Vijayanagara Architecture

1. VIJAYNAGARA
ARCHITECTURE

2. HISTORY
 Vijayanagara (1336- 1570)
 Harihara I to Rama Raya
 Golden era of Vijayanagar dynasty - under the rule of
Krishnadeva Raya
 Victory of Muslim rulers of Bijapur , Golconda,
Ahmedanagar, Bidar over Rama Raya in 1565- this
followed by savage destruction by the victors for the
next 6 months that Hampi could never again restablish
its lost glory

3. GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY
 Location -Hampi on the banks of
Tungabhadra river
 Building material was available on the site-
accounts for many piers of the temple being
monolithic
 Two types of rock was available- granite ,dark
green chlorite stone
 Granite-more crude and rugged cut
appearance
 Dark green chlorite stone-sharply cut and
skilfully modelled

4.  Most of the important structures and ruins of
Vijayanagara are located in two -the Royal
Centre and the Sacred Centre.
 The Royal Centre in the southwest part of the
site - palaces, baths, pavilions, royal stables,
and temples for ceremonial use.
 The Sacred Centre is situated on the northern
edge of the city along the banks of the holy
Tungabhadra River

6. •Modest structures of low height
•Spans large areas and courtyards are present
•Huge compound walls
•Use of granite, dark green chlorite, brick
•Intricately decorated temples
•Pillars having- horse capitals, different shapes,
pillars decorated by small pillars
•Drops made more interesting
•Shrines-amman shrines,kalyana mandapa
FEATURES

7. PILLARS
PILLARS COMPRISING
OF DIFFERENT SHAPES
PILLAR WITH
SUPERIMPOSED FACADE

8. COLUMN WITH HORSE MOTIF

9. COLUMNS DECORATED WITH SMALLER PILLARS

10. VITTHALASWAMI TEMPLE

11. VITTHALASWAMI TEMPLE

12. VITTHALA TEMPLE
East end of the temple complex , looking west. From front to back we see a
square platform, the east face (rear) of a Garuda shrine which faces the
temple, and the star-shaped mahamandapa (great pillared hall, 1554) of the
temple itself. The 16th century temple is dedicated to Vitthala, a form of
Vishnu.
THE COURTYARD

13. STONE CHARIOT
The stone chariot is a Garuda shrine which faces west towards Vishnu's
temple (plan). Garuda is the mount of Vishnu, and as usual the mount faces
the god. The building north of the shrine is a pillared hall used for religious
ceremonies. South face of the Garuda shrine. The stone chariot is drawn by
a pair of miniaturized elephants, which are not original; they date from the
19th century. It is said that the wheels were once able to turn on their axles,
although they are currently cemented in place. The shrine had a pyramidal
brick tower, visible in early photographs, which was removed at the end of
the 19th century; the elephants were also added at that time.

14. Kalyana Mandapa
The Kalyana Mandapa, or "Marriage Hall", was used for ceremonies
involving the symbolic marriage of the temple's divinity to his consort.
Restoration is visible in the form of modern, square-bricked pillars
supporting some of the colonettes.

15. Kalyana Mandapa
The Kalyana mandapa is as an open pavilion. Its interior, surrounded
by impressive columns, contains a platform in the center (very slightly
raised circle, inside a square) for the performance of sacred dances.
Massive pillars, decorated with soldiers riding yalis, carry the large
brackets and roof beams. This is very similar to the pillar and bracket
construction inside the main temple. The method of construction
allowed for impressively large roof spans.

16. Garuda, Kalyana Mandapa
vishnu's mount garuda is shown in his usual worshipful, flying attitude.
the simplicity of vijayanagara relief sculpture is in great contrast to the
more ornate style which is so common in india.

17. Yali and rider, Kalyana Mandapa
The pincushion-like turban, worn by this rider, indicates that he is a
Muslim in the service of the court. Many buildings such as
the Queen's Bath in the Royal Center also bear witness to a
substantial Muslim population at the site.

