KESHAVA TEMPLE. BELUR. DIST.

HASSAN.

BELUR REFERRED TO IN INSCRIPTIONS AS VELAPURI WAS THE

FIRST CAPITAL OF HOYASALAS. HOYSALA VISHNUVARDHANA
(A.D. 1108-1152) CAUSED TO BE BUILT A TEMPLE FOR
VIJAYANARAYANA IN THE CAPITAL IN THE YEAR 1117 A.D. IN
COMMEMORATION OF HIS VICTORY AGAINST THE CHOLA
VICEROY OF TALKAD. THE TEMPLE IS POPULARLY KNOWN AS
THE CHENNAKESHAVA TEMPLE. AN INSCRIPTION ON THE
PEDESTAL OF VIJAYANARAYANA IMAGE STATES THAT THE IMAGE
WAS CAUSED TO BE MADE BY KING VISHNU
(VISHNUVARDHANA). IT IS ACTUALLY KESHAVA ONE OF THE 24
FORMS OF VISHNU.
RAISED ON PLATFORM THE TEMPLE MADE OF SOAPSTONE.
CONSISTS OF A GARBHAGRIHA (SANCTUM) A SUKHANASA
(VESTIBULE) AND A NAVARANGA. IT IS PARTICULARLY
NOTEWORTHY THAT GROUND PLAN OF THE GARBHAGRIHA IS
STAR-SHAPED. THE NAVARANGA PAVILION IS A LARGE HALL
WITH BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED LATHE TURNED AND POLISHED
PILLARS AND CEILING AND HAS ENTRANCES ON THE EAST
SOUTH AND NORTH.
THE MOHINI PILLAR IN THE NAVARANGA IS ONE OF THE
FINEST SPECIMENS. THE PILLAR IS CUT VERTICALLY ON
SIXTEEN POINTED STAR PLAN. IT IT DECORATED WITH A
NARROW BAND OF FILIGREE WORK. A CREEPER SCROLL AND
FIGURES INSET IN CONVOLUTIONS. THE EASTERN FACE OF THE
PILLAR HAS A LARGE BEAUTIFULLY CARVED IMAGE OF VISHNU
AS MOHINI EXCEEDINGLY GRACEFUL WITH A CHAURI BEARER
AND GARUDA ON THE OTHER. THE CENTRAL SQUARE OF THE
NAVARANGA HAS FOUR PILLARS DECORATED WITH BRACKET
FIGURES ATOP. THESE BRACKET FIGURES ARE REMARKABLY OF
SUPERIOR WORKMANSHIP IN CONCEPTION AM\ND EXECUTION
THE CENTRAL VIMANA IS ELEGANTLY CARVED WITH FRIEZE OF
VARIED SCULPTURES SOME BEING MYTHOLOGICAL.
THE DOOR JAMBS OF THE SUKHANASA AND GARBHAGRIHA
CARRY ACROSS INTRICATELY CARVED MAKARA TORANAS. ON
THE EXTERIOR. THE WALLS HAVE A JAGATI OR RAILED
PLATFORM SCULPTURED WITH HORIZONTAL ROW OF FRIEZES
COMPRISING ELEPHANTS. CORNICE SURMOUNTED BY
SIMHALATAS OR LIONS. SCROLL WORK. SMALL FEMALE FIGURES
IN ORNAMENTAL NICHES, ETC. THE WALLS OF THE FRONT PART
OF THE SABHAMANDAPA HAVE PERFORATED SCREENS OF LATER
PERIOD SURMOUNTED BY THE EAVES. THERE SCREENS ARE
SCULPTURED WITH PURANIC SCENES AND DURBAR SCENES OF
KING VISHNUVARDHANA, NARASIMHA I (A.D. 1152-1173) AND
BALLALA II (A.D. 1173-1220).
THE PILLARS ON EITHER SIDE OF THESE HAVE BRACKET
FIGURES OF SUPERB WORKMANSHIP ON THEIR CAPITALS IN ALL
42 IN NUMBER. THEY ARE POPULARLY CALLED AS "MADANIKA"
