Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura – The Temple

Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura – The Temple

This Temple is facing towards with a pillared mahadvara. The temple complex is surrounded by compound wall on all sides. The temple is situated in a courtyard measuring 65.53 by 53.95 metres (215 by 177 feet). The temple is constructed in trikutachala style, consisting of three shrines, one each on north, south and west. The temple is situated in the center of the courtyard. The three shrines are built in a 16-point star-shaped plan. The temple is regarded as perfect in symmetry with exquisite stone carvings.

The small entrance mandapa is supported by lathe-carved soapstone pillars. A Garuda pillar can be seen in front of the mahadvara outside the temple. The top of the pillar should have had an idol of Garuda but now missing. The entire temple is carved from soapstone, a green-grey chloritic schist material that is soft in quarry but hardens when exposed to air. This is not locally available and must have been imported from another part of South India.

The main temple is built on a raised platform. It is about 3 feet high and star-shaped. The temple can be accessed through flight of steps from the eastern side. The raised platform provides enough space for the devotees to circle around the main temple. It is the pradakshina patha (circumambulation path) and is supposed to be walked in a clockwise manner in order to pictorially read the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana legends in the correct sequence. 

The eastern side of the platform is rectangular, while the space below the vimana (temple tower) mirrors the pointed star tower shape, with nine points on each side and two linking edges (a total of 29). The platform appears from distance to be five stacks from the careful moulding. A stone elephant originally stood at each star point end of the platform, but only 11 of the 15 original have survived in a damaged condition.

On the sides of the star side and where two stars of the jagati platform meet were 14 mid-size images likely of Nagas and 58 images of Yakshas but all of this are now missing. The temple premises stores 7 of the broken pieces found in the early 20^th century. There are two shrines for dvarapalas on each side below near the stairs to access the navaranga. The shrines are situated below the platform. These shrines are damaged. There are four steps to access the navaranga from the platform.

The navaranga is overall rectangular in plan but it consists of two fused squares and a rectangle. A small square is at the entrance, the largest square in the middle, and a rectangle facing the three sanctum via vestibule. The navaranga (hall) is supported by lathe turned pillars. The pillars, except two of them, are of the same size. All of them, except four in center, have five mouldings from common life themes stacked in sequence: disc, bell, pot, wheel and umbrella.

The four set of central square pillars of the Navaranga have yakshas and brackets, which have been damaged or have disappeared. The two pillars to the east of the central square are shaped as a 32 pointed-star. The Navaranga has a set of sixteen ceilings. Each one is different and carved with nature motifs and Hindu theology symbolism. Notable themes shown in the ceilings are banana flower in different stages of inflorescence, different stages of lotus opening, knots symbolizing karma and samsara and various geometrical patterns.

The central ceiling is carved with dancers, musicians, soldiers with standing Vishnu and Shiva in various forms, rafters in Sri Chakra tantric layout and others. The images are decorated with heavy jewelry, bangles on every arm, towering crowns and anklets. The Navaranga has friezes showing scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There are perforated windows on the walls to allow natural sunlight. The western shrine houses Kesava, northern shrine houses Janardhana and southern shrine houses Venugopala.

The shrine housing Kesava is given prominence here. All the shrines are connected to the navaranga via vestibule. The lintel above the entrance of the vestibule has an image of standing Kesava while the canopy shows Gajalakshmi. The entrance of the sanctum has an image of Vaikuntha Narayana seated on Ananta Shesha and the canopy shows a Vishnu in Sukhasana yoga posture. The sanctum has a 1.5 feet tall Garuda pedestal, but the original image once stood over the pedestal was missing. It is said that the original idol was removed from the temple by the Britishers and taken away. It was replaced by a new idol.

The southern shrine is guarded by two dvarapalas namely Bhadra and Subhadra. The lintel above the entrance of the vestibule has an image of Venugopala. The vestibule has a carving of 13^th century Lakshmi Narayana. He is shown seated in the Sukhasana Yoga pose. He holds chakra, conch, lotus and a gada (mace). The sanctum is guarded by two dvarapalas namely Jaya and Vijaya. The lintel above the entrance of the sanctum has an image of seated Vishnu while the canopy has an image of dancing Vishnu.

The sanctum is square in plan. The sanctum enshrines a 4.5 feet tall image of Venugopala. He wears ear rings, necklaces, armlets, bracelets, finger rings, toe rings, anklets, girdle and jeweled diadem. His legs are crossed, head slightly bent as he plays the bansuri (flute) he holds with both his hands. His fingers are in a tapping position, and all beings - from humans to cows, gods to goddesses inside the sanctum are depicted as absorbed in the divine music.

Some figures are shown running to listen to the music, their clothes slipping off. Above the householders, gopis and cows are shown rishis (sages) who too are lost in the experience.  The ten avatars of Vishnu in sequence: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Balarama, Buddha and Kalki are carved on the fringe of the image's torana (arch above).

