Hoysala-architecture

A brief presentation on architecture of Hoysala kingdom

1. ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF HOYSALA DYNASTY Presentation by – Eshna Shweta Sweet

2. HOYSALA EMPIRE The  Hoysala Empire  was a K annadiga  power originating from the  Indian subcontinent, that ruled most of what is now  Karnataka, India, between the 10th and the 14th centuries, initially the capital being Bellur but later Halebidu. The Hoysala era was an important period in the development of art, architecture, and religion in  South India. The empire is remembered today primarily for  its architecture. Over a hundred surviving temples are scattered across Karnataka . The emperors encouraged the fine arts and literature in Sanskrit and Kannada. Extent of Hoysala Empire, 1200 CE

3. Art in Hoysala Kingdom Hoysala art may be said to have its starting point in the temples of the early Chalukyas at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal, but when it finally developed in the Mysore region, it manifested a distinctly individual approach which has been called the Hoysala Style . One of the principal features of the style at its maturity is the plan and general arrangement of architecture . Schist is the material commonly used by the sculptors and builders of the Hoysala dynasty. Kesava temple at Belur

4. Architectural elements

5. Architectural element of hoysala dynesty Mantapa Vimana Sculpture

6. MANTAPA The  mantapa  serves as prayer halls. The entrance to the  mantapa  normally has a highly ornate overhead lintel called a  makaratorana  ( makara,  an imaginary beast and  torana ,  an overhead decoration). The open  mantapa ,  serving the purpose of an outer hall (outer  mantapa ), constitutes a regular feature in larger Hoysala temples leading to an inner small closed  mantapa  and the shrine(s). The open  mantapas  have seating areas made of stone with the  mantapa’s  parapet wall acting as a back rest. The seats may follow the same staggered square shape of the parapet wall. The open  mantapa  represents the largest part of the temple, supporting larger congregations of people. Numerous pillars support the ceiling creating many square or rectangular compartments in the hall, called "bays." The shape of the open  mantapa  appears in staggered-square form, in the style used in most Hoysala temples. [17]  Even the smallest open  mantapa  has 13 bays. The walls have parapets that have half pillars supporting the outer ends of the roof which allow plenty of light making all the sculptural details visible. The  mantapa ceiling generally displays ornate sculptures, both mythological and floral. The ceiling consists of deep and dome shaped surfaces that contain sculptural depictions of banana bud motifs and other such decorations. The Amritheswara temple in Chikmagalur district has 48 domes in the  mahamantapa  (great open hall).

7. VIMANA The  vimana , also called the cella , contains the most sacred shrine wherein resides the image of the presiding deity. A tower, quite different outside than inside, often tops the  vimana. it has profuse decorations, taking either a star shape or staggered square or a combination of those designs, creating many projections and recesses that seem to multiply as lighting falls on it. Each projection and recess has a complete rhythmic and repetitive decorative articulation, comprised of blocks and mouldings , obscuring the tower profile. Depending on the number of shrines (and hence number of towers), the temples classify as  ekakuta  (one),  dvikuta  (two),  trikuta  (three),  chatushkuta  (four) and  panchakuta  (five). 

8. The highest point of the temple  ( kalasa )  has the shape of a beautiful water pot and stands on top of the tower. That portion of the  vimana often crumbles from age, artisans replacing with a metallic pinnacle. Below the  kalasa ,  a large, highly sculptured structure resembling a dome made from large stones, looking like a helmet, stands. The tower of the shrine usually has three or four tiers of rows of decorative roofs while the tower on top of the  sukanasi  has one less tier, making the tower look like an extension of the main tower (“nose”). One decorated roof tier runs on top of the wall of a closed  mantapa  above the heavy eaves of an open  mantapa  and above the porches

9. Below the superstructure of the  vimana,  temple “eaves” sit under the projecting roof overhanging the wall project half a meter from the wall. Below the eaves two different decorative schemes may be found, depending on whether a temple had been built in the early or the later period of the empire. In the early temples built prior to the thirteenth century, sits one eave and below that stand decorative miniature towers. A panel of Hindu deities and their attendants sits below those towers followed by a set of five different mouldings forming the base of the wall. In the later temples a second eave runs about a metre below the upper eaves with decorative miniature towers placed between them. The wall images of gods sit below the lower eaves followed by six different mouldings of equal size, broadly termed horizontal treatment.The six mouldings at the base divide in two sections. Going from the very base of the wall, the first horizontal layer contains a procession of  elephants , above which stand horsemen and then a band of foliage. The second horizontal section has depictions of the Hindu epics and  puranic  scenes executed with detail. Above that, two friezes of yalis (or  makara,  an imaginary beast) and  hamsas  (swans) appear. The  vimana  (tower) divides into three horizontal sections, even more ornate than the walls.

