Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati – The Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati – The Temple

The temple is facing towards east and stands on a raised platform (jagati). The platform provides ample space for the devotess to circumbulate the temple. The platform appears to rest on the back of ashtadikgajas (eight elephants). The temple is constructed on an 8-pointed star plan, with bifacial square plan symmetrically rotated. The temple is constructed in trikutachala style, consisting of three shrines, one each on north, south and west.

The western shrine houses Lakshmi Narasimha, northern shrine houses Purushotama and southern shrine houses Venugopala. The central shrine (western shrine) is the most prominent one. The shrines are square on plan. All the shrines connects to the closed navaranga via antrala. The ceiling of the navaranga is supported by lathe turned pillars. These lathe turned pillars with four brackets is an excellent example of amalgamation of Chalukya and Hoysala architectural style.

The navaranga opens to the courtyard through an open pillared mukha mandapa. The mukha mandapa is supported by lathe turned half pillars and parapets on either side. Dwaja Sthamba and Garuda Sthamba can be found in front of the mukha mandapa. All the shrines are crowned with vesara style shikara. The original shikaras were ruined and have been restored with a conical structure. The antrala also has a tower called sukanasi which looks like a low protrusion of the main tower over the shrine.

The outer wall of the antrala is decorative but inconspicuous because it appears like a short continuation of the shrine outer wall. 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 several intricately carved sculptures namely Ganesha, Chandika, Bhairava, Harihara, Dakshinamurti, Nataraja, Durga in dancing form, Mahisasuramardini, Rati & Kamadeva, Saraswathi, Brahma, Surya, various other Hindu deities, apsaras, musicians and dancers. The most notable image is the image of Surya signed by the architect, Maba.

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati – Legends

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati – Legends

Lord Rama got relief from his sin of killing Vali here:

As per legend, Lord Rama used go around Ayodhya in disguise to ascertain the welfare of his people in his kingdom. During such visit, he noticed his shadow appeared in two forms. One as a Vanara (monkey) and the other as a human. Shocked by the unusual phenomenon, he sought the reason for this phenomenon. Finally, he found that the twin shadows were caused due to his killing of Vanara king Vali. As he killed Vali by hiding behind a tree, he was cursed by Vali. To get relief from this curse, Lord Rama was advised to go to the sacred Tungabhadra river and install the Ishwara Lingam in Vankipura. As advised, Lord Rama did and got relief from his sin.

Formation of Tunga and Bhadra rivers:

As per legend, Lord Vishnu in his Varaha avatar rescued Bhudevi, the goddess earth who was held captive under the sea by demon Hiranyaksha. When Varaha lifted earth with his two tusks, river Tunga and Bhadra were formed.

Arjuna got relief from his sin of killing his relatives in Mahabharata war:

As per legend, Arjuna asked Lord Krishna to provide a solution for getting relief from the sin for killing his own kith and kin in the Mahabharata war. Lord Krishna suggested him that the mere darshan of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha of Vankipura would enable him to get rid of his sins. As suggested by Lord Krishna, Arjuna came here, had darshan and got relief from his sins.

Vankipura:

As per legend, Sage Vanki had performed penance on Lakshmi Narasimha here for several years. Hence, the place came to be called as Vankipura.

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati, Karnataka

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravati, Karnataka

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Bhadravati City in Bhadravati Taluk in Shivamogga District in the Indian state of Karnataka. The temple is situated on the banks of Bhadra river. This temple is a protected monument under the Karnataka state division of the Archaeological Survey of India. The town of Bhadravathi is also famous for its steel plant called as Vishveshwarya Iron and Steel Limited (VISL), it was earlier known as Mysore Iron and Steel Limited.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2022/12/lakshmi-narasimha-temple-bhadravati-legends.html

History

The temple was built in 12^th century CE by King Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala Dynasty. The temple was extensively renovated by Veera Narasimha, grandson of Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana in 13^th century CE. Bhadravati was called as Benkipura / Vankipura during ancient times.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2022/12/lakshmi-narasimha-temple-bhadravati-temple.html

Temple Opening Time

The temple opens early in the morning at 6.00 am to the visitors. The temple is closed at the afternoon. The temple again opens at 6.30 pm at evening and closes at 9 pm.

Festivals

Dussehra (Sep-Oct), Navaratri (Mar-Apr & Sep-Oct) and Vaikunta Ekadasi (Dec-Jan) are the festivals celebrated here.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 1 Km from Bhadravati Bus Stand, 1 Km from Bhadravathi Railway Station, 20 Kms from Shivamogga, 21 Kms from Tarikere, 202 Kms from Mangaluru, 191 Kms from Mangaluru Airport and 283 Kms from Bengaluru. Bhadravati is situated on Shivamogga to Tarikere route.

Location

Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Hosaholalu – The Temple

Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Hosaholalu – The Temple

The temple is facing towards east with a mahadvara. The temple stands on a raised platform (jagati) of about 4.5 feet high. The platform provides ample space for the devotess to circumbulate the temple. The temple is constructed on a sixteen-pointed star plan, contours of which are followed by the platform below. Stone elephants were placed on the star points, five of which are still seen at the site.

The temple is constructed in trikutachala style, consisting of three shrines, one each on north, south and west. The western shrine houses Lakshmi Narayana, northern shrine houses Lakshmi Narasimha and southern shrine houses Venugopala. The western shrine connects to the navaranga via vestibule while the other two shrines connects directly to the navaranga. The central shrine (western shrine) is the most prominent one.

