So many stunningly beautiful temples of the Hoysala period stay far away from the spotlight, but stand tall when it comes to their architectural and symmetric brilliance. The small town of Vighnasante near Turuvekere in Tumkur district of Karnataka does not only have an exotic sounding name, but is also home to the trikuta Lakshmi Narasimha Temple built in 1286 AD, during the reign of the Hoysala ruler Narasimha III. The three brothers, Appayya, Gopala and Madhava, generals in the army of Narasimha III, have been identified as the ones who have sanctioned and contributed towards building this temple according to the inscriptions available.
The temple is a lesson in symmetry, and though the outer walls are devoid of any great carvings that are found normally in the Mallitamma era of temples, the friezes on top of these walls do not fail to enthrall a visitor. Catching the eyes right away is the statue of Garuda holding a snake right at the top central kirtimukha in front of the main shikhara. Extremely well carved small statues of Paravasudeva, Kalinga Mardana Krishna, Mahishasura Mardini, Vamana, Narasimha, Lakshmi Narayana and more are some of the most beautiful ones you will see even among the well known temples of the Hoysala period. Even the minuscule statue of Venugopala atop the main entrance takes your breath away, thanks to the detailed carving it has been subjected to.
Here's a video covering all these and more, with a continuing tribute to Mandolin Srinivas:
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