10. SCULPTURE Hoysala artists have won fame for their sculptural detail, whether in the depiction of the  Hindu  epics,  Yali (mythical creature), deities,  Kirthimukha  (Gargoyle), eroticism or aspects of daily life. Their medium, the soft chlorite  schist , enabled a virtuoso carving style. Their workmanship shows an attention paid to precise detail. Every aspect down to a fingernail or toenail has been created perfectly. Salabhanjika , a common form of Hoysala   sculpture , represents an old Indian tradition going back to Buddhist sculpture.  Sala  refers to the Sala tree and  bhanjika  the chaste maiden. The  sthamba buttalikas  are pillar images that show traces of  Chola  art in the Chalukyan touches. Some of the artists working for the Hoysalas may have been from Chola country, a result of the expansion of the empire into Tamil-speaking regions of Southern India. The image of  mohini  on one of the pillars in the  mantapa  (closed hall) of the Chennakeshava temple is an example of Chola art

11. Erotica was a subject the Hoysala artist handled with discretion. There is no exhibitionism in this, and erotic themes were carved into recesses and niches, generally miniature in form, making them inconspicuous. These erotic representations are associated with the  Shakta  practice Apart from these sculptures, entire sequences from the  Hindu  epics (commonly the  Ramayana  and the  Mahabharata ) have been sculpted in a clockwise direction starting at the main entrance. The right to left sequence is the same direction taken by the devotees in their ritual circumambulation as they wind inward toward the inner sanctum. Depictions from mythology such as the epic hero  Arjuna  shooting fish, the elephant-headed god  Ganesha , the Sun god  Surya , the weather and war god  Indra , and  Brahma  with  Sarasvati  are common. Also frequently seen in these temples is  Durga , with several arms holding weapons given to her by other gods, in the act of killing a buffalo (a demon in a buffalo's form) and  Harihara  (a fusion of Shiva and Vishnu) holding a conch, wheel and trident. Many of these friezes were signed by the artisans, the first known instance of signed artwork in India

12. A brief introduction to temple architecture The Garbhagriha (sanctum santorum) is a cuboid cell that houses a centrally placed murti (enshrined icon). An intermediate antarala (vestibule) joins the garbhagriha to an expansive pillared mandapa (porch) in front, chiefly facing east (or north). The temple may be approached via entrances with gigantic gopuram ( ornate entrance towers) towering over each doorway. In the prakaram (temple courtyard) several minor shrines and outbuildings often abound. The temples are sometimes built on a raised platform or jagati, which is used for the purpose of a pradakshinapatha (circumambulation) Temple Complex An example showing the floor plan of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

13. Garbhagriha The centre or sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha) constitutes the focus of a temple. The temple architecture moves the devotee from outside to the garbhagriha through ambulatory passageways for circumambulation and halls or chambers (mandapas) that become increasingly sacred while approaching the deity.

14. Garbhagriha of Belur Chennakeshava Temple, Karnataka Construction of the temple commenced in 1117 AD and took a 103 years to complete. A total of 118 stone inscriptions have been recovered from the temple complex covering a period from 1117 to 18th century, giving details of the artists employed, grants made to the temple and renovations done.

15. Jagati The temples may be built upon a platform raised by about a metre called “ jagati .” The  jagati ,  apart from giving a raised look to the temple, serves as a Pradakshinapatha for circumambulation around the temple as the garbhagriha (inner sanctum) lacks such a feature. Such temples will have an additional set of steps leading to an open mandapa (open hall) with parapet walls. Devotees first complete a ritual circumambulation on the  jagati  starting from the main entrance by walking in a clockwise direction (towards the left) before entering the mandapa ,  following the sculptural clockwise-sequenced reliefs (sequence of epic scenes) on the outside temple walls depicting the Hindu epics. Temples without a  jagati  have steps flanked by elephant balustrades (parapets) that lead to the mandapa from ground level. The  Bucesvara  temple in Korvangla , Hassan District provides an example of a temple without the raised platform.

