Lamenting Stones- Turuvekere

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.

Simple but attractive outer wall carvings- Chennakeshava temple at Turuvekere, Tumkur district 

Five tiered ornamental Shikhara- Chennakeshava temple, Turuvekere

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.  

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. 

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.

Unique Shiva Linga- Gangadhareshwara temple- Turuvekere

Moole Shankara temple- Turuvekere

Completely neglected pillared hall-Moole Shankara temple-Turuvekere

Chennakeshava and Moole Shankara temples are protected monuments under ASI and were constructed  between 12^th and 13^th 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.