The Veera Narayana temple, also referred to as the Viranarayana temple of Belavadi, is a triple Hindu temple with a complex Hoysala architecture completed around 1200 CE. Close to

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 ...

, this is a better preserved large Hoysala monument found in the small village of Belavadi,

Chikkamagaluru district Chikmagalur, officially Chikkamagaluru () is an administrative district in the Malnad subregion of Karnataka, India. It was called Kadur (''Cuddoor'') district till 1947. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikmagalur. The hills of Chikmaga ...

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. The temple has three separate square sanctums connected through an unusually large square ''ranga-mandapa'' (103 feet). The main shrine faces east and is dedicated to Viranarayana (

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 ( ...

). The north facing shrine is dedicated to Gopala, while the south facing shrine is for Yoga-Narasimha. The temple was likely expanded in stages before it was damaged in the 14th-century, and some features were added to protect it from further destruction. The notable features of this stellate-style temple include its exquisitely ornamented

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 ...

superstructures (''shikara'') with jewelry-like details. Inside are the finely polished galaxy of pillars, some banded as if they are wearing jewels. The ceilings too are unusual panels of figural tableaux depicting Hindu legends about

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

. The Veeranarayana temple is a nationally protected monument of India that is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India Bengaluru Circle.Viranarayana Temple - Belavadi
ASI

Location and date

Belavadi is north of

, about north of Hassan city, and about southeast of

Chikmagalur Chikmagalur (officially Chikkamagaluru, ), previously known as ''Kiriya-Muguli'' is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri, Mullayanagiri peak of the We ...

town on the Chikmagalur-Javagal highway. It is connected to India's national highway network via NH 73. The local legends state that the village has roots in the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

era when it was called ''Ekachakranagar''. Then, Belavadi was where

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

prince

Bheema Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...

killed the demon

Bakasura Bakasura (, ), also rendered Baka, is a rakshasa featured in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The rakshasa lives in a forest which nowadays known as "Gangani" located near Garhbeta town of the Indian state of West Bengal. In exchange for prote ...

and protected the village and its people. The shrines of Veeranarayana were likely built and expanded over many years, because the slightly newer sections has somewhat lesser height, the way the halls connect, and because the cross section plane of the additions is visible. The oldest section is the shrine for Veeranarayana, likely complete about 1200 CE. Thereafter, the temple was expanded where the supersized ranga-mandapa was added along with the shrines for Gopala and Yoga-Narasimha. These were complete by about 1206 CE or few years thereafter.

Architecture

This ornate ''trikuta'' (three shrined) temple was built in 1200 C.E. by

Hoysala Empire The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries Common Era, CE. The c ...

King

Veera Ballala II Veera Ballala II (reigned 22 July 1173–1220) was the most notable king of the Hoysala Kingdom. His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Kalachuris of Kalyani, Southern Kalachuris, the Pandya Dynasty, Pandyas of Madurai and t ...

. The material used is

Soapstone 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 sub ...

.Kamath (2001), p136. Quote:"The Western Chalukya carvings were done on green schist (

). This technique was adopted by the Hoysalas", Each of the three shrines has a complete superstructure (tower on top of shrine) and is one of the largest temples built by the Hoysala kings. While the famous temples at Belur and Halebidu are known for their intricate sculptures, this temple is known for its architecture.Foekema (1996), p53 The plan of the temple is unique in that two of the shrines face each other and are located on either side of a wide and spacious open ''mantapa'' (hall) containing thirty seven bays.Quote:"A bay is a square or rectangular compartment in the hall", Foekema (1996), p93 The temple complex has two closed ''mantapa''s, one with thirteen bays and another with nine bays, at the end of which is a central shrine. This third shrine is an older construction and exhibits a standard architectural idiom containing all the basic elements of a Hoysala temple. The inner walls of the older shrine are plain, but its roof is well decorated. In all, the temple complex has fifty nine bays (hence it has many pillars), most of which are lathe-turned and bell shaped,Quote:"This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples", Kamath (2001), p117 while a few have decorative carvings on them. According to Foekema, the outer wall of the temple is of the "old style", with one eaves running around the temple where the superstructure meets the wall of the shrine. Below this are miniature decorative towers on pilasters (

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 ...