18. East Face
This is the entrance (east face) of the main temple. Considerable
restoration is evident.

19. Entrance

20. Portico
This south view of the entrance
porch illustrates some of the
original splendor of the building.
One thing to notice here is the
Chinese-style "S"-curved roof,
which contains stone loops at the
corners (underneath the tips of the
eves) for the insertion of flagpoles.
Three such loops are visible here,
one at the upper left corner and two
at the upper right of the photo.

21. Mahamandapa
This view of the temple's pillared hall, with its corner piers cut out into
clusters of numerous colonettes, illustrates why Vitthala Temple is
considered the finest of the Vijayanagara series.
Apparently the colonettes, when lightly tapped by a wooden stick,
produce "musical" tones.

22. Horse and rider
This elaborately worked column
is typical of many inside the
temple. The rampant horse and
rider, supported by other animals
and figures, is a favorite
Vijayanagara-era motif.
A nice additional touch is the
group of ganas supporting the
colonette base in the lower
photo right

23. Drummer
This drummer is one of the
statues that graces the
"Hall of Music" inside the
temple.

24. Monkey Kings
The monkey kings appear to be
arm-wrestling. Perhaps this pair
represents Vali and Sugriva.
When Vali, king of the monkeys,
exiled his brother Sugriva from
the kingdom, the
faithful Hanuman followed his
friend into exile. Ramayana
stories are especially
appropriate at Vijayanagara, the
legendary site of the monkey
kingdom.

25. VIRUPAKSHA
TEMPLE

26. Introduction
Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi 350 km
from Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka in southern
India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi,
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at
Hampi and has been considered the most sacred place
over the centuries. It is fully intact among the surrounding
ruins and is still used in worship. The temple is dedicated
to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha, as the consort
of the local goddess Pampa who is associated with the
Tungabhadra River.

27. PLAN

28. VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE

29. 1
2
3
1
2
3
Covered walkway (15th Century)
Triple-shrined Shiva temple (14th
Century)
Virupaksha Temple (with tower)

30. Kitchen
A line of ventilation
holes opens just
below the roof.
These allow for the
escape of smoke
from the kitchen
fires.

31. Colonnade
Detached colonettes
such as these, are an
innovation and a
hallmark of the
Vijayanagar style.
Although appearing at
first glance to consist
of two pillars, each
compound column is
actually cut from a
single piece of stone.

32. Column Decoration
The column at photo left is
covered top to bottom with
cut reliefs in the shape of
miniature shrines.
Also notable is the compound
column at photo right, which
consists of a square pillar
backing several detached
colonettes, the whole resting
on a curved base.
In the middle relief of the
square pillar, a devotee
worships the Linga.

33. Column Decoration
Additional examples of
the finely executed
columns. The near
column bears reliefs
of GANESH (top) and
ASURA-SUNDARI
(bottom), with a
sculpted vali.

34. Panel Decoration
This panel bears
decoration in the
typical 15th century
Vijayanagar style, most
notable in the
"classical" isolation of
the figures.
The middle right panel
shows a Shiva devotee
putting out his eye with
an arrow (close-up) as
a sacrifice to the god.

35. Early Shrine
This shrine is just outside the temple walls.
It is quite early, probably 10th century or before.
The painted Mandapa, however, is modern.

36. Three-headed Nandi
Shiva's mount NANDI
is depicted here in an
unusual, three-headed,
form.

37. ROYAL ENCLOSURE

38. The The Royal Centre occupies the western end of the Urban Core. The Royal Centre is where the
Vijayanagara kings and their private households lived and conducted the daily business of ceremony and
government. This is subdivided into irregular interlocking compounds by high slender walls built of tightly
fitted granite blocks that face a rubble core.

39. HAZARA RAMA TEMPLE
 Situated in the middle
of the Royal Centre,
this religious monument
was used as a private
chapel by the Vijayanagara
rulers and their private family
members.
A smaller version on the
Great Vittal temple in the
Sacred eclosure.