IMAGES. THEY ARE FINELY PROPORTIONED AND EXCEEDINGLY
ORNAMENTED. YET HIGHLY EXPRESSIVE. OF THE BRACKET
FIGURES. MENTION MAY BE MADE OF DARPANASUNDARI,
SUKHABHASHINI. MODESTY AND THE MONKEY. HUNTRESS.
NATYA MOHINI. ETC. MOST OF THESE IMAGES HAVE
INSCRIPTIONS ON THE PEDESTAL MENTIONING THE NAMES OF
THE SCULPTORS WHO CARVED THEM.
THE OUTER FACE OF THE WALLS OF THE GARBHAGRIHA AND
THE ANTARALA HAVE BEEN ADORNED WITH BEAUTIFUL IMAGES
OF DEITIES 80 IN NUMBER OF WHICH ONLY 19 ARE
GODDESSES. THE SCULPTURAL DEPICTIONS OF VISHNU AS
LAKSHMINARAYANA, VAMANA, NARASIMHA, VARAHA,
BALARAMA, SIVA AND PARVATI. SIVA AS ANDHAKASURA AND
GAJASURA, HARIHARA, SURYA, DURGA AND
MAHISHASURAMARDINI, BHAIRAVA, BRAHMA, RATI AND
MANMATA COULD BE CONSIDERED AS THE BEST
REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HOYSALA SCULPTURAL ART.
ATTACHED TO THE OUTER WALL OF THE GARBHAGRIHA ARE
THREE ELEGANTLY EXECUTED CHARIOT LIKE NICHES IN TWO
STOREYES ENSHRINING VISHNU IMAGES, FACING THE
CARDINAL POINTS.
THE HIGH PLATFORM WITH PRADAKSHINAPATHA HAS FLIGHT
OF STEPS ON EAST.NORTH AND SOUTH FLANKED BY A SMALL
TOWER ON EITHER SIDE.
 WHEN KING VISHNUVARDHANA GOT THE KESHAVA TEMPLE
CONSTRUCTED, SANTALADEVI, HIS CHIEF QUEEN MADE HER
CONTRIBUTION BY CAUSING KAPPE CHENNIGARAYA TEMPLE TO
BE BUILT TO THE SOUTH OF MAIN TEMPLE SIMILAR IN FORM TO
IT.
KAPPE CHENNIGARAYA IMAGE WHICH IS EXACTLY LIKE THAT
OF THE KESHAVA IN THE MAIN SHRINE. THOUGH SMALL IN
SIZE. BEARS THE NAME OF THE QUEEN ON THE PEDESTAL. THE
OTHER TEMPLES WHICH ARE ADDED IN THE LATER PERIOD
WITHIN THE COMPLEX ARE VIRA NARAYANA, SAUMYANAYAKI,
ANDAL THE GODDES AND ALWARS THE VAISHNAVA SAINT. THE
WHOLE COMPLEX IS ENCLOSED BY A HIGH RAISED WALL WITH
A MAIN TOWERED ENTRANCE ON THE EAST.
UNDOUBTEDLY, THE KESHAVA TEMPLE OF THE HOYSALA STYLE
OCCUPIES A DISTINCT PLACE AMONGST THE ARCHITECTURAL
WONDERS OF INDIA. THERE IS A STRONG TRADITION AND
POPULAR BELIEF IN THIS REGION THAT THE ARCHITECT OF THIS
TEMPLE IS JAKANACHARI ABOUT WHOM IS AN INTERESTING
STORY FOR WHICH SO FAR NO HISTORIC EVIDENCE HAS BEEN
FOUND. BE THAT AS IT MAY, THE TEMPLA MAY BE SAID TO BE
SCULPTURAL POETRY IMMORTALISING THE ACHIEVEMENTS
VARIOUSLY OF VISHNUVARDHANA AND THE SCULPTORS LIKE
DASOJA, CHAVANA HIS SON, CHIKKAHAMPA, MALLIYANA,
PADARI MALLOJA, MASADA AND NAGOJA WHO BESTOWED THEIR
BEST IN CREATING THIS MASTERPIECE.