The Hoysala Empire ruled much of what is now Karnataka, India between the 10th-14th centuries. They are remembered today for their contributions to art, architecture, and religion in South India. Over 100 surviving temples built during this period are scattered across Karnataka. Hoysala architecture is known for its distinctive style featuring intricately carved shrines, prayer halls with sculpted pillars and ceilings, and outer walls adorned with religious narratives. Key elements include the mantapa, vimana, and intricate sculptural details depicting Hindu epics and deities. Schist stone was the primary material used in Hoysala constructions.

1. ART AND ARCHITECTURE
OF
HOYSALA DYNASTY
Presentation by –
Eshna
Shweta
Sweet

3. HOYSALA EMPIRE
• The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power
originating from the Indian subcontinent, that
ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India,
between the 10th and the 14th centuries, initially
the capital being Bellur but later Halebidu.
• The Hoysala era was an important period in the
development of art, architecture, and religion
in South India. The empire is remembered today
primarily for its architecture. Over a hundred
surviving temples are scattered across Karnataka.
• The emperors encouraged the fine arts and
literature in Sanskrit and Kannada.
Extent of Hoysala Empire, 1200 CE

4. Art in Hoysala Kingdom
• Hoysala art may be said to have its starting
point in the temples of the early Chalukyas
at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal, but when
it finally developed in the Mysore region, it
manifested a distinctly individual approach
which has been called the Hoysala Style.
• One of the principal features of the style at
its maturity is the plan and general
arrangement of architecture.
• Schist is the material commonly used by the
sculptors and builders of the Hoysala
dynasty.
Kesava temple at Belur

5. Architectural elements

6. Architectural element of hoysala dynesty
• Mantapa
• Vimana
• Sculpture

7. • MANTAPA
The mantapa serves as prayer halls. The entrance to the mantapa normally has a highly ornate overhead lintel called
a makaratorana (makara, an imaginary beast and torana, an overhead decoration).
The open mantapa, serving the purpose of an outer hall (outer mantapa), constitutes a regular feature in larger Hoysala
temples leading to an inner small closed mantapa and the shrine(s). The open mantapas have seating areas made of stone
with the mantapa’s parapet wall acting as a back rest. The seats may follow the same staggered square shape of the
parapet wall. The open mantapa represents the largest part of the temple, supporting larger congregations of people.
Numerous pillars support the ceiling creating many square or rectangular compartments in the hall, called "bays." The
shape of the open mantapa appears in staggered-square form, in the style used in most Hoysala temples.[17] Even the
smallest open mantapa has 13 bays.
The walls have parapets that have half pillars supporting the outer ends of the roof which allow plenty of light making all the
sculptural details visible. The mantapaceiling generally displays ornate sculptures, both mythological and floral. The ceiling
consists of deep and dome shaped surfaces that contain sculptural depictions of banana bud motifs and other such
decorations. The Amritheswara temple in Chikmagalur district has 48 domes in the mahamantapa (great open hall).

9. • VIMANA
The vimana, also called the cella, contains the most sacred shrine wherein resides the image of the presiding deity. A tower,
quite different outside than inside, often tops the vimana.
it has profuse decorations, taking either a star shape or staggered square or a combination of those designs, creating
many projections and recesses that seem to multiply as lighting falls on it. Each projection and recess has a complete
rhythmic and repetitive decorative articulation, comprised of blocks and mouldings, obscuring the tower profile. Depending
on the number of shrines (and hence number of towers), the temples classify
as ekakuta (one), dvikuta (two), trikuta (three), chatushkuta (four) and panchakuta (five).

10. The highest point of the temple (kalasa) has the shape of a beautiful water pot and stands on top of the tower. That portion of
the vimanaoften crumbles from age, artisans replacing with a metallic pinnacle.
Below the kalasa, a large, highly sculptured structure resembling a dome made from large stones, looking like a
helmet, stands.
The tower of the shrine usually has three or four tiers of rows of decorative roofs while the tower on top of the sukanasi has
one less tier, making the tower look like an extension of the main tower (“nose”). One decorated roof tier runs on top of the
wall of a closed mantapa above the heavy eaves of an open mantapa and above the porches

11. Below the superstructure of the vimana, temple “eaves” sit under the projecting roof overhanging the wall project half a
meter from the wall. Below the eaves two different decorative schemes may be found, depending on whether a temple had
been built in the early or the later period of the empire. In the early temples built prior to the thirteenth century, sits one
eave and below that stand decorative miniature towers. A panel of Hindu deities and their attendants sits below those
towers followed by a set of five different mouldings forming the base of the wall.
In the later temples a second eave runs about a metre below the upper eaves with decorative miniature towers placed
between them. The wall images of gods sit below the lower eaves followed by six different mouldings of equal size,
broadly termed horizontal treatment.The six mouldings at the base divide in two sections. Going from the very base of the
wall, the first horizontal layer contains a procession of elephants, above which stand horsemen and then a band of foliage.
The second horizontal section has depictions of the Hindu epics and puranic scenes executed with detail. Above that, two
friezes of yalis (or makara, an imaginary beast) and hamsas (swans) appear. The vimana (tower) divides into three
horizontal sections, even more ornate than the walls.