The entrance of the northern shrine is guarded by dvarapalas namely Bhadra and Subhadra. The lintel above the entrance of the vestibule has an image of Janardana while the canopy has an image Lakshminarayana. The lintel above the entrance of the sanctum has an image of seated Lakshmi while the canopy has an image of Yoga Narayana. The sanctum enshrines a 4.5 feet tall idol of Janardana on 1.5 feet tall Garuda pedestal. He wears jewelry and on the fringe of his image's torana are carved the ten avatars of Vishnu.

The shikara (superstructure) over the shrines and the vestibule are intact and highly decorative. The shikara (superstructure) over the shrines are crowned with 16-pointed star shaped nagara style tower. All the three shikaras are of same height. Their plan uses lotus with an oblong projection, four sets of ornamental turrets, rhythmically reducing in height and are capped by a stone kalasa.

The carvings on the tower include dancers, gandharvas, yakshas, lion faces, kirtimukhas and mythical animals such as makaras. The top of each tower is shaped as an inverted blooming lotus flower. The original tower tops each had a large stone kalasa, but these were damaged along with the sukanasa, and the temple was without them. A recent restoration replaced the missing large kalasa with a small cement kalasa. The vestibule of the shrines has a superstructure called sukhanasi.

It looks like a shorter extension of the main tower. The Hoysala crest (emblem of the Sala stabbing a lion) over the sukhanasi of the shrines are missing. The courtyard has a large open public courtyard surrounded by the walled enclosure. There is a covered colonnade running around the enclosure with an array of small shrines. The southern colonnade consists of typical lathe tuned pillars while the northern colonnade is a mix of simple and lathe turned pillars.

The western colonnade has just one lathe turned pillar and the rest are simple. This is just one asymmetrical flaw that is found in the temple complex. The northern and southern row of small shrines inside the colonnade consists of eighteen single shrine and one linked-double shrine each. The linked-double shrine is at the northwestern and southwestern corners of the courtyard.

The western row consists of fourteen small shrines, while the eastern row consists of eight single small shrines and two linked-double shrines. The temple consists of 58 small 1x1 small shrines, 4 small 2x1 linked-double shrines, 2 near entrance, and the main central temple. The 64 corridor shrines once featured Vedic and Puranic deities and rooms for pilgrims. The idols in the smaller shrines were defaced, their limbs broken or destroyed.

Some of the recovered broken pieces are in a heap inside the temple. The collection includes Jaina statues in the Kayotsarga posture as well as numerous Hindu statues. The ceiling of the southern array of shrines has carvings on its ceiling, the western does not, and it have a repair related inscription instead from Vijayanagara Empire era. The northern array also mostly lacks any ceiling art work except near the stairs in the middle, while the eastern array shows the greatest signs of damage and restoration with most small shrines missing but for signs of their foundation.

The eaves runs around the sanctum where the superstructure meets the wall of the shrine. The eaves projects about half a meter from the wall. Miniature decorative towers can be seen below this eaves. Second eves can be seen below this decorative towers. Friezes of Hindu deities and their attendants can be seen below the second eaves. There are about 194 intricately carved sculptures.

The large wall images on the three identical tower superstructures each has an arch (torana) to frame the image. The western side has simple flat or geometric arches, while the northern and southern sides have intricately carved nature themes, such as hanging fruits, flowers and flower laden creepers. Some include buds and stages of natural development in flowering plants, while a few include wildlife such as a lion in the center.

Most of these are also partially defaced such as broken noses, chopped limbs, chopped out stone jewelry and show other forms of damage. Notable among them are Nardana Vinayaga, Nardana Saraswathi, Keshava, Venugopala, Janardana, Krishna, Indra, Varuna, Yama, Vasudeva, Yoga Narayana, Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Buddha, Nardana Lakshmi, Brahma, Harihara, Surya, Mahishasura Mardini and dancing Vishnu etc.

It is a common practice of the sculptors to inscribe their names on their works during the reign of the Hoysalas. The names of Ruvari Mallitamma, Masanithamma, Baleya, Bamaya, Bharmaya, Chameya, Rameya, Chaudeya, Yalamasay, Nanjeya from Kannada region and Pallavachari & Cholavachari from Tamil region are inscribed on the pedestals of the images. It is observed that Mallitamma has not only carved the maximum number of images but also carved the northern sanctum of Janardhana.

A set of six moldings can be seen below the frieze which forms the base of the wall. The first horizontal molding from the jagati contains procession of elephants, second contains horsemen, foliage on the third, depictions from the Hindu epics and puranic scenes in the fourth, friezes of mythical makaras  in the fifth and friezes of decorative peacocks in the sixth. A parapet wall runs around the front hall on both sides of the entrance.

Horizontal friezes of elephants, horsemen, scroll works, scenes from the epics and the puranas, a rail divided into panels by double columns with tiny figures, turrets with lions intervening between them and miniature erotic sculpture from the bottom to top can be seen in the parapet wall. Perforated stone windows can be seen above the friezes. There is a post box attached to a large tree in the temple complex. If a visitor posts postcard in the box, it would be stamped with a unique Somanathapura stamp.