ಕ್ಷಣಪ್ರಭಾ - Kshanaprabhaa

About half a kilometer away from the Hoysaleshwara temple of Halebidu , and adjacent to the Jinalaya complex of Basadihalli , stands the little known Kedareshwara temple . This trikuta temple is no inferior to the other masterpieces in and around the region, but has somehow lost attention of the authorities and tourists alike. Known to be built in 1220 AD , this temple is always locked these days, but in the middle of the day, there is enough sunlight that allows the visitors to get a sneak peek into the temple's beauty, and the Kedareshwara linga in the main sanctum becomes clearly visible. Outer carvings are as majestic as the Hoysaleshwara temple, with many a stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata coming alive through the friezes that run around the star shaped basement. Here is a look at the temple's beauty: Kedareshwara Temple, Halebidu from hmvprasanna on Vimeo .

After a longish break, its time to catch up on a few of my pending blog assignments, specially a few Hoysala expeditions I had carried out last November, which have not yet been written about. So here goes, back with possibly the most beautiful and the most historically important of all the Hoysala temples, The Hoysaleshwara and Shantaleshwara twin temples at Halebidu , at Hassan district of Karnataka. Halebidu, which is now a quiet, but well known town in southern Karnataka, was once the power center of southern India, serving as the capital of the mighty Hoysalas for most of their reign. Known as Dwarasamudra and Dwaravati during those days, the city of Halebidu was ruined towards the end of 14th century when the rulers of north stared expanding their reach across India. However, the Hoysaleshwara temple stands tall having withered multiple storms of cultural oppression, and is testimony to the pinnacle of artistry of the sculptors of those times. The temple itself is known to have b...

Basadihalli, which now appears as a separate village on the outskirts of Halebidu, was very much part of the capital city "Dwaravati" or "Dwarasamudra" of the Hoysala dynasty. Devout Jains right from the beginning, Hoysalas had constructed and nurtured hundreds of Jinalayas during their reign. Very few of them have stood the test of time. The three temples in the Basadihalli Jain temple complex date back to 12th Centiry AD, with the construction beginning during the reign of Vishnuvardhana. The Parshwanatha Basadi, also known as "Vijaya Parshwanatha Jinalaya" due to the fact that Vishnuvardhana's victory in Bankapura coincided with the inauguration of the temple, was constructed in the honour of the much respected Hoysala commander in chief Ganga Raja . His son Boppadeva was instrumental in getting this built. The statue of Parshwanatha, about 18 feet tall, looks stunning even today, with a seven headed serpent carved in such a way that it is pro...