12. • SCULPTURE
Hoysala artists have won fame for their sculptural detail, whether in the depiction of the Hindu epics, Yali(mythical creature),
deities, Kirthimukha (Gargoyle), eroticism or aspects of daily life. Their medium, the soft chlorite schist, enabled a virtuoso
carving style. Their workmanship shows an attention paid to precise detail. Every aspect down to a fingernail or toenail has been
created perfectly.
Salabhanjika, a common form of Hoysala sculpture, represents an old Indian tradition going back to Buddhist
sculpture. Sala refers to the Sala tree and bhanjika the chaste maiden.
The sthamba buttalikas are pillar images that show traces of Chola art in the Chalukyan touches. Some of the artists working for
the Hoysalas may have been from Chola country, a result of the expansion of the empire into Tamil-speaking regions of
Southern India. The image of mohini on one of the pillars in the mantapa (closed hall) of the Chennakeshava temple is an
example of Chola art

13. Erotica was a subject the Hoysala artist handled with discretion. There is no exhibitionism in this, and erotic themes were carved into
recesses and niches, generally miniature in form, making them inconspicuous. These erotic representations are associated with
the Shakta practice
Apart from these sculptures, entire sequences from the Hindu epics (commonly the Ramayana and the Mahabharata) have been
sculpted in a clockwise direction starting at the main entrance. The right to left sequence is the same direction taken by the
devotees in their ritual circumambulation as they wind inward toward the inner sanctum. Depictions from mythology such as the
epic hero Arjuna shooting fish, the elephant-headed god Ganesha, the Sun god Surya, the weather and war god Indra,
and Brahma with Sarasvati are common. Also frequently seen in these temples is Durga, with several arms holding weapons given
to her by other gods, in the act of killing a buffalo (a demon in a buffalo's form) and Harihara (a fusion of Shiva and Vishnu) holding
a conch, wheel and trident. Many of these friezes were signed by the artisans, the first known instance of signed artwork in India

14. A brief introduction to temple architecture
• The Garbhagriha (sanctum santorum) is a
cuboid cell that houses a centrally placed
murti (enshrined icon).
• An intermediate antarala (vestibule) joins
the garbhagriha to an expansive pillared
mandapa (porch) in front, chiefly facing
east (or north).
• The temple may be approached via
entrances with gigantic gopuram ( ornate
entrance towers) towering over each
doorway.
• In the prakaram (temple courtyard)
several minor shrines and outbuildings
often abound.
• The temples are sometimes built on a
raised platform or jagati, which is used for
the purpose of a pradakshinapatha
(circumambulation)
Temple Complex
An example showing the floor plan of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple,
Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

15. Garbhagriha
The centre or sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha)
constitutes the focus of a temple. The temple
architecture moves the devotee from outside to the
garbhagriha through ambulatory passageways for
circumambulation and halls or
chambers (mandapas) that become increasingly sacred
while approaching the deity.

16. Garbhagriha of Belur Chennakeshava Temple, Karnataka
Construction of the temple commenced in 1117 AD and took a 103 years to complete. A total of 118 stone inscriptions have been recovered from the temple complex
covering a period from 1117 to 18th century, giving details of the artists employed, grants made to the temple and renovations done.

17. Jagati
• The temples may be built upon a platform raised by about a metre called “jagati.”
The jagati, apart from giving a raised look to the temple, serves as
a Pradakshinapatha for circumambulation around the temple as the garbhagriha (inner
sanctum) lacks such a feature. Such temples will have an additional set of steps leading
to an open mandapa (open hall) with parapet walls.
• Devotees first complete a ritual circumambulation on the jagati starting from the main
entrance by walking in a clockwise direction (towards the left) before entering
the mandapa, following the sculptural clockwise-sequenced reliefs (sequence of epic
scenes) on the outside temple walls depicting the Hindu epics.
• Temples without a jagati have steps flanked by elephant balustrades (parapets) that lead
to the mandapa from ground level. The Bucesvara temple in Korvangla, Hassan District
provides an example of a temple without the raised platform.

