Editing Hoysala architecture (section)

==Architectural elements==

===Mantapa===
[[Image:Belur2 retouched.jpg|thumb|right|Ornate [[lintel (architecture)|lintel]] over mantapa entrance in Chennakeshava temple, Belur]]
[[File:Domical bay ceiling art in outer mantapa of Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi.JPG|thumb|upright|Ornate bay ceiling in mantapa in the [[Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi]], a common feature in Hoysala temples]]
The ''[[mantapa]]'' is the hall where groups of people gather during prayers. The entrance to the ''mantapa'' normally has a highly ornate overhead [[lintel]] called a ''makaratorana'' (''makara'' is an imaginary beast and ''torana'' is an overhead decoration).<ref name="pradakshina" /> The open ''mantapa'' which serves the purpose of an outer hall (outer ''mantapa'') is a regular feature in larger Hoysala temples leading to an inner small closed ''mantapa'' and the shrines. The open ''mantapas'' which are often spacious have seating areas (''asana'') made of stone with the ''mantapa's'' parapet wall acting as a back rest. The seats may follow the same staggered square shape of the parapet wall.<ref name="space">Foekema (1996), pp. 22–23</ref><ref name="quad"/> The ceiling here is supported by numerous pillars that create many bays.<ref name="bay">A bay is a square or rectangular compartment in the hall (Foekema 1996, p. 93)</ref> The shape of the open ''mantapa'' is best described as staggered-square and is the style used in most Hoysala temples.<ref name="stagger">This is also called "cross-in-square" style and is not a square (Foekema, 1996, p. 22)</ref> Even the smallest open ''mantapa'' has 13 bays. The walls have parapets that have half pillars supporting the outer ends of the roof which allow plenty of light making all the sculptural details visible. The ''mantapa'' ceiling is generally ornate with sculptures, both mythological and floral. The ceiling consists of deep and domical surfaces and contains sculptural depictions of banana bud motifs and other such decorations.<ref name="banana">{{Cite web |title=Here, the past unfolds itself in all its glory & might—Hoyasala architecture in Somanathapura |url=http://www.chitralakshana.com/hoysalas.html |author=Githa U.B. |publisher=Chitralakshana |work=[[Deccan Herald]] |date=11 May 2004 |access-date=13 November 2006 |archive-date=4 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204180025/http://www.chitralakshana.com/hoysalas.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Image:Chikkamagalur Amritheswara navaranga retouched.JPG|left|thumb|upright|Open ''Mantapa'' with shining, lathe-turned pillars at [[Amrutesvara Temple, Amruthapura]]]]

If the temple is small it will consist of only a closed ''mantapa'' (enclosed with walls extending all the way to the ceiling) and the shrine. The closed ''mantapa'', well decorated inside and out, is larger than the vestibule connecting the shrine and the ''mantapa'' and has four lathe-turned pillars to support the ceiling, which may be deeply domed. The four pillars divide the hall into nine bays. The nine bays result in nine decorated ceilings.<ref name="nine">The four pillars and nine bays of a closed ''mantapa'' is a norm in Hoysala temples (Foekema 1996, p. 22)</ref> Pierced stone screens (''[[Jali]]'' or [[Latticework]]) that serve as windows in the ''navaranga'' (hall) and ''Sabhamantapa'' (congregation hall) is a characteristic Hoysala stylistic element.<ref name="pradakshina">Kamath (2001), p. 135</ref>

A porch adorns the entrance to a closed ''mantapa'', consisting of an awning supported by two half-pillars ([[engaged column]]s) and two parapets, all richly decorated. The closed ''mantapa'' is connected to the shrines by a vestibule, a square area that also connects the shrines. Its outer walls are decorated, but as the size the vestibule is not large, this may not be a conspicuous part of the temple. The vestibule also has a short tower called the ''[[sukanasa|sukanasi]]'' or "nose" upon which is mounted the Hoysala emblem. In [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]] and [[Halebidu]], these sculptures are quite large and are placed at all doorways.<ref name="nose">It is called a "nose" because it projects from the main tower over the entrance to it (Foekema 1996, p. 22)</ref>

The outer and inner ''mantapa'' (open and closed) have circular lathe-turned pillars<ref name="lathe">This is a common feature of Western Chalukya-Hoysala temples: (Kamath 2001, p. 117)</ref> having four brackets at the top. Over each bracket stands sculptured figures called ''[[salabhanjika]]'' or ''madanika''. The pillars may also exhibit ornamental carvings on the surface and no two pillars are alike.<ref name="unique">It is possible that the Hoysalas encouraged different groups of artists to execute pillars and these groups may have been in competition to produce unique pillars, (Sastri 1955, p. 429)</ref> This is how Hoysala art differs from the work of their early overlords, the [[Western Chalukyas]], who added sculptural details to the circular pillar base and left the top plain. The lathe-turned pillars are 16, 32, or 64-pointed; some are bell-shaped and have properties that reflect light. The Parsvanatha Basadi at Halebidu is a good example.<ref name="lightreflection">{{Cite web |title=Architecture in Hoysala Empire |url=http://www.ourkarnataka.com/history.htm |author=Arthikaje |publisher=1998–2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc |access-date=28 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104095148/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/history.htm <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=4 November 2006}}</ref> According to Brown, the pillars with four monolithic brackets above them carry images of ''salabhanjikas'' and ''madanikas'' (sculpture of a woman, displaying stylised feminine features). This is a common feature of Chalukya-Hoysala temples. According to Sastri, the shape of the pillar and its capital, the base of which is square and whose shaft is a monolith that is lathe turned to render different shapes, is a "remarkable feature" of Hoysala art.<ref name="madanika">Brown in Kamath (2001), p. 135</ref><ref name="capital">Sastri (1955), p. 429</ref>

