{"id":629,"date":"2018-02-23T17:40:31","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T12:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/blog\/?p=629"},"modified":"2018-02-23T17:40:31","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T12:10:31","slug":"belur-chenna-keshava-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/2018\/02\/23\/belur-chenna-keshava-temple\/","title":{"rendered":"Belur – Chenna Keshava Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sri<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name of the Temple<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The\u00a0Chennake\u015bhava<\/em>\u00a0Temple, originally known as the\u00a0Vijayan\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Location<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Temple was built on the banks of the Yagachi River in Bel\u016br, Karnataka, South India<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rulers\/builders and Time Period<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The temple was commissioned by\u00a0Hoysa\u1e37a\u00a0King\u00a0Vi\u1e63h\u1e47uvardhana\u00a0in 1117 CE.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The main temple is Chennake\u015bhava and it also has smaller temples of Kappe Chennigar\u0101ya, Saumyan\u0101yaki, V\u012bran\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a, Ra\u1e45gan\u0101yaki and \u0100njaneya in its surroundings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A total of 118 inscriptions have been recovered from the temple complex covering a period of 1117 to 18th century which gives details of the artists employed, grants made to the temple and renovations done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Some scholars believe Vi\u1e63h\u1e47uvardhana commissioned the temple to surpass his overlords, the\u00a0Western Ch\u0101\u1e37ukya Empire\u00a0(who ruled from\u00a0Basavakaly\u0101\u1e47a), after his military victories against them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 According to another theory, Vi\u1e63h\u1e47uvardhana was celebrating his victory against the\u00a0Cho\u1e37as\u00a0of Tami\u1e37 country in the battle of\u00a0Talak\u0101\u1e0du, which resulted in the annexation of Gangav\u0101\u1e0di (modern southern Kar\u1e47\u0101taka) by the Hoysa\u1e37as.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another explanation points to Vi\u1e63h\u1e47uvardhana’s conversion from\u00a0Jainism\u00a0to\u00a0Vai\u1e63h\u1e47avism, considering this is predominantly a Vai\u1e63h\u1e47ava temple.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Deities\u2019 – Goddess<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chennake\u015bhava literally means “handsome Ke\u015bhava” and is a form of\u00a0Hindu\u00a0God Vi\u1e63h\u1e47u<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Architecture Style<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Hoysa\u1e37as were brilliant builders who developed a new style of temple architecture. They conceived their shrines as star-shaped structures and not the usual cubical form. In this concept of the stellate, the main temple at B\u00e9l\u016br, is a show-stealer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The first thing that catches one’s eye, is the beautiful ornamental Gopuram of the\u00a0Channake\u015bhava Temple. It stands tall, giving a feeling that one is entering a grandiose royal court. As one steps onto the temple’s sacrosanct platform, in a corner of the vast courtyard are tossed a golden horse and a temple chariot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The winged figure of Garu\u1e0da, Lord Vi\u1e63h\u1e47u’s carrier, stands at the entrance, facing the temple, its palms touching in homage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The main structure of the temple, which is a stellar, stands as a homogenous architectural unit on a raised platform. The entire structure with its intricate Filigree gleams like metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chloritic Schist, a light greenish soapstone, hard as granite was used to create the complex. Every possible surface is covered with the most perfectly proportioned figures.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The main temple is surrounded by other small ones such as those of Saumyan\u0101yaki and Ra\u1e45gan\u0101yaki, beloved of Chennake\u015bhava.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The surface of the temple exterior is intricately filled with horizontal friezes, sculptured in succession from the bottom. Stories from the Pur\u0101\u1e47as, Upani\u1e63hads and other mythological stories have been carved in the most authentic way. The R\u0101m\u0101ya\u1e47a and the Mah\u0101bh\u0101ratha also have been included .The bracketed figurines called the Madhanik\u0101s or celestial nymphs are no doubt the highlight of the temple’s magnificent architecture. The Madhanik\u0101s are said to be inspired by the beautiful Queen \u015ah\u0101nthal\u0101dhevi, epitomizing the ideal feminine form.