Hoysala Expedition Part 33: Lakshminarayana Temple, Hosaholalu

Hosaholalu is a village that has now become part of the extended town of Krishnarajapete (K. R. Pet), and it houses possibly the best carved Hoysala temple in the district of Mandya. Astonishingly, not much information is available about the temple and as to who commissioned it, but it is established that it was built around 1250 AD during the reign of King Vira Someshwara. Giving further credence to this belief is the design of the temple and the beauty of the carvings on the outer walls, which are extremely similar to the temples in Somanathapura, Nuggehalli, Javagal and Haranahalli, thus leading us to believe that this too was the work of magical sculptor Mallitamma, whose work peaked during this period.



The temple itself is of trikuta shrine with three sanctum sanctorums, with the main deity being Lakshminarayana. and other sanctums dedicated to Venugopala and Laksmi Narasimha. The outer carvings are exquisite, with the usual brilliance coming through in the carvings of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, Paravasudeva, Dancing Saraswati, and Indra atop his Airavata among others.

Here is a video:


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