41.  The main temple is approached through an open mandapa and to a assemble hall.
 There are other entraces to this assembly hall, one on each side and each provided
with a porch.
 At the far end of the hall is the door to the santum sanctorum.
 The sikhara consists of regular grouping of replicas of itself in three tiers surrounded by
a cupola(50 feet in height).

43.  The main building is remarkable for its vimana , with
its lower story of stone and its pyramidal sikhara of
brick rising above.

44. Assembly Hall
 The main feature is
group of four
massive black
stone pillars, one at
each corner.
 Shafts are built up
of contrasting
geometrical shapes
alternated between
cube and fluted
cylinder.

45. Shrine Exterior
The brick tower of the
shrine has been
incompletely restored,
which accounts for the
unfinished look of its
upper roof.

46. North Shrine
This smaller shrine is
located north and east of
the main temple.

47. Reliefs: Hazara Rama Temple

48. Court Scene
From the temple wall, This
appears to be a court scene. The
king sits under a canopy beside
his consort, who holds a fly-whisk.
He is flanked by an attendant
paying homage on the left, and
another attendant, on the right,
holding two hard-to-identify items;
perhaps a sword or staff in his
right hand, and a spear or banner
in his left.

49. Among other images on the temple wall is this well-
known relief of baby Krishna.

50. Panel of Hanuman
This charming relief of the monkey
general is located just outside the
temple enclosure. Contrary to
appearances, he is not waving
goodbye to the visitors. His right hand
is upraised in a gesture of smiting
(Architecture and Art of Southern India,
p. 157) while his left hand holds an
uprooted branch. The holes drilled into
the panel are for the attachment of
garlands.
The slab was cut from another location
and moved here; a similar relief is
displayed in the on-site museum.

51. This link with royalty is expressed in the reliefs covering the outer face of the compound walls
inside which the temple itself stands.
They portray the processions of elephants, horses with attendants, military contingents, and
dancing women, exactly as in the Mahanavami

52. AQUEDUCT
 An aqueduct runs through much of
the Royal Enclosure and into the
Great Tank where water was
brought for special events.
 Water was Probably manually fed
to it during its operational days.
 Larger blocks of rectangular
granite were used at the lower
levels and the block size gradually
reduces as it goes up.

53. •The Bath is 15m square
and 1.8m deep and
surrounded by delicately
decorated arched corridors
and projecting balconies.
• The carved stucco
ornamentation on the
ceilings and vaults above
each of the arched bays is
characteristic of Islamic
architecture
QUEENS
BATH

54. •Stepped tank built in chlorite schist, tank is about 22 square
meters and about 7 meters deep
•The mason marks on the individual blocks indicating the
direction, the row and the location of the steps reveal that
the layout of this stepped tank was well thought out in
advance and all the different block stones were prepared in
accordance
.
.
Stepped tank

55. The granite platform platform was
constructed in stages from the 14th to the
16th centuries.
It consists of three stacked squares,
whose dimensions are respectively 38m
(127ft), 28m (93ft), and 22m (73ft) on a
side.
The height of the platform is about 10m
(30ft). The platform is traditionally
identified as the Mahanavami-dibba
(House of Victory)
Among the carvings found here are fragmentary
war scenes, with warriors mounted on
elephants and horses. Here, too, are seen
courtly male figures with their favorite consorts
and female attendants, some at play holding
squirts for colored waters, such as those used
during the Vasantotsava, or spring festival.
GREAT PLATFORM

56. LOTUS MAHAL
The building is an open
pavilion on the lower
level and built up with
windows and balconies
on the upper level.
beautifully recessed
archways set in
geometric regularity and
opening out to the sun
and the wind like the
petals of a flower

58. The stables comprise a long line of eleven chambers, all with lofty arched
doorways opening onto a large open space.
This must have served as a maidan, or parade ground for the imperial troops
and animals.
Domes on corner squinches roof exactly in the manner of a Muslim tomb.
ELEPHANT STABLES