===Vimana===
[[File:Stellate shrine outer wall with relief in Lakshminarayana temple at Hosaholalu.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Star shaped ''Vimana'' (shrine) at [[Lakshminarayana Temple, Hosaholalu|Hosaholalu]]]]

The ''[[Vimana (shrine)|vimana]]'', also called the [[cella]], contains the most sacred shrine wherein resides the image of the presiding deity. The ''vimana'' is often topped by a tower which is quite different on the outside than on the inside. Inside, the vimana is plain and square, whereas outside it is profusely decorated and can be either stellate ("star-shaped") or shaped as a staggered square, or feature a combination of these designs, giving it many projections and recesses that seem to multiply as the light falls on it.<ref name="cross-in-square" /> Each projection and recess has a complete decorative articulation that is rhythmic and repetitive and composed of blocks and [[Molding (decorative)|mouldings]], obscuring the tower profile. Depending on the number of shrines (and hence on the number of towers), the temples are classified as ''ekakuta'' (one), ''dvikuta'' (two), ''trikuta'' (three), ''chatushkuta'' (four) and ''panchakuta'' (five). Most Hoysala temples are ''ekakuta'', ''dvikuta'' or ''trikuta'', the Vaishnava ones mostly being ''trikuta''.<ref name="iconography">Hardy (1995), p. 245</ref><ref name="kuta">Sometimes a ''trikuta'' may not literally mean "three towers", as only the central shrine has a tower (Foekema 1996, p. 25)</ref> There are cases where a temple is ''trikuta'' but has only one tower over the main shrine (in the middle). So the terminology ''trikuta'' may not be literally accurate.<ref name="inaccurate">Foekema (1996), p. 25</ref> In temples with multiple disconnected shrines, such as the twin temples at [[Nageshvara-Chennakeshava Temple complex, Mosale|Mosale]], all essential parts are duplicated for symmetry and balance.<ref name="quad">Sastri (1955), p. 428</ref><ref name="twintemples">Foekema (1996), p. 81, section:''Mosale''</ref>

The highest point of the temple (''kalasa'') has the shape of a water pot and stands on top of the tower. This portion of the ''vimana'' is often lost due to age and has been replaced with a metallic pinnacle. Below the ''kalasa'' is a large, highly- sculptured structure resembling a dome which is made from large stones and looks like a helmet.<ref name="helmet">Foekema (1996), p. 27</ref> It may be 2&nbsp;m by 2&nbsp;m in size and follows the shape of the shrine. Below this structure are domed roofs in a square plan, all of them much smaller and crowned with small ''kalasas''. They are mixed with other small roofs of different shapes and are ornately decorated. The tower of the shrine usually has three or four tiers of rows of decorative roofs while the tower on top of the ''sukanasi'' has one less tier, making the tower look like an extension of the main tower (Foekema calls it the "nose"). One decorated roof tier runs on top of the wall of a closed ''mantapa'' above the heavy eaves of an open ''mantapa'' and above the porches.<ref name="nosy">Foekema (1996), p. 22, p. 28, section:''The plan of the temples''</ref>

[[Image:Wall sculptures and molding frieze in relief in the Chennakeshava temple at Somanathapura.jpg|thumb|right|Outer wall panel with six horizontal mouldings at [[Somanathapura]]]]

Below the superstructure of the ''[[vimana (tower)|vimana]]'' are temple "[[eave]]s"<ref name="eave">under the projecting roof overhanging the wall (Foekema 1996, p. 93)</ref> projecting half a meter from the wall. Below the eaves two different decorative schemes may be found, depending on whether a temple was built in the early or the later period of the empire. In the early temples built prior to the 13th century, there is one eave and below this are decorative miniature towers. A panel of Hindu deities and their attendants are below these towers, followed by a set of five different mouldings forming the base of the wall. In the later temples there is a second eave running about a metre below the upper eaves with decorative miniature towers placed between them. The wall images of gods are below the lower eaves, followed by six different mouldings of equal size. This is broadly termed "horizontal treatment".<ref name="horizontal">Kamath (2001), p. 134</ref> The six mouldings at the base are divided in two sections. Going from the very base of the wall, the first horizontal layer contains a procession of elephants, above which are horsemen and then a band of foliage. The second horizontal section has depictions of the Hindu epics and ''[[Puranas|Puranic]]'' scenes executed with detail. Above this are two friezes of ''[[yali (motif)|yali]]''s or ''makara''s (imaginary beasts) and ''hamsas'' (swans). The ''vimana'' (tower) is divided into three horizontal sections and is even more ornate than the walls.<ref name="yali">Art critic [[Percy Brown (scholar)|Percy Brown]] calls this one of the distinguishing features of Hoysala art. (Kamath 2001, p. 134)</ref>

