Chandramouleshwara Temple, Arasikere – The Temple

Chandramouleshwara Temple, Arasikere – The Temple

This Temple is facing towards east and constructed in ekakuta chala (single shrine) style. The Temple consists of sanctum, sukanasi, navaranga and mukha mandapa with two lateral entrances at north and south in between navaranga and mukha mandapa. The navaranga is a closed mandapa (hall) without any windows and is square in plan. The ceiling of the navaranga is divided into nine bays by the four lathe turned pillars that support the ceiling.

Sub shrines of Veerabhadra, Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu, and Ashtadikpalakas can be seen in the navaranga. The mukha mandapa is an open mandapa and with its 16-pointed star plan is most unusual design built by Hoysala architects. It is a deviation from the staggered square design, a standard in Hoysala constructions.

The mukha mandapa is connected to the navaranga by a small rectangular inner porch. The stellate mukha mandapa has a central circular raised dais surrounded by stellate jagati with thirteen circular lathe turned pillars placed at the periphery of the circulars dais, supporting a massive circular dome like ceiling which is exquisitely carved with trifoliate leaf decorations in concentric circles ending in a huge pending.

The interesting aspect of mukha mandapa is the depiction of the fore part of elephants inserted into the jagati inside as if supported the mukha mandapa on their shoulders. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Kalameshvara / Kattameshvara / Chandramoulishvara, in the form of Linga. The shikara (superstructure) over the sanctum is intact but the finial (a decorative water pot like structure called Kalasha) is a recent replacement.

The vestibule connects the shrine to the closed mantapa has its own tower called Sukanasi. An image of Nandi can be seen on top of the sukanasi. It might be recent addition as this place is normally occupied by the Hoysala royal emblem, the legendary warrior Sala fighting a lion. The central ceiling in the closed mantapa and the vestibule are decorated elaborately.

The outer wall of the vestibule shares the same decoration as the outer wall of the shrine but is inconspicuous because it forms a short continuation between the wall of the shrine and closed mandapa. The outer wall of the shrine is stellate, but the star points are not identical, rather they form three different kinds of star points, making the design complicated and unusual.

The lower half of the outer wall of the shrine and the outer wall of the closed mantapa share the same architectural articulation. The sculptures of Dwarapalakas in the navaranga and the wall panel images numbering a hundred and twenty on pilasters between the aediculas carved on the outer walls are noteworthy. There is another hall on the right side of the temple with 24 lathe pillars. The hall has three shrines dedicated to Veereshwar, Bakeshwar, and Chamundeshwar.