16. Keshava Temple at Somanathapura, Karnataka The  jagati ,  constructed in unity with the rest of the temple, follows a star-shape design

17. The plan of each of the cella or garbhagriha was a star. The departure from the accepted square form of the temple is understandable when we analyze the plan and see that it is made up of a grid of rotating squares. The resulting outline thus emerges as a star. The mandapa remained a square, though it was now distinguished by circular columns, the shafts of which had been lathed and thus acquired a number of parallel knife-edges.   The Star in Plan 

18. Bucesvara temple in Korvangla, Hassan District, Karnataka ; built during the 12 th century. Example of a temple without jagati

19. Front view of Bucesvara temple, depicting the elephant balustrades

20. Kalyani Kalyani  or stepped wells are commonly found in the Hoysala sacred ensembles. These wells served as an important source of water and were an important architectural structure. The lakes were places for bathing and ritual cleansing, worship, meditation, and water management for the agricultural areas surrounding the temple and town. Open  Mantapas ,  present around the water bodies, provided shelter to visitors. A  pushkarani   or well was often located within the temple premises and a tank or lake adjacent to the temple. Kalyani Tank, Hulikere Although no remains of Siva temple are seen in the vicinity, the tank still exists in all its splendor. This unique Kalyani built in stepped order leading to the water source has three prominent landings accommodating as many as twenty-seven ornate miniature shrines some carrying superstructure while others are devoid of it. Most probably the shrines might have been dedicated to twenty seven nakshtras . Another source says that the highly ornate miniature shrines are believed to represent the nine planets and stellar constellations with reference to ancient Hindu astrology. The stone well is most outstanding example of Hoysala water structures extant today that combine artistry and hydrology with the sacred.

21. Kalyani Tank, Hulikere , built in 1160 AD

22. Executed mostly by local craftsmen, the temples exhibit architectural features that distinguish them from other temple architectures of South India . Characterized by a complex profusion of sculpture decorating all the temple parts chiselled of soft soapstone (chlorite schist), a good material for intricate carving. While medieval Indian artisans preferred to remain anonymous, Hoysala artisans signed their works, which has given researchers details about their lives, families, guilds, etc. Apart from the architects and sculptors, people of other guilds such as goldsmiths, ivory carvers, carpenters, and silversmiths also contributed to the completion of temples. The artisans were from diverse geographical backgrounds and included famous locals. Ruvari Malithamma built the Keshava Temple at Somanathapura and worked on forty other monuments, including the Amruteshwara temple at Amruthapura. Malithamma specialized in ornamentation, and his works span six decades. His sculptures were typically signed in shorthand as Malli or simply Ma. The craftsmen

23. Hoysaleswara Temple Location : Halebid Built in : 12 th century Dedicated to : Lord Shiva Significance : one of the largest temples dedicated to Lord S hiva in South India. M aterial : soapstone

24. It is a twin-temple, or  dvikuta   vimana  (plan with two shrines and two superstructures). The two temples are of the same size, and their sanctums open to the east, facing sunrise. The sanctum of " Hoysaleswara" (the king) and the other for "Shantaleswara" (the queen, Shantala Devi) both have a Shiva linga . Outside on the east side of the main temples are two smaller shrines, each with seated Nandi. Seated Nandi

25. The temple outer walls is intricately carved . Artwork on the outer walls of the temple are in bands. 1 : marching playful elephants 2 : lions 3 : thin miniature scroll 4 : horsemen in different postures 5 : thin miniature scroll 6 : friezes narrating legends from the Hindu texts 7 : makaras 8 : hamsa and peacocks 9 : professionals, daily life of people alternately standing and sitting 10 : mythical creatures, festivals, ceremonies 11 : artha , kama , dharma scenes including courtship and mithuna (eroticism, sex), various occupations, some mythical scenes 12 : large image panels (deities, spiritual stories from Hindu texts)

26. Pillars and Ceilings The interior walls of the temple are quite plain compared to the outer wall, except for the lathe turned pillars that run in rows. Lathe turned pillars

27. Bibliography https://www.karnataka.com/history/hoysalas/ https://www.deccanherald.com/content/599867/hoysala-temples-turuvekere.html https://www.clearias.com/hindu-temple-architecture-hoysala/ http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hoysala_architecture#cite_note-parts-9 http://asibengalurucircle.in/kalyani-tank-hulikere-0 https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/explore-last-surviving-temples-incredible-empire/ https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5898/ https:// www.boloji.com/articles/921/the-hoysalas-of-karnataka https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-architecture/ancient-architecture/temple-architecture.html http://www.historydiscussion.net/art/hoysala-art-developed-in-the-southern-region-of-karnataka/1373 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPn0NsZDtkk