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are about 48 pillars of various sizes, shapes and designs, bearing testimony to remarkable artistry. The main highlight of the temple is Dharpa\u1e47a Sundhari or “The lady with the mirror”.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Other Spl. Features<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Ruvari Mallithamma was a prolific artist to whom more than 40 sculptures are attributed.\u00a0Dh\u0101soja and his son Chavana who were from\u00a0Balligavi\u00a0in modern\u00a0\u015ahimoga district\u00a0made important contributions. Chavana is credited with the work on five\u00a0madhanikas<\/em>\u00a0and Dh\u0101soja with four. Malliya\u1e47\u1e47a and N\u0101goja created birds and animals in their sculptures. Artists such as Chikkahampa and Malloja are credited with some of the sculptures in the\u00a0man\u1e6dapa<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are some 60 large sculptures of deities from both Vai\u1e63h\u1e47ava\u00a0and\u00a0\u015ahaiva\u00a0faiths. From the shape of the\u00a0vim\u0101na<\/em>\u00a0it has been inferred that the tower above it would have been of the\u00a0Bh\u016bmija<\/em>\u00a0style and not the regular star shaped tower that followed the shape of the\u00a0vim\u0101na<\/em>. This shape of tower is quite uncommon in pure Dravidian\u00a0architecture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Other important sculptures here are dancing\u00a0K\u0101\u1e37i, a seated\u00a0Ga\u1e47e\u015bha, a boy with an umbrella and a king (the\u00a0V\u0101mana\u00a0Avath\u0101ra<\/em>\u00a0or incarnation of Vi\u1e63h\u1e47u),\u00a0Shiva dancing on demon (Andhak\u0101sura),\u00a0Bhairava\u00a0(avath\u0101ra<\/em>\u00a0of \u015ahiva),\u00a0Arjuna\u00a0shooting the fish seeing its reflection and the Sun God\u00a0S\u016brya. The sculptural style of the wall images bear similarities with wall sculptures in contemporary temples of northern Kar\u1e47\u0101taka and adjacent Mah\u0101ra\u1e63htra.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Any Other\/Remarks<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hoysa\u1e37a sculptors have broken this custom and signed their\u00a0sculptures. They engraved their names, titles and even the place of their origin at the foot of their art work. Mallithamma was the most prolific of all known Hoysa\u1e37a artists and more than forty well-executed\u00a0sculptures\u00a0stand in his name. However, even after a lapse of eight centuries, the art lovers of\u00a0the whole world\u00a0can adore this heritage centre. The Temple is not in a good shape still, you could spend hours studying the minute carvings on the exterior. The temple has lost its superstructure\u00a0but looks very imposing. Temple complexes have been listed under UNESCO World Heritage Sites.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bibliography<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chennakesava_Temple<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Belur<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.karnataka.com\/belur\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.templenet.com\/Karnataka\/beluarti.html<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.templenet.com\/Karnataka\/chenbelu.html<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/www.enidhi.net\/2011\/05\/belur-chennakeshava-temple-evening.html<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/wpb.sustainurban.org\/?p=1031<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name of the Temple \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The\u00a0Chennake\u015bhava\u00a0Temple, originally known as the\u00a0Vijayan\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a\u00a0 Location \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Temple was built on the banks of the Yagachi River in Bel\u016br, Karnataka, South India Rulers\/builders and Time Period \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The temple was commissioned by\u00a0Hoysa\u1e37a\u00a0King\u00a0Vi\u1e63h\u1e47uvardhana\u00a0in 1117 CE. \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The main temple is Chennake\u015bhava and it also has smaller temples of Kappe Chennigar\u0101ya, Saumyan\u0101yaki, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[12,13,14,124,43,19,125],"class_list":["post-629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-miscellany","tag-ambalam","tag-eambalam","tag-life-skills-in-schools","tag-belur","tag-life-art","tag-life-art-education","tag-shri-chenna-keshava-temple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifearteducation.in\/laeblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}