Famous Temples in India

Architecture

The Keshava temple is built on a start shaped raised platform with an outer Pradakshina pathway. The temple has a stellar plan with three shrines (Keshava, Janardhana and Venugopala) and Vimanas. The 3 sanctums are located West, South and North, one each for Keshava, Venugopala and Janardhana. The lathe turned pillars, which are a typical feature of Hoysala temples, are some of the finest. Then there are beautifully carved rock “windows”, you see in most Hoysala temples. Intricate ceiling carvings and design inside the temple and there are totally sixteen delicately carved ceilings inside each one of them ornate, with a different design.

This temple has 3 Antaralas and a Navarang mandapam. The stone slab with Old Kannada (Halegannada) inscriptions in the surrounding corridor, right inside the main entrance porch to the temple courtyard, gives details about the temple construction and upkeep. A total of 118 inscriptions have been recovered from the temple complex covering a period of 1117 to eighteenth century which give details of the artists employed, grants made to the temple and renovations. This temple is constructed with Soapstone (Green schist).

Temple Walls : The outer walls are covered in beautiful friezes of scenes from the epics, figures of Elephants, Horses, Chariots sculptures, Scene of Mahishasura's slaying is very close to the temple's main door, the ancient epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and other Puranas (Hindu mythology, legends and folklore), the classic scene of Vishnu and Laxmi relaxing on Adisesha. The section above this is covered with carvings of various deities, relief sculpture of Lord Narsimha and avathars of Lord Vishnu are also carved on the outer walls of the temple.

Read more about the history of Hoysala Dynasty in our Blog - Architecture Marvels of Hoysala Empire