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org © 2017 IJCRT | Volume 5, Issue 4 December 2017 | ISSN: 2320-2882

The Contribution of Hoysala’s to Art and

Architecture of Karnataka
Ranganatha Rao H. Karad
Assistant Professor, Department of History,
Sir M V Government Arts & Commerce College, Bhadravathi

Abstract: The Hoysala temple art and structure is a critical architectural characteristic of Indian art records
in trendy and Karnataka particularly. The fashion of architecture has now not just risen by using itself and it
took hundreds of years to grow to be a matured and well advanced architectural fashion of Hoysala duration. If
we communicate beginning and development of artwork and structure in South India, we should check out the
foundation and evolution of Badami Chalukya architecture in Karnataka and Pallava architecture in
Tamilnadu. Both these dynasties began their test on temples. Badami Chalukyans made test on all of the forms
of Indian temple structure and that is the beginning of Vesara style in Karnataka. Similarly in Tamilnadu
Pallavas also made experiment and it emerge as makeup sturdy base for the origin of the Dravidian style of
architecture in South India.
After doing exact and non-stop experiment on the development of temples, Badami Chalukyans first
constructed Vesara fashion of temple at Pattadakal by way of the usage of domestically available pink-
sandstone. After this the Kalyana Chalukyans constructed the Vesara fashion of temples at Dambal,
Channabasappa temple and Saraswathi temple at Gadag and additionally many extra temples in Northern
Karnataka with the aid of using chloritic schist or cleaning soap stone. For a commonplace guy it's miles hard
to distinguish the Kalyana Chalukan Vesara fashion temples with that of Hoysala length Vesara fashion
temples. A. Sundara has drawn interest to the fact that a number of the characteristics of the Hoysala temples
which might be commonly thought to be derived from the later Chalukyan temples. They have an effect on of
the sooner traditions at the later chalukyas who in term at once or indirectly contributed their mite for the
formulation of the Hoysala style is enormous and in a few cases some of those inspirations may have directly
been obtained by the Hoysalas. The Chalukyan structure has influenced drastically the make-up of the Hoysala
structure, it is able to be mentioned that the Hoysalas has borrowed the ideas and grabbed them with its very
own inventive and aesthetic ideas. Due to the similarities of the architectural fashion, some of the salient
functions and the use of equal stone in the temples of each the dynasties like Kalyana Chalukya and the
Hoysalas all most similar. The early art historians like James Ferguson, Percy Brown, Vincent Smith have did
not apprehend or to discover the distinction between the two faculties of architecture and handled the Chalukya

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and Hoysala fashion of structure as belonging to at least one integral fashion which they've named as
Chalukyan fashion of architecture. There are such close similarities among two colleges of structure or temples
built at some stage in the instances of those groups of rulers. There has been absolute confidence that the
Hoysalas were the political subordinates of the later Chalukyas and hence adopted their style of tradition to a
substantial extent. Even our very own early historians like A.okay.Coomaraswamy, okay. A. Nilakanta Sastri
and host of different pupils have no longer made any attempt to understand the Hoysala history and art history,
ok. A.Nilakanta Sastri has written greater than fifty history books and most of them are concentrated on South
Indian history but he has no longer done any justice to Hoysala history and its art and structure.
Salient features of art and architecture
Its miles already discussed that the Hoysala architectural style is just a continuation of Badami Chalukya,
Rashtrakuta and Kalyana Chalukyan style. As Hoysalas and Sevunas were strong feudatories of the Chalukyas,
the northern portions have been occupied through the Sevunas and the southern aspect with the aid of the
Hoysalas. This factor may be very essential due to the fact the Hoysala temples are usually concentrated within
the southern elements of Karnataka and some elements of Tamilnadu. Being the political subordinates of the
Chalykyas of Kalyana, the Hoysala had exact opportunities to study and analyze the architecture and sculptures
in their masters. It helped Hoysalas to inherit a faculty of structure and sculptures which has wealthy in
plasticity and sound architectural features. In a manner Hoysalas stepped forward and introduced their personal
innovations to present Chalukyan discipline the evolved, stepped forward and made it as appealing architectural
faculty of their own.
The most essential salient feature of the Hoysala temple architecture is the special kind of the stone
used. It’s far greenish or blackish chloritic schist popularly called the cleaning soap-stone. It’s far a pleasant
grained stone, effortlessly malleable and ductile on the time of quarrying it from the mine it has the belongings
of turning into harder as soon as it's far uncovered to sun. So the tender stone became effortlessly quarried and
normal into sculptures however with the exposure to solar it have become very hard. This kind of stone is to be
had in lots throughout southern districts of Karnataka and for this reason the Hoysalas had no problem in
finding sufficient stone of this kind for hundreds in their temples. Very hardly ever their temples are
constructed of granite additionally. For examplethe Hoysala temples at Tonnur are built of granite and no
longer of schist. But, the Hoysala temples constructed in the Tamilnadu vicinity used granite simplest. Possibly
the Hoysalas hired local craftsmen and artists within the Tamil region who were gifted in the carving of granite
due to the Chola segment of temple building hobby. Secondly the granite became available in masses in that
vicinity while the schist changed into not to be had in exact portions to build temples.
On this connection the remarks of Henry Cousens turn out to be extraordinarily applicable; “With the
change within the material got here a diminution within the length of the masonry; and with the adoption of the