). This is followed by a second eves. A panel of Hindu deities and their attendants (

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 ...

) are below this eves followed by a set of five moldings that form the base of the wall.Quote:"An eaves is a projecting roof, overhanging the wall", Foekema (1996), p93 The two newer shrines have different plans. Both have a square sanctum, with one shrine square in shape as well while the other is star shaped (stellate). The tower of the shrine has the traditional Hindu ''

kalasha A kalasha, also called Pūrṇa-Kalaśa, Pūrṇa-Kumbha, Pūrṇa-Ghaṭa, also called ghat or ghot or kumbh ( , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large ...

'' (decorative water-pot like structure) below which are three tiers of decorated miniature roofs.Quote:"The ''Kalasha'' is the water pot like structure at the peak of the tower", Foekema (2001), p27 The superstructure over each of three shrines is connected to a low protrusion tower called ''Sukanasi'' (tower over the vestibule, called "nose" of the main tower)Quote:"Tower on top of vestibule connecting hall and shrine", Foekema (1996), p22 The ''Sukanasi'' consist of two tiers of decorated miniature roofs. In all other aspects the two shrines are identical. All shrines have sculptured decoration on the towers, and the sculptures on the walls are bold and are visible from a distance.Foekema (1996), pp54-55. However, they are not sharp and impressive from close quarters unlike in other Hoysala temples. The important sculptures with fine finish are that of the Hindu god

dancing on the head of Kalia the serpent, and the

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

(eagle). This is a

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

temple and all three shrines have images of the Hindu god Vishnu, though in different forms (

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

). The central shrine (older shrine) has an tall image of

Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is also known as Pu ...

with four hands and is considered one of the best examples of Hoysala art. It is well elaborated with ornamentation and stands on a ''padmasana'' (lotus seat). The southern shrine has an tall image of Venugopala (the god Krishna playing a

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

) including a ''garuda'' pedestal and the northern shrine has a tall image of ''Yoganarasimha'', sitting in a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

posture. Decorative sculptures such as ''

kirtimukha Kirtimukha (Sanskrit: कीर्तिमुख ,', also ', a bahuvrihi compound translating to "glorious face") is the name of a swallowing fierce face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, very common in the iconography of Hindu temple architectu ...

s'' (

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s) are used to make the shrine (''

vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...

'') towers ornate.

Gallery

File:Veeranarayana temple in belavadi Karnataka state India.jpg, The temple view from its entrance File:Lathe turned pillars in outer mantapa of Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, Outer mantapa (hall) at Veera Narayana temple in Belavadi File:Open Hall (Inner mantapa) at Veeranarayana Temple in Belavadi.jpg, Inner ''

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 ...

'' (hall) in Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:Parapet wall relief at Veeranarayana Temple.jpg, Parapet wall relief sculpture in the Veera Narayana temple at Belavadi File:Right profile of rear shrine in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, Profile of rear shrine in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:Left profile of rear shrine in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, Profile of rear shrine in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:View of front right shrine with rear shrine in the background in Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, View of front right shrine with rear shrine in the background in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:View of the front left shrine with rear shrine in the background in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, View of the front left shrine with rear shrine in the background in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:Profile of the outer mantapa and a shrine in Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, Profile of the outer mantapa and a shrine in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:Lintel decoration at entrance into inner closed mantapa in Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG, Lintel decoration at entrance into inner closed mantapa in the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:Domical bay ceiling art in outer mantapa of Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi 1.JPG, Domical bay ceiling art in outer mantapa of the Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi File:Sri Veeranarayana Temple - Belavadi South Western Side View 01.jpg, South Western View of Sri Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi

Notes

References

* Gerard Foekema, ''A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples'', Abhinav, 1996 * Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath, ''A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present'', Jupiter books, 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002) * *

External links

Chikamagalur City Municipal Council
{{Hindu temples in Karnataka Buildings and structures completed in 1200 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1200s 12th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Chikmagalur district Vishnu temples