18. Keshava Temple at Somanathapura, Karnataka
The jagati, constructed in unity with the rest of the temple, follows a star-shape design

19. • The plan of each of the cella or garbhagriha was a star.
• The departure from the accepted square form of the temple is understandable when we analyze the plan
and see that it is made up of a grid of rotating squares.
• The resulting outline thus emerges as a star.
• The mandapa remained a square, though it was now distinguished by circular columns, the shafts of which
had been lathed and thus acquired a number of parallel knife-edges.
The Star in Plan

20. Bucesvara temple in Korvangla, Hassan District, Karnataka ; built during the 12th century.
Example of a temple without jagati

21. Front view of Bucesvara temple, depicting the elephant
balustrades

22. Kalyani
• Kalyani or stepped wells are commonly found in the Hoysala sacred ensembles.
• These wells served as an important source of water and were an important architectural structure.
• The lakes were places for bathing and ritual cleansing, worship, meditation, and water management for the
agricultural areas surrounding the temple and town.
• Open Mantapas, present around the water bodies, provided shelter to visitors.
• A pushkarani or well was often located within the temple premises and a tank or lake adjacent to the temple.
Kalyani Tank, Hulikere
• Although no remains of Siva temple are seen in the vicinity, the tank still exists in all its splendor.
• This unique Kalyani built in stepped order leading to the water source has three prominent landings
accommodating as many as twenty-seven ornate miniature shrines some carrying superstructure while others
are devoid of it.
• Most probably the shrines might have been dedicated to twenty seven nakshtras.
• Another source says that the highly ornate miniature shrines are believed to represent the nine planets and
stellar constellations with reference to ancient Hindu astrology.
• The stone well is most outstanding example of Hoysala water structures extant today that combine artistry and
hydrology with the sacred.

23. Kalyani Tank, Hulikere, built in 1160 AD

24. • Executed mostly by local craftsmen, the temples exhibit architectural features that distinguish
them from other temple architectures of South India .
• Characterized by a complex profusion of sculpture decorating all the temple parts chiselled of soft
soapstone (chlorite schist), a good material for intricate carving.
• While medieval Indian artisans preferred to remain anonymous, Hoysala artisans signed their
works, which has given researchers details about their lives, families, guilds, etc.
• Apart from the architects and sculptors, people of other guilds such as goldsmiths, ivory carvers,
carpenters, and silversmiths also contributed to the completion of temples.
• The artisans were from diverse geographical backgrounds and included famous locals.
• Ruvari Malithamma built the Keshava Temple at Somanathapura and worked on forty other
monuments, including the Amruteshwara temple at Amruthapura. Malithamma specialized in
ornamentation, and his works span six decades. His sculptures were typically signed in shorthand
as Malli or simply Ma.
The craftsmen

25. Hoysaleswara Temple
• Location : Halebid
• Built in : 12th century
• Dedicated to : Lord Shiva
• Significance : one of the largest
temples dedicated to Lord Shiva
in South India.
• Material : soapstone

26. • It is a twin-temple, or dvikuta vimana (plan
with two shrines and two superstructures).
The two temples are of the same size, and
their sanctums open to the east, facing
sunrise. The sanctum of "Hoysaleswara" (the
king) and the other for "Shantaleswara" (the
queen, Shantala Devi) both have a Shiva linga.
• Outside on the east side of the main temples
are two smaller shrines, each with seated
Nandi.
Seated Nandi

27. • The temple outer walls is intricately carved.
• Artwork on the outer walls of the temple are in bands.
1: marching playful elephants
2: lions
3: thin miniature scroll
4: horsemen in different postures
5: thin miniature scroll
6: friezes narrating legends from the Hindu texts
7: makaras
8: hamsa and peacocks
9: professionals, daily life of people alternately standing and
sitting
10: mythical creatures, festivals, ceremonies
11: artha, kama, dharma scenes including courtship and mithuna
(eroticism, sex), various occupations, some mythical scenes
12: large image panels (deities, spiritual stories from Hindu texts)

28. Pillars and Ceilings
• The interior walls of the temple
are quite plain compared to the
outer wall, except for the lathe
turned pillars that run in rows.
Lathe turned pillars

29. Bibliography
• https://www.karnataka.com/history/hoysalas/
• https://www.deccanherald.com/content/599867/hoysala-temples-turuvekere.html
• https://www.clearias.com/hindu-temple-architecture-hoysala/
• http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hoysala_architecture#cite_note-parts-9
• http://asibengalurucircle.in/kalyani-tank-hulikere-0
• https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/explore-last-surviving-temples-incredible-empire/
• https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5898/
• https://www.boloji.com/articles/921/the-hoysalas-of-karnataka
• https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-architecture/ancient-architecture/temple-architecture.html
• http://www.historydiscussion.net/art/hoysala-art-developed-in-the-southern-region-of-karnataka/1373
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPn0NsZDtkk