Lakshmi-Narayana Temple, Hosabolalu, Mandya District.
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Known as the 'Motherland of Hoysala temples', the Krishnarajapet
taluk in Mandya district has a large number of shrines built during the
Hoysala period. Among them, the Lakshminarayana temple is well known
for its sculptural splendour.
Situated at Hosabolalu, a tiny village about three kms towards the east
of Krishnarajapet, the temple is a fine specimen depicting the glory of
Hoysala architecture. The place was once an agrahara, where you can
still find the remains of a Hoysala fort that was altered during the
Vijayanagar period.
The Lakshminarayana Temple at Hosaholalu is equated with the temples of
Somanathapur, Nuggehalli, Javagal, Hirenallur and Aralukuppe for its
elaborate sculptural work. Though the date of construction is unknown,
historians place the temple to the middle of 13th century, taking into
consideration the style of architecture. It is a Trikutachala or a
three-celled temple built on a star-shaped, raised platform. The main
temple rises with in the platform leaving a broad terrace around it,
which serves as the pradakshinapatha.
The temple has three sanctorum and a navaranga or pillared-hall in the
middle. The central sanctorum has the idol of Lakshminarayana, the main
deity of the temple, while the other sanctorum consist of
Lakshminarasimha and utsava idols.
In the navaranga are lathe-turned pillars, where groups of dancing
girls with accompaniments in impressive poses adorn their capitals. The
ceilings of the navaranga decorated with fine carvings are noteworthy.
The outer walls of the temple are richly ornamented with the friezes of
elephants, horses, scrolls, scenes from epics, Capricorns, swans and a
number of gods and goddesses with their attendants. The scenes from the
epics depict stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata. The
figures of Yoga-Madhava, Dhanvanthri, Dakshinamurthy, dancing
Saraswathi, Kalinga-Mardhana, Para-Vasudeva, dancers and musicians are
highly appealing to the eye.
The outer walls of the temple are also decorated with are kambhas and
are gopuras. There is a five-stepped tower over the central sanctorum.
The arrangement made over the roof of the temple for rainwater drainage
is quite interesting.