Hoysala Temples.... when we hear these words , Belur, Halebid and Somanathpur temples come to our mind. But Hoysala temples are not restricted only to these places. They are found in abundance in other parts of Karnataka as well. It is my passion to visit ancient ornate temples
with good sculptural art that are not very well known or unnoticed. This summer
I thought of exploring three places located close to each other in Tumkur
district. I was accompanied by some of my cousins and friends from my village.
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Simple but attractive outer wall carvings- Chennakeshava temple at Turuvekere, Tumkur district
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| Five tiered ornamental Shikhara- Chennakeshava temple, Turuvekere |
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| An inscription in Kannada on the lintel- Chennakeshava temple, Turuvekere |
Our first stop was Turuvekere. This town has three
temples belonging to Hoysala period. The Chennakeshava temple and Moole
Shankara temple ( moole in Kannada means corner)are the typical examples of
Hoysala architecture. These eastern facing temples are built on a star shaped
platform. The temples are simple and do not have much carving. The outer walls
are ornate with small shrine like structures and pillars. The NAVARANGA or
pillared hall is adorned by carved pillars. The lathe turned pillars have almost
lost their shine. Both the temples have lot of land around , but left uncared
and neglected.
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| Carved stone slabs,destroyed due to vandalism have been replaced with plain slabs. But still writing on wall continues uncontrolled. |
The Gangadhareshwara temple is the most beautiful
temple of Turuvekere. It is unique in many ways. The temple is very well
maintained. The Nandi which is 7+ ft tall is amazingly beautiful. The bell
carving around the neck, the highly polished shiny face, the lines of carvings
on the belt and around forehead, intricate carvings of anklets are all
mesmerizing.
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| Intricate carvings on Nandi- Gangadhareshwara temple, Turuvekere |
The sanctum sanctorium
(Garbhagriha) has a unique Shiva Linga. It has the shikha on which the image of
Ganga is carved. We can see fountains of water flowing in the form of
Prabhavali. The Ardha Chandra (half moon) is also carved. The curly hair of the
shikha is very beautifully depicted on top around the Shiva Linga. Nowhere have
I seen this kind of Shiva Linga. This temple also has ornate pillared
hall. The domical bay of ceiling in the
Mantapa is richly carved. Another attraction of the temple is the huge stone
bell hung to the ceiling outside at the right side exit. Just inside the bell
there is a unique carving of Bedara Kannappa offering his eyes to Lord Shiva.
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| Unique Shiva Linga- Gangadhareshwara temple- Turuvekere |
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| Moole Shankara temple- Turuvekere |
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| Completely neglected pillared hall-Moole Shankara temple-Turuvekere |
Chennakeshava and Moole Shankara temples are
protected monuments under ASI and were constructed between 12th and 13th
centuries by the Hoysala army commander Somanna. Unfortunately these temples
are not maintained properly. Except for the regular pooja, nothing else is
done. When we reached the Chennakeshava temple, the very aged archak chanted a
few broken incomplete mantras, placed two flowers on the head of the deity, did
aarati and said pooja over and he has to close the temple. As per the ASI rule
the temple has to be kept open till 6 pm. He said, ‘when no one comes here, why
should I keep it open?’ He was right in a way!! At Moole Shankara Temple, we
had another bitter experience. The Archak was restless, as if we were
disturbing him!! When I asked why it is so dark inside, he rudely replied, ‘you
should have brought electricity with you!!’ I was about to say ‘….torch..??’
but swallowed my words and pitied at the state of affairs.
Reflecting over the grandure of the Hoysala temple
architecture, with mixed feelings, we proceeded towards Araluguppe to see
another architectural wonder.
