>Rich Farmbrough at 00:44, 1 October 2019

2019-10-01T00:44:24Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}

{{coord|12.642840|N|76.478228|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
[[File:Hosaholalu. Krishnarajapet (1).jpg|thumb|Hosaholalu Village]]
[[File:Hosaholalu. Krishnarajapet (13).jpg|thumb|Hosaholalu school]]
[[File:Hosaholalu. Krishnarajapet (5).jpg|thumb|Hosaholalu Temple]]
'''Hosaholalu''' is a small town near [[Krishnarajapet]] in Mandya district of Karnataka state, India.

==Location==
Hosaholalu is located two km west of Krishnarajapet town on the [[Bherya]] road.

==Lakshmi Narayana Temple==
{{main|Lakshminarayana Temple, Hosaholalu}}
The Lakshminarayana Temple is located in Hosaholalu. It was built by King [[Vira Someshwara]] of the [[Hoysala Empire]] in 1250 CE. The dating of the temple is based on the style of the sculptures and architecture that compares closely with the contemporary [[Hoysala architecture|Hoysala monuments]] at [[Lakshminarasimha Temple, Javagal|Javagal]], [[Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Nuggehalli|Nuggehalli]] and [[Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura|Somanathapura]]. The town of Hosaholalu is about {{convert|60|km|mi|0}} from [[Hassan, India|Hassan]] and {{convert|45|km|mi|0}} from the heritage city of [[Mysore]], the cultural capital of Karnataka state.<ref name="hosa">Foekema (1996), p71</ref>

The temple is a splendid example of a ''trikuta'' [[Vimana (shrine)|vimana]] (three shrined) temple though only the central shrine exhibits a tower (superstructure or ''[[Shikhara]]'') on top.<ref name="kuta">Quote:"Depending on the number of towers, the temples are classified as ekakuta (one shrine and tower), dvikuta (two), trikuta (three), chatushkuta (four) and panchakuta (five). Most Hoysala temples are ekakuta, dvikuta or trikuta", Foekema (1996), p25</ref> The lateral shrines are square in construction with five projections and no special features. The central shrine is well decorated and its tower has a ''[[sukanasi]]'' (called "nose") which is actually a lower tower over the [[Vestibule (architecture)|vestibule]] that connects the shrine (cella containing the image of the deity) to the hall (''mantapa''). The ''sukanasi'' looks like an extension of the main tower over the central shrine.<ref name="vest">Foekema (1996), p22</ref> The material used for the temple construction is chloritic schist, more commonly known as [[Soapstone]].<ref name="soap">Kamath (2001), p136</ref> The temple is built on a ''[[Jagati (temple)|jagati]]'' (platform), a Hoysala innovation that elevates the temple by about a metre.<ref name="platform">Quote:"The Jagati serves the purpose of a ''pradakshinapatha'' (circumambulation) as the shrine has no such arrangement", Kamath (2001), p135</ref><ref name="platform1">Quote:"This is a Hosala innovation", {{cite web|title=History of Karnataka-Architecture |url=http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka32.htm |author=Arthikaje, Mangalore |publisher=© 1998-00 OurKarnataka.Com,Inc |work= |accessdate=2007-06-16 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104123316/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka32.htm |archivedate=2006-11-04 |df= }}</ref>

According to art critic Gerard Foekema, the temple as a whole exhibits the "new style" and belongs to the 2nd phase of Hoysala building activity (13th century), with two sets of eaves, and six moldings at the base of the outer wall.<ref name="eave">Quote:"A eave is a projecting roof overhanging a wall", Foekema (1996), p93</ref> The first eave is located where the superstructure meets the temple outer wall and the second eave runs around the temple and about a metre below the first eave. In between the two eaves are decorative miniature towers on pilasters (called [[Aedicule]]), with sculptured wall images of Hindu deities and their attendants below the second eave. Being a [[Vaishnava]] temple (a Hindu sect), most of the images represent some form of Hindu god [[Vishnu]], his consort and his attendants. There are a hundred and twenty such images. In all there are twenty four sculptures of Vishnu standing upright holding in his four arms the four attributes, a [[conch]], a [[wheel]], a [[Lotus (plant)|lotus]] and a [[Kaumodaki|mace]] in all possible permutations.<ref name="corner">Foekema (1966), p72</ref> Below the panel of deities is the base of the wall consisting of six decorative rectangular [[Molding (decorative)|molding]]s of equal width which run all around the temple.<ref name="mold">Quote:"Generally, Hoysala temples built in the 13th century have 6 mouldings ("new style") while those built a century earlier have 5 mouldings ("old style")" Foekema (1996), p28</ref>

The six horizontal mouldings are intricately sculptured and are called [[frieze]]s.<ref name="fre">Quote:"A rectangular band of stone decorated with sculpture", Foekema (1996), p93</ref> Seen from top to bottom; the first frieze depicts birds (''hansa''), the second depicts aquatic monsters (''[[Makara (Hindu mythology)|makara]]''), the third frieze has depictions of [[Hindu]] epics and other mythological and [[puranic]] stories narrated in the clockwise direction (direction of devotee circumambulation), the fourth frieze has leafy scrolls, the fifth and sixth friezes have a procession of horses and elephants respectively.<ref name="frie">Foekema (1966), p29</ref> In the frieze that depicts the epics, the [[Ramayana]] starts from the western corner of the southern shrine and the [[Mahabharata]] starts from the northern side of the central shrine vividly illustrating the demise of many heroes of the famous war between [[Pandava]]s and [[Kaurava]]s.<ref name="corner">Foekema (1966), p72</ref>

The interior of the temple consists of a closed hall (''mantapa'') of modest size with four polished lathe turned pillars supporting the roof.<ref name="pil">Quote:"This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples", Kamath (2001), p117</ref> The four central pillars divide the hall into nine equal "bays" (compartments) and nine decorated ceilings.<ref name="ba">Quote:"A bay is a square or rectangular compartment in the hall", Foekema (1966), p93</ref> The sanctum of the three shrines contain the images of [[Gopala|Venugopala]], [[Narayana]] in the middle and [[Narasimha|Lakshminarasimha]]; all forms ([[Avatar]]) of Vishnu.<ref name="corner"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
{{commons category}}
* Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide To Hoysala Temples, 1996, Abhinav, {{ISBN|81-7017-345-0}}
* Suryanath U. Kamat, A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002) OCLC: 7796041
* {{cite web
|author=Sesunathan, I
|title=Sculptural tales from a bygone era
|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/Archives/feb242004/spt7.asp
|publisher=Spectrum
|work=Deccan Herald
|accessdate=2007-06-16
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929121855/http://www.deccanherald.com/Archives/feb242004/spt7.asp
|archivedate=2007-09-29
|url-status=dead
|df=
}}
* {{cite web|author=Arthikaje |title=The Hoysalas-Religion, Literature, Art and Architecture |url=http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka31.htm |publisher=www.ourKarnataka.com |work=History of Karnataka |accessdate=2007-06-16 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104123304/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka31.htm |archivedate=2006-11-04 |df= }}
*{{cite web|author=Kamiya Takeo|title=Architecture of Indian Subcontinent|url=http://www.indoarch.org/place.php?placelink=R%3D5%2BS%3D18%2BP%3D0%2BM%3D0|publisher=Architecture Autonomous|work=Indian Architecture|accessdate=2006-11-13}}

[[Category:Villages in Mandya district]]

Hosaholalu - Revision history

>Rich Farmbrough at 00:44, 1 October 2019