Lakshminarayana Temple

Lakshminarayana Temple was built by Vira Someshwara of the Hoysala Empire in 1250 CE. The temple is an example of a trikuta vimana with only the central shrine exhibiting a tower on top. The lateral shrines are square with five projections. The central shrine is decorated and its tower has a sukanasi which is the tower of the vestibule. This vestibule connects the shrine to the hall. The temple is made of soapstone. The temple is built on a platform, a Hoysala innovation that elevates the entire temple by about a metre.

The temple belongs to the 2nd phase of Hoysala building activity as it has two sets of eaves. In between two eaves there are decorative miniature towers on pilasters, with sculptured wall images of Hindu deities below the second eave. It is a Vaishnava temple, as most of the images represent some form of Lord Vishnu, his consort and his attendants. There are there are 120 such images. There are totally 24 sculptures of Vishnu standing upright holding in his four arms the four attributes. Below the panel there is the base of the wall consisting of six decorative rectangular mouldings of equal width which run around the temple.

The six horizontal mouldings are sculptured known as friezes. The first frieze depicts birds, the second depicts aquatic monsters, the third frieze has depictions of Hindu epics and stories from Indian puranas, the fourth frieze has leafy scrolls, the fifth and sixth friezes have a procession of horses and elephants. The temple interior consists of a closed hall of with four beautiful lathe turned pillars that are supporting the roof. The four central pillars are divided into nine equal bays and decorated ceilings. The sanctum of three shrines contain images of Venugopala, Narayana in the middle and Lakshminarasimha; and other forms of Vishnu.

Lakshminarayana Temple was built by King Vira Someshwara of the Hoysala Empire in 1250 CE. One of the finest specimens of Hoysala sculpture is the Lakshminarayana Temple in. The Lakshminarayana Temple is a trikuta or three shrined. An important feature here is that only the central shrine has a superstructure or tower on the top. However there is very little sculpture on these lateral temples. The central temple is decorated with sculptures. The sculpture of Lakshminarayana Temple belongs to the later period of the Hoysalas. Since this is a Vaishanava temple most of the reliefs used here are drawn from the Vaishanava sect. Hence carvings of Lord Vishnu are easily found on the walls of the Lakshminarayana Temple. There are around 120 images of Vishnu, his consort and his attendants here. Hindu deities with their attendants are a common scene on the lower eaves of the Hoysala temples. The sculptures of these deities are detailed. At the base of the wall six friezes have been carved. These mouldings are of equal width and these run all around the temple.

Intricate sculptures of swans, elephants, processions, horses and others have been used to decorate these friezes. One of the main features of Hoysala sculpture is the recurring images from Hindu epics. The sculpture of Lakshminarayana Temple is no exception. There are episodes from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas engraved on the walls of the temple. The inner chamber of the Lakshminarayana Temple consists of three shrines: Venugopala, Narayana and Lakshminarasimha. The pillars have been decorated with impressive foliage sculptures and carved figurines.