Hoysala Expedition Part 29: Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu
This Mallikarjuna Temple in the town of Basaralu in Madya district of Karnataka has made it into the short list of 15 must visit Hoysala temples in the seminal book "A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples" by Gerard Foekema, and just one glimpse at the temple would tell you why. As Foekema touches on the "completeness" of the temples, and states that there are these other temples from the Hoysala period which are far more "complete" in terms of plan, execution, symmetry and carvings than the more celebrated temples at Belur and Halebidu, the Mallikarjuna Temple at Basaralu holds a mirror to his observations. Situated on the road from Nagamangala to Mandya, this little known town's only shot at fame is this temple constructed in 1234 AD , under the reign of Veera Narasimha the II , by the king's commander in memory of his father Malleyanayaka. The Mallikarjuna Shiva Linga inside the main sanctum is said to have been brought in from Srisailam and...