Someshwara Temple, Kolar

The Someshwara temple (also spelt Someshvara or Somesvara), situated in the town of Kolar,

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 is an ornate 14th century

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.Vijayanagara

era Dravidian style construction. ''Someshwara'', another name for the Hindu god
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 ...
is the presiding deity in the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
. 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 Alexander ...
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, Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
'') 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 ...
. Though both temples have a large open pillared ''mukhamantapa'' (hall) leading to the sanctum (''
garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...
''), 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 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 ...
. 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 known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...
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 * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
s (''
aedicule In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, n." ''O ...
'').

Notes

References
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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