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smaller masonry turned into misplaced, the power and dignity that distinguished the older work”. for that
reason the pleasant grained soap-stone dictated the scale in addition to the man or woman of the Hoysala
architecture.
A number of the friezes at the Hoysala temples which have testimonies from Ramayana, Mahabharata
and Bhagavata carved on them are so minute that one has to take a look at them very carefully. In such
situations, the jagati will become significant and beneficial to study and appreciate the splendor of those minute
carvings from a vantageous factor. The jagati is commonly 3 to 6 feet in height and the temple is erected on it.
It has to be remembered that the Hoysala temples aren't lofty one as those of the Cholas however are of lesser
peak. Typically they variety in peak from twenty to 40 ft. In such circumstances the addition of jagati offers the
advent of greater top to the temple.

The Hoysala temples may be divided into five companies depending on the number of garbhagrihas
they possess including Ekakuta (one garbhagriha), Dvikuta ( garbhagrihas). Trikuta (3 garbhagrihas)
Chatushkuta (4 garbhagrihas) and Panchakuta (five garbhagrihas). Ekakuta is a shape with a unmarried
garbhagriha, sukhanasi, navaranga-all axially arranged inside the east-west direction. The Channakeshava
temple at Aralaguppe in Tumkur district, Narasimha temple at Tonnur and Keerthinarayana temple at Talakad
are examples of ekakuta. In some instances ekakuta may have best a garbhagriha and a sukhanasi without or
with a navaranga. However, a normal ekakuta consists of a garbhagriha that's rectangular internal and a suare
sukhanasi, navaranga and a rectangular mandapa.In such cases the principle entrance is normally contrary the
navaranga doorway.

Another important institution of Hoysala temples is the Panchakutas or temples with 5 garbhagrihas are
discovered at many places according to the epigraphical evidences. However truely no longer many of these
temples mentioned in epigraphs have survived to the present day. The Panchalingesvara temple at
Govindanahalli within the Krishnarajapet taluk of Mandya district is a superb surviving example inside the
region of our have a look at undertaken here due to the fact it's far built for the duration of the length of Vira
Someshvara. It has five garbhagrihas in a row facing east in north-south direction. Each of the garbhagriha has
a sukhanasi and comman lenthy navaranga. The temple has now not been erected on a jagati. There are
principal entrances opposite to 2nd and 0.33 garbhagrihas with a mandapa respectively. There are side
entrances to both of them at north and south. There is a one more Panchalingesvara temple at somanathapura
that's dilapidated and built with the aid of the use of tough granite.

