temple, Haranhalli
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli, sometimes referred to as Lakshmi Narasimha temple of Haranhalli, is one of two major historic Hindu temples that have survived in Haranhalli,
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, India. It is triple-shrine temple dedicated to
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
, while the other –
Someshvara Temple, Haranhalli The Someshvara temple at Haranhalli, sometimes referred to as Somesvara temple of Haranhalli, is one of two major historic Hindu temples that have survived in Haranhalli, Karnataka, India. It is dedicated to Shiva, while the other – Lakshmi ...
few hundred meters to the east – is dedicated to
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
. Both temples reflect a Vesara-style
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 States and territories of India, state of Indi ...
, share similar design ideas and features, and were completed in the 1230s by three wealthy brothers – Peddanna Heggade, Sovanna and Kesanna.Foekema (1996), pp. 67–70 According to the inscriptions found near the temple and in the village, the temple was originally dedicated to and named after Kesava – also Vishnu, but over its history was renamed as the Lakshminarasimha temple. The temple is notable for its artwork and for including architectural features typically found in late Chalukya and early Hoysala periods. The Lakshminarasimha 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 Alexander ...
.


Location and date

Haranhalli, – also referred to as Harnahalli, Haruvanahalli or Hiriya Somanathapura in historic inscriptions – is located about from
Halebidu Halebidu (IAST: Haḷēbīḍ, literally "old capital, city, encampment" or "ruined city") is a town located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Historically known as Dwārasamudra (also Dorasamudra), Halebidu became the regal capital of the ...
and about from Hassan city in
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
state,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. It is connected to India's highway network with NH 73 and SH 21. The Lakshminarasimha temple is located towards the west-center of the village, and it is about 300 meters to the west of the Somesvara temple.


Architecture

The Lakshminarasimha temple at Harahalli is a ''trikuta'' (three sanctum) shrine set within a mature
Vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture that combines Dravidian Southern Indian site layouts with shape details characteristic of the Nagara style of North India. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architectur ...
architecture. It has only one Vimana with superstructure, making it appear from the distance as if it has just one sanctum. It sits on a ''pallavi'' style of ''jagati'' (a molded platform constructed per ''vastu'' guidelines). This platform, in addition to adding visual beauty, provides the devotees a path for
circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in ...
(''
pradakshina Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path alon ...
patha'') around the temple. The platform has three flights of steps, one leading to the entrance to the hall and the other two that lead only up to the platform, further enhancing the visual appearance.Foekema (1996), p25Kamath (2001), p135 The upper space and structure is set in three storied ''bhadravalokanas'', a variant of the style seen in Hoysalesvara temple in Halebidu. The temple has a ''gudha-mandapa'' that starts after the ''kapili'', then the two side shrines, followed by the ''ranga-mandapa''. Outside on the walls are panels of Hindu deity-related panels at the ''talajangha'', in turreted niches. These are mainly from the Vaishnava pantheon. The Lakshminarasimha temple plan is similar to that found in the temples at Hosaholalu, Nuggihalli and Javagallu. While its decorative ornamentation is simpler, it has a more original look. The temple plan is that of a ''trikuta'' (three shrined),Foekema (1996), p25 with a strong focus on the middle shrine which has a superstructure (tower or ''
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 ...
'') and a ''sukhanasi'' (nose or tower over the vestibule).Foekema (1996), p22Foekema (1996), p68 The three shrines are connected by a common hall (''
mantapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...
''). The lateral shrines are connected directly to the hall while the middle shrine has a vestibule that connects the sanctum (cella or ''vimana'') to the hall.Foekema (1996), p21Kamath (2001), p134 Since the lateral shrines do not have a tower and are directly connected to the hall (without a vestibule and its corresponding tower like projection), they do not appear like shrines at all from the outside but rather as a part of the hall. The central shrine on the contrary is highly visible because of its tower, and the ''sukhanasi'' that projects prominently from the tower.


Decoration and sculptures

The sanctum of the three shrines contain an image of the Hindu god
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
; Venugopala,
Keshava Keshava (, ) is an epithet of Vishnu in Hindu tradition. The name appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu sahasranama, Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata. Keshava is also venerated by those persons wanting to avert bad luck or ill- ...
and Lakshminarasimha.Foekema (1996), p69 The towers over the central shrine and its vestibule (''sukhanasi'' or nose) are intact and intricate. The ''
kalasa Kalasa is a taluk located in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka. Kalasa is home to the Kalaseshwara Temple dedicated to Shiva. Kalasa lies 92 Kilometres West of Chickmagalur and is located on the banks of the Bhadra River. Kannada language is s ...
'' on top of the tower (the decorative water-pot at the apex of the tower) is however missing.Foekema (1996), p27 Since the lateral shrines have no towers, their superstructure comprises a stylish row of miniature roofs above the upper
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 ...
. The decorative plan of the walls of the shrines and the hall reflects the Hoysala style (with two eaves that run around the temple). The first heavy eaves runs below the superstructure and all around the temple with a projection of about half a meter. The second eaves runs around the temple about a meter below the first. In between the two eaves are the miniature decorative towers (
Aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...
) on
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s. Below the second eaves are the wall panels of Hindu artwork and
relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
s.Foekema (1996), pp28-29 Below this band, at the base are the six equal width rectangular moldings (
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
). Starting from the top, the friezes depict; ''hansa'' (birds) in the first frieze, ''
makara 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, and of the god of the ocean, Varun ...
'' (mythical fused animals) in the second, the usual depiction of scenes from the Hindu epics are absent in the third frieze which has been left blank. This is followed by leafy scrolls in the fourth frieze. The fifth and sixth friezes exhibit high quality workmanship in depicting horses and elephants respectively.Foekema (1996), p29, p69


Gallery

File:Profile of the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli 1.JPG, The ''mantapa'' outer wall, and ''vimana'' File:Profile of the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli 2.JPG, Close up of ''Vimana'' and the aedicula File:Stellate tower over shrine in the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli.JPG, Close up of ''shikhara'' (superstructure) File:Lathe turned pillars, decorative door jamb and lintel at entrance to sanctum in the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli 1.JPG, Lathe turned pillars, decorative door jamb and lintel File:Closed mantapa facing sanctum in the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli.jpg, Closed mantapa facing a sanctum File:Outer wall articulation and horizontal frieze treatment in Profile of the the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli.JPG, Outer wall articulation and horizontal frieze treatment File:Decorative door jamb and lintel at entrance to sanctum in the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli.jpg, Decorative door jamb and lintel at entrance to sanctum File:Decorative half pillar in the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli 1.jpg, Deorative pilaster File:Domical ceiling in the closed mantapa of the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli.JPG, Domical ceiling in the closed mantapa File:Horizontal frieze treatment in Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli.jpg, Horizontal frieze treatment to moldings File:Wall relief at the Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli in Hassan district.jpg, Shrine outer wall relief and molding File:Ornate pillar in mantapa of Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli 3.JPG, Ornate pillars inside mantapa


References


Bibliography

*Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 *{{Cite book , last=Kamath , first=Suryanath U. , title=A concise history of Karnataka: from pre-historic times to the present , orig-year=1980 , year=2001 , publisher=Jupiter books , location=Bangalore , oclc=7796041 , lccn=80905179 Hindu temples in Hassan district Devi temples in Karnataka