Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Sri Lakshmi Narayana Temple is facing in East direction. There is no gopuram in the main entrance as per Hoysala style, the central shrine has a gopura (temple tower) while the other two buildings have flat ceilings. A beautiful Dwajasthambam which was installed recently. This temple was built with Soapstone, a closed mandapa built of granite blocks.

Mandapams : The Navaranga one can find an intrinsic work executed in the roof and enjoy the beauty of the same, each roof top is different from the other and posses unique design and locking mechanism such as single washer, double washer, hexagonal nut. A mantapa which is decorated with Nagara, Dravida, Kalinga, Vesera.

Pillars : The temple, one can find fine carvings on the pillar at the entrance with 16 corners, 32 corners and 64 corners respectively, the first four pillars are star shaped and the remaining four pillars in the Navaranga are bell shaped with extra ordinary carvings on them. The very minute information present on the pillars and the roof. With a keen sight, one can find Sri Anajeneya Swamy drinking Coconut water on the Right Hand side pillar before the entrance of Sri Lakshmi Narayana Garbhagirha. The carving is so small and it can be covered with a thumb. The Navaranga has four beautiful lathe turned pillars dividing the hall into nine cells. Each pillar is beautifully carved with sculptures of young dancing girls in various graceful and elegant poses. Each cell has a unique design on the ceiling that brings out the true talent and imagination of the sculptor. The pillars of the Navaranga are lathe-turned and well polished. Dancing female sculptures in different mudras adorn the capitals of these pillars.

Garbha Gudi : The temple is built on a jagati (platform) which is one of the prominent features in Hoysala temple architecture. This is a three-celled temple and hence has three Garbhagrihas, the entrance of the Garbhagirha, one can find the Dwarapalakas, who are standing with greater details of the ornaments and clothes they are wearing. A small idol representing Vishnu has been identified on the roof top and a tower and the most decorative interiors and the Vimana has a finial at the top.

Temple Walls : The outer wall is covered with intense details of Bhagavatha, Ramayana & Mahabharatha in great depths on the railings. The images of Vishnu, Lakshmi, Parvathi, Shiva, Brahma, Ganapathi, etc., along with other dieties can be found across the temple. This is one place where great details regarding the Ramayana and Mahabharatha epics are present. The Samudra Manthana image is very intact and it is well preserved. The base, like all Hoysala temples has the six layers of decorative pattikas that comprise of swans, elephants, horse riders, leafy scrolls, various gods and goddesses and scenes from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharatha. There are 24 sculptures of Vishnu standing upright holding in his four arms the four attributes, a conch, a wheel, a lotus and a mace. The six horizontal moldings at the base of the outer wall are intricately sculptured and are called frieze. The first frieze depicts birds, the second depicts Makara (aquatic monster), the third frieze has depictions from Hindu epic and other purana stories narrated in clockwise direction. The fourth frieze has leafy scrolls, the fifth and sixth frieze have procession of horses and elephants respectively. Kalinga Nardhana with Life in River Yamuna Depicted Beautifully Carvings sculptured on walls. The mid section of the temple is richly decorated with sculptures of various Gods, Shiva being the most prominent having over 120 images of him in various forms, dancing Saraswathi, Brahma, Ganapathi, Yoga – Madhava, Kalinga – Mardhana, dancers, musicians and many other deities.