About the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysala:

• The Sacred Ensembles of Hoysala Sacred Ensembles of Hoysala were built in the 12th-13th century. They are represented here by the three components of Belur, Halebid and Somnathpur.
• The Hoysala temples have a basic Dravidian morphology though they reflect other influences including that of Central India’s Bhumija mode, northern and western India’s Nagara traditions, and Karnataka Dravida modes of the Kalyani Chalukyas.
• The Hoysala architect made selections of features from other temple styles, which they further modified with their own particular innovations. This resulted in a new Hoysala Temple form.

Chennakeshava Temple – Belur

• Chennakeshava Temple is also referred to as Vijayanarayana Temple of Belur. It is a 12th-century Hindu temple in Karnataka.
• The temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE, on the banks of the Yagachi River in Belur also called Velapura, an early Hoysala empire capital.
• The temple is devoted to Vishnu.
• The richly sculptured exterior of the temple narrates scenes from the life of Vishnu and his reincarnations and the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. However, some of the  representations of Shiva are also included.

Hoysaleshwara Temple-

• Halebid Hoysaleswara temple also referred simply as the Halebidu temple is a 12th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.
• The temple was built in 1121 CE during the reign of the Hoysala King, Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara.
• The temple is most well-known for the more than 240 wall sculptures that run all along the outer wall.

Keshava Temple

• Somanathapura Keshava Temple is a Vaishnava temple on the banks of River Kaveri at Somanathapura, Karnataka.
• The temple was consecrated in 1258 CE by Somanatha Danda nayaka, a general of the Hoysala King Narasimha III.

Source: EPIC February 2022