This shrine has an antrala (vestibule) that connects the shrine to the navaranga. The tower over the central shrine and the vestibule are intact and highly decorative. The main cell is a square room with projections on south, west and north. Due to these projections, this cell appears to be the main or prominent one. An image of Narayana is carved on its doorway lintel.

An image of Narayana holding shankha, chakra, padma and gada is placed inside the sanctum. Vishnu’s ten incarnations are also engraved on this image. The tower over the sanctum is crowned with kalasa on top and is of five tiers. The vestibule 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 is missing.

This exterior of the western shrine has projected mini shrine attached to it on three sides. These mini shrines follow the style of the main temple however they only display four bands instead of six. The southern shrine is guarded by dvarapalas. Venugopala can be seen on the lintel of the doorway. There is a cornice depicting seven turrets above the lintel.

The original image enshrined in the sanctum was removed to Kannambadi in 1936 CE and its place had been taken by the utsava murtis made of metal as per Mysore Archaeological Report. However, there is an image of Venugopala currently in the shrine. The lateral shrines are square in construction with five projections and no special features. The lateral shrines are without towers and sukanasis.

The navaranga (closed hall) is supported by four polished lathe turned pillars. The four central pillars divide the hall into nine equal bays (compartments) and nine decorated ceilings. Madanikas (dancing females) sculptures in different mudras adorn the capitals of these pillars. The navaranga is extended with an extra section on its eastern side to provide space for a porch which has not survived. 

There are two niches on the western side of the navaranga, one each on either side of the antarala doorway. The south niche contains an image of Ganesha while the north niche has an image of Mahishasuramardhini. The niches has turrets on top, five in numbers. There is a row of miniature temples with various styles of shikharas (towers) to the right and left of the navaranga entrance, above the Hoysala bands.

Each miniature temple either has a Yaksha or Yakshi seated inside. There is another row of stone railings, slanting forward and carved with scenes from Krishna stories as narrated in Bhagavata Purana above the row of miniature temples. There is a mukha mandapa fronted by the navaranga. It is a modern structure built in 17^th century CE. This mandapa is divided into twelve compartments.

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 120 intricately carved sculptures.

There are 32 images of Lord Vishnu in various forms can be seen among the sculptures. Notable among them are Yoga Madhava, Dhanvandhri, Dakshinamurthy, dancing Saraswathi, Kalinga Mardana, Para Vasudeva, Indra riding Airavata etc. Unlike the other temples of this kind, most of the sculptures and images at this temple are intact and have been very well preserved.

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 makara in the fifth and friezes of swans in the sixth.

Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Hosaholalu, Karnataka

Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Hosaholalu, Karnataka

Lakshmi Narayana Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Hosaholalu Village in Krishnarajapet Taluk in Mandya District in the Indian state of Karnataka. This temple is considered as one of the lesser known Hoysala temples of Karnataka. This temple is protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The temple was built in 1250 CE by King Vira Someshwara of Hoysala dynasty. The architectural style is similar to the temples in Somanathapura, Nuggehalli, Javagal and Haranahalli. The temple was renovated during Vijayanagara rule.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2022/12/lakshmi-narayana-temple-hosaholalu-temple.html

Festivals

Rangadahabba, a fair in honour of Lord Anjaneya is held in the temple premises during the month of April every year. This fair is similar to Holi as the people spray saffron water on each other.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2.5 Kms from Krishnarajapet, 3 Kms from Krishnarajapet, 13 Kms from Akkihebbalu Railway Station, 19 Kms from Bherya, 42 Kms from Srirangapatna, 59 Kms from Mysuru, 60 Kms from Mandya, 67 Kms from Mysuru Airport, 162 Kms from Bengaluru and 192 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. The Temple is situated at the outskirts of Krishnarajapet Town on the Krishnarajapet to Bherya route.

Location

Sangameshwara Temple, Kudalasangama – The Temple Complex

Sangameshwara Temple, Kudalasangama – The Temple Complex

This temple is facing towards east and follows Chalukya style of architecture. The temple consists of sanctum, antrala and navaranga with entrance porches on northern and eastern side. The navaranga is supported by four intricately carved central pillars. Idols of Basaveshwara, Neelamma, twin Nandi and Ganapati can be found in the navaranga. The door frame of the sanctum is richly carved with floral designs and animal figures.

The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Sangameshwara / Sangamanatha in the form of Shiva Linga. Lord is a Swayambhu Moorthy (self-manifested). The deity is called as Sangameshwara as the temple is situated at the confluence of Krishna and Malaprabha rivers. There was a Marakata Linga found beneath the main Shivalinga while moving the temple from the original site.

There is a small shrine of Lord Venkateswara on the left side of the main entrance. There is a big Nandi mandapa opposite to the temple. There is a pillar near Nandi mandapa with inscriptions. There are several inscriptions on the pillars of the temple. The Aikiya Mandapa enshrines the holy samadhi of Basavanna, the founder of Lingayat sect of Hindu religion. A Udhbhava Linga is said to have installed over the samadhi of Basavanna.

The Aikiya Mandapa is situated in the midst of the river protected by a massive circular wall to prevent it from submersion. There is a shrine for Neelamma on the eastern side across the river Krishna. This shrine is also protected by a massive circular wall to prevent it from submersion.  There is also a museum in the ashram of the temple. It has collection of ancient stone & bronze sculptures, inscriptions and architectural fragments.