===Sculpture===
[[Image:Sthambha buttalika sculpture in Chennakesava temple at Belur.jpg|right|thumb|upright|''Sthamba buttalika'', Hoysala art at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]]]]
[[Image:Shilabaalika on pillar bracket in Chennakeshava Temple at Belur1.jpg|right|thumb|upright|''Madanika'' [[bracket (architecture)|bracket]] at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]]]]

In Hoysala art Hardy identifies two conspicuous departures from the more austere Western (Later) Chalukya art:ornamental elaboration and a profusion of iconography with figure sculptures, both of which are found in abundance even on the superstructure over the shrine. Their medium, the soft chlorite schist (Soapstone) enabled a virtuoso carving style.<ref name="iconography">Hardy (1995), p. 245</ref> Hoysala artists are noted for their attention to sculptural detail be it in the depiction of themes from the [[Hindu]] epics and deities or in their use of [[motif (visual arts)|motif]]s such as ''yali'', ''[[kirtimukha]]'' (gargoyles), [[aedicula]] (miniature decorative towers) on [[pilaster]], ''makara'' (aquatic monster), birds (''hamsa''), spiral foliage, animals such as lions, elephants and horses, and even general aspects of daily life such as hair styles in vogue.<ref name="attention">Sastri (1955), pp. 428–429; Foekema (1996), pp. 28–29; Kamath (2001), p. 135</ref>

''[[Salabhanjika]]'', a common form of Hoysala sculpture, is an old Indian tradition going back to Buddhist sculpture. ''Sala'' is the [[Sal tree|sala tree]] and {{transliteration|hi|bhanjika}} is the chaste maiden. In the Hoysala idiom, ''madanika'' figures are decorative objects put at an angle on the outer walls of the temple near the roof so that worshipers circumambulating the temple can view them.<ref name="ramayana1">{{Cite web |title=Hoysala Heritage |url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2008/stories/20030425000206700.htm|author=Settar S |publisher=Frontline, From the publishers of the Hindu |work=Frontline, Volume 20 – Issue 08, April 12–25, 2003 |access-date=13 November 2006}}</ref>

The {{transliteration|hi|sthamba buttalikas}} are pillar images that show traces of [[Chola]] art in the Chalukyan touches. Some of the artists working for the Hoysalas may have been from Chola country, a result of the expansion of the empire into Tamil-speaking regions of Southern India. The image of ''mohini'' on one of the pillars in the ''[[mandapa|mantapa]]'' (closed hall) of the Chennakeshava temple is an example of Chola art.<ref name="ramayana1"/>

General life themes are portrayed on wall panels such as the way horses were reined, the type of stirrup used, the depiction of dancers, musicians, instrumentalists, and rows of animals such as lions and elephants (where no two animals are identical). Perhaps no other temple in the country depicts the [[Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata]] epics more effectively than the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu.<ref name="ramayana1"/><ref name="ramayana">The epic [[frieze]] is the most exciting feature of their sculptures (Foekema 1996, p. 29)</ref>

Erotica was a subject the Hoysala artist handled with discretion. There is no exhibitionism in this, and erotic themes were carved into recesses and niches, generally miniature in form, making them inconspicuous. These erotic representations are associated with the ''Shakta'' practice.<ref name="ramayana1"/>

Apart from these sculptures, entire sequences from the [[Hindu]] epics (commonly the [[Ramayana]] and the [[Mahabharata]]) have been sculpted in a clockwise direction starting at the main entrance.<ref name="clockwise">Foekema (1996), p. 29</ref> The right to left sequence is the same direction taken by the devotees in their ritual circumambulation as they wind inward toward the inner sanctum. Depictions from mythology such as the epic hero [[Arjuna]] shooting fish, the elephant-headed god [[Ganesha]], the Sun god [[Surya]], the weather and war god [[Indra]], and [[Brahma]] with [[Sarasvati]] are common. Also frequently seen in these temples is [[Durga]], with several arms holding weapons given to her by other gods, in the act of killing a buffalo (a demon in a buffalo's form) and [[Harihara]] (a fusion of Shiva and Vishnu) holding a conch, wheel, and trident. Many of these friezes were signed by the artisans, the first known instance of signed artwork in India.<ref>{{Cite book
| first= Binda
| last= Thapar
| year= 2004
| title= Introduction to Indian Architecture
| publisher= Periplus Editions
| location=Singapore
| pages= 69
| isbn= 0-7946-0011-5}}</ref>