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The names of celebrated Hoysala sculptors who worked in Belur, Halebid, Doddagaddavalli and other
well-known temples, Dasoja and his son Chavana had been responsible for many madanikai figures at Belur.
The former is called because the tiger many of the sculptors. He turned into the son of Ramoja and hailed from
Balligrama, the well-known artwork centre, Balligave. His son Chavana was equally famous. He additionally
sculpted many madanikai sculptures. He had the title gandabherunda among sculptors. Malloja Maniyoja
became the sculptor of the Lakshmi temple at Doddagaddavalli. Nagoja of Gadag changed into some other
famous sculptor. Binnani, his son Chikka Hampa, Malliyanna, Padari Malloja, Mayana, Vibhanna, Masada,
Madhuvanna, Bechama, Gumma Birana, Kedaroja, Kalidasi, Mallitamma, Revoja, Haripa, Hardasi, Birapa,
Sarasvatidasi and Baichoja are the alternative sculptors known to us via such label inscriptions. Hanoja is seen
in most of the sculptures of Channakeshava temple at Aralaguppe.
Now we've come to the deserves and demerits of the Hoysala structure and sculptures. The chief
advantage of the Hoysala artwork is that it expanded structure to the extent of a great art by using harmoniously
combining sculpture into it. The minute carvings which the Hoysala artists loved to create gave a new turn and
size to the structure and sculpture in South India. As they have been dedicated in reaching something authentic
within the area of artwork, they did no longer even imitate the lofty creations of the Cholas or the sand stone
temples of the Later Chalukyas. They selected the first-rate grained soapstone which decided the path of the
Hoysala artwork.
Another important salient function of the Hoysala temples is having pierced stone monitors or home
windows, also called jalandhras. Such home windows are seen in the early Chalukyan temple at Ladkhan in
Aihole. The principle goal of those home windows is to allow enough air and light into the indoors of the
temple. The Hoysala temples as has already been remarked incorporate no circumambulation and have a
sukhanasi, a navaranga and a mukha mandapa. As a lot of these elements are closed ones, the best open space is
provided by means of the principle door which can be either at the facet or contrary to the garbhagriha itself.
Consequently by using its nature of the plan the Hoysala temple is deprived of air and mild. Subsequently home
windows have been sincerely important to allow air and light inside the temple. As the Hoysala sculptors had
an ingenuity to make the whole lot ornamental, they made even the jalandhras ornamental and sculptural in
nature. Those jalandhras contain circular, rectangular, octagonal open area to permit light and air and the rims
have been carved with minute sculptures of mythological memories. hence it appears decorative pieces and
makes us to neglect that they're windows. in keeping with Hoysala art and architecture criticizers like
Raghunath Bhat, Percy Brown, Srikantashastri, Narasimha Murthy, A.V.,

Ragaraju, N.S. and others the immoderate ornamentation can be considered as a illness of the Hoysala
faculty of art. The Hoysala artist became so much engrossed within the minute information of the sculptures,

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which need to have used all his energies in creating pleasant ornaments, coiffure, dress, bangles and other
things. Each of these objects may be considered a grasp-piece in its very own proper. However in the method
he couldn't devote extra attention to the anatomical info. Maximum of the Hoysala sculptures are squattish and
dwarfish and supply a barely distorted view of the anatomical capabilities. Stylization and conference turn out
to be part and parcel of the Hoysala art. The coiffure seems nearly repetitive. The limbs and lower back show
heaviness. Even though the Hoysala artists had tremendous control over the chisel, they disregarded the entire
effect and misplaced themselves in the labyrinthine information. It turned into his first test with the brand new
tender stone and it opened up significant vistas before him. To him carving every picture was a curiosity of
experimental degree. Consequently even though technically opinions range on his success, the Hoysala artist
has definitely succeeded in conveying what he wanted to say or delineate. That is the real merit of the Hoysala
artist.
Even the face of each male and female sculpture seems similar except some sculpture. Simply seeing
best the face it's miles difficult to identify the features. Until, if see the sculptures absolutely it is difficult. Even
cough muscle tissues and breasts of female sculptures are extra globular instead of herbal. For this reason it
needs more essential analysis.

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