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 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 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 ...

, while the other –

Lakshminarasimha Temple, Haranhalli 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, India. It is triple-shrine temple dedicated to V ...

few hundred meters to the west – is 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 ( ...

. 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 The Someshvara temple is more damaged and ruined than the nearby Lakshminarasimha, but its surviving art and panels from

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

and

Shaktism Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...

are notable. Also notable is its illustration of three entrance-style, square plan

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 with an integrated circumambulation path on the ''jagati''. The Someshvara 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 east of

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 northeast of Hassan city in

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 Somesvara temple is located towards the eastern edge of the village, and it is about 300 meters to the east of the more ornate Lakshminarasimha temple.

Architecture

The Somesvara temple at Harahalli is a mature

architecture. It has only one sanctum and vimana with superstructure. Like the Lakshminarasimha temple nearby that also completed in 1234 CE, this temple 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 temple plan is similar to that of the Lakshminarasimha temple, but according to art historian Foekema, the overall decorative ornamentation of Somesvara temple is somewhat lesser in quality though there are some well executed reliefs. The temple plan is a ''ekakuta'' (single shrine) but made to look like a ''trikuta'' (three shrined) due to the two simple lateral shrine like structures.Foekema (1996), p 25, p. 69 The main shrine is stellate (star-shaped), has a complete 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) which is similar to that in the Lakshminarasimha temple.Foekema (1996), p 22Foekema (1996), p 69 According to Foekema, the decoration in the interior of the Somevara temple and the upper parts of the walls deserve special mention for its taste.Foekema(1996), p 70

Decoration and sculptures

The tower over the shrine and its vestibule (''sukhanasi'' or nose) are intact. 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 The decorative plan of the walls of the shrines and the hall reflects the mature 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 panel of images of Hindu

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

and their attendants in

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 ...

.Foekema (1996), pp28-29Kamath (2001), p134 Below this, 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 creatures) 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 Many blocks of the superstructure have no carvings. Similarly, the frieze work on the moldings at the base is missing.Foekema (1996), pp69-70

Gallery

File:Close up of Profile of stellate tower over shrine in the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli.JPG, Close up of ''shikhara'' (superstructure) File:Minor shrine (aedicula) inside mantapa of the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli.JPG, Decorative pillars and minor shrine (aedicula) inside mantapa File:Someshvara temple at Haranahalli 1.JPG, Another view of Someshvara temple at Haranahalli where mantapa entrance has been closed File:Vesara tower over shrine with minor shrine extension on outer wall in the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli.JPG, Front view of ''vesara'' tower over shrine with minor shrine extension on outer wall in the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli File:Profile of vesara stellate tower over shrine in the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli 1.JPG, ''Vimana'' (tower and shrine) outer wall with protruding over wall aedicula (minor shrine) of Someshvara temple, Haranhalli File:Ornate pillar in mantapa of Lakshminarasimha temple at Haranhalli 4.JPG, Ornate pillars inside mantapa of Someshvara temple at Haranhalli File:Horizontal frieze treatment in the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli.JPG, Horizontal frieze treatment in the Someshvara temple at Haranahalli with. Relief of Hindu deities in frieze on the third molding is absent. File:Domical bay ceiling in the mantapa of Someshvara temple at Haranahalli.JPG, Domical bay ceiling in the mantapa of Someshvara temple at Haranahalli

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 , origyear=1980 , year=2001 , publisher=Jupiter books , location=Bangalore , oclc=7796041 , lccn=80905179 Hindu temples in Hassan district Shiva temples in Karnataka