The small village Amruthapura is well-known for a 12th Century Hindu temple built in typical Hoysala style of Architecture that is different from the Dravida style of temple architecture common in Tamil Nadu and Andhra states. Located 35 km from Shimoga town, the temple is a poetry in stone with rich flawless stunning sculptures of various sizes and a fine depiction of glorious past of the Hoysala rulers in the realm of decorative temple architecture with prolific styles.
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| Bas-relief. Amruteshvara temple,Amruthapura,KA. .karnataka.com |
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| mruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA wikipedia.com |
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| Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KAcommons.wikimedia.org |
Amruteshvara temple in Amruthapura, 67 km north of Chikmagalur town in the Chikkamagaluru district of the Karnataka state,S. India, is a fascinating temple where the architectural stone decorations mark the height of human imagination and the flow of artistic skill. Built in 1196 C.E (vide: stone inscriptions in Kannada) by
Amrutheshwara Dandanayaka ( meaning "commander") under Hoysala King Veera Ballala II, it is an important tourist destination. Open mantapa (hall) with shining, well-finished pillars and the outer wall decorations in innumerable panels are worth our attention.
The architectural style followed here is that of the Hoysala dynasty. The temple has a single Vimana with outer and inner wall- one is open and the other is closed, The outer wall is rich in unique equally spaced stone relief works/ carvings, including circular ones. The closed mantap (hall) connects the sanctum with the large open mantapa. The features like open mantapa with twenty nine bays and the closed mantapa with nine bays and a side porch that leads to a separate shrine on the south side, the size, etc., suggest this temple was planned as per Vatsu Sastra. The architect of this temple was Ruvari Mallitamma, a popular sculptor of that period. He had begun his career and shown his exceptional and imaginative skill on the deeply carved domed ceilings in the main mantapa.
The superstructure (shikara) over the square shaped shrine has sculptures of demons (Kirtimukhas). The attractive features are the miniature decorative towers (aedicule) right below the superstructure. The presence of five moldings in the base, it is said, may be of an "older Hoysala style". Atop the structure connecting the sanctum and the closed mantapa, you can see the original Hoysala emblem of "Sala" fighting the lion. A blend of Hoysala and Chalukya decorative norm is reflected in the mantapa that has deeply carved domes with fine floral designs and well-polished thick pillars.
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sanctum, Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com
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Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com
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| Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com/ |
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| Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com/ |
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| Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com/ |
above images: Wall relief sculpture and decorative swirls (top image) in bas-relief on mantapa outer wall at Amruteshvara temple, Karnataka.
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| mruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com |
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pillars, Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com
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| Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com/ |
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| Amruteshvara temple, Amruthapura ,KA rakeshholla.blogspot.com |
Above image: Wall relief sculpture of the Amrutesvara temple
Outer parapet wall of the open mantapa has in profusion rich decorative features - a total of hundred and forty panel stone sculptures with depictions taken from the Hindu epics. A note worthy feature is the panels here has larger images unlike other Hoysala temple norm that emphasizes small panels with small carvings in miniature. On the south side wall are found 70 panels with fine carvings in anti-clock direction, displaying the stories of the Ramayana. The story presentation is unusual. On the other hand, on the north side wall, the architectural articulation, inherent in Hoysala style, is different and the depictions are clockwise. The 25 panels present the life of God Krishna. The rest - 45 are focused on various episodes from the Mahabharata. This temple is a must to visit. For many images presented here, the credit goes to:( http://rakeshholla.blogspot.com/2012/04/amrutesvara-temple-amruthapura.html)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrutesvara_Temple,_Amruthapura
