Back after a long hiatus is my Hoysala expedition, restarting fittingly from our ancestral native place, Arasikere, a taluk head quarters in Hassan district, Karnataka. Shivalaya on the outskirts of the town resembles the shape of a shiva linga from far away, and is one of the unsung architectural marvels of the Hoysala period.
Constructed during the period of Veera Ballala II, this Chandramoulishwara temple dates back to 1220 AD, and its beauty is concentrated at the specially constructed navaranga, and the bhuvaneshwari design on top of it.
Here is a video of a compilation of photographs I took there when I visited last week:
Comments
placing Nandi at that point is strange. is this a common style in Hoysala Architecture? - i guess not.
does that mean the main deity is placed, in a way, under the Nandi statue on top of the temple?
although the dome resembles Shiva Lingam (with a Nandi opposite to it, to suggest the same), it seemed like a Buddhist Stupa in the very first glance - not a good comparison, though. but it did look so. does Hoysala have other temples which have this kind of dome shaped mantapas?
Again, the dome shape is unique to Arasikere temple. What is more intriguing is the fact that the dome, made out of rock, is hollow from inside, and one has to wonder as to how they managed to massage it into this shape from outside. The inner part has stunning carvings - one of the most beautiful "Bhuvaneshwari"s I have come across till date.
But can't think of any Buddhist connection. Hoysalas obviously began as a Jain dynasty and later on embraced Vaishnavite followed by Shivite beliefs.