{"id":261617,"date":"2023-09-25T21:03:20","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T15:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=261617"},"modified":"2024-06-18T11:24:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T05:54:00","slug":"hoysala-temples-on-unesco-heritage-list-what-sets-the-sacred-ensembles-apart-what-stories-they-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/hoysala-temples-on-unesco-heritage-list-what-sets-the-sacred-ensembles-apart-what-stories-they-tell\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoysala temples on UNESCO heritage list: What sets the \u2018Sacred Ensembles\u2019 apart, what stories they tell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><b>Source: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The post is based on the article<\/span><b> \u201cHoysala temples on UNESCO heritage list: What sets the \u2018Sacred Ensembles\u2019 apart, what stories they tell\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0published in <\/span><b>Indian Express on 25th September 2023<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is the News?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Three Hoysala-era temples in Karnataka made it to UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage List, under the collective entry of \u2018Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What are Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/this-is-a-great-moment-for-india-to-see-the-sacred-ensembles-of-the-hoysalas-temples-being-submitted-for-inscription-in-the-world-heritage-listunion-minister\/#:~:text=list%20since%202014.-,What%20are%20Sacred%20Ensembles%20of%20Hoysala%3F,of%20Belur%2C%20Halebid%20and%20Somnathpur.\"><b>Click Here to read<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>What makes Hoysala Temples architecture stand out?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Use of Soapstone: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hoysala temples are known for their intricate sculptures, and this is made possible by the use of soapstone, which is easy to carve.These sculptures depict various subjects, including animals, daily life scenes and stories from epics and Puranas, providing insights into the society of that era.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Unique Confluence of Styles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Hoysala architecture combines three distinct architectural styles \u2013 mainstream Dravidian architecture (seen in Pallava and Chola temples), Vesara style (a variant of Dravida style from Chalukya and Rashtrakuta temples), and North Indian Nagara style. This blend of styles was influenced by the Hoysalas military expeditions to different regions, bringing in diverse artistic influences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Star-Shaped Platforms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Hoysala temples are typically constructed on star-shaped platforms, and they comprise multiple structures within the complex.The walls and pillars are adorned with intricate sculptures, often with rich narratives and descriptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Artistic Signatures: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A distinctive feature of Hoysala temples is that sculptors and masons left their names and sometimes additional details on the temple structures, providing historical insights into the craftsmen behind these remarkable creations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Transition to Hinduism:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> These temples were constructed during a period when Jainism was prevalent in the region, signifying a shift towards Hinduism in the Hoysala dynasty.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What makes the three Hoysala temples on UNESCO list special?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The three Hoysala temples on the UNESCO list are particularly special due to their exceptional preservation and artistic significance:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Chennakesava Temple at Belur:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This temple is renowned for its 46 unique pillars (except for four in the central bay) and its intricate sculptures.One of the sculptures, &#8220;Darpana Sundari&#8221; (lady with the mirror), is believed to be modeled after Queen Shantala Devi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Kesava Temple in Somanathapura<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: This temple has a distinctive 16-point star-shaped design and houses three shrines dedicated to Keshava, Janardhana, and Venugopala.Unfortunately, the Keshava statue is now missing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Despite its current ruined state, this temple is considered one of the highest achievements of Hoysala architecture.The infinite wealth of sculpture over the exterior of this temple makes it one of the most remarkable monuments of the world and a repository of religious thought expressed in plastic form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2013 Halebidu was raided by Malik Kafur, a general of the then Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTE<\/strong>-Some of the other recently added UNESCO sites are as follows-<\/p>\n<p>1) Rani Ki Vav-(The Queen\u2019s Stepwell)- Gujrat-2014<br \/>\n2)\u00a0 Great Himalayan National Park -Himachal Pradesh-2014<br \/>\n3) Nalanda-\u00a0 Bihar-2016<br \/>\n4) Khangchendzonga National Park- Sikkim-2016<br \/>\n5) Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Capitol Complex) -Chandigarh-2016<br \/>\n6) The Historic City -Ahmedabad-2017<br \/>\n7) Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles -Mumbai-2018<br \/>\n8) The Pink City- Jaipur-2019<br \/>\n9) Kakatiya Rudreshwara(Ramappa)Temple- Telangana-2021<br \/>\n10)\u00a0 Dholavira &#8211; Gujarat-2021<br \/>\n11)\u00a0 Santiniketan -West Bengal-2023<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: The post is based on the article \u201cHoysala temples on UNESCO heritage list: What sets the \u2018Sacred Ensembles\u2019 apart, what stories they tell\u201d \u00a0published in Indian Express on 25th September 2023 What is the News? Three Hoysala-era temples in Karnataka made it to UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage List, under the collective entry of \u2018Sacred Ensembles&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/hoysala-temples-on-unesco-heritage-list-what-sets-the-sacred-ensembles-apart-what-stories-they-tell\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Hoysala temples on UNESCO heritage list: What sets the \u2018Sacred Ensembles\u2019 apart, what stories they tell<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10317,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,11212,9],"tags":[11872,10500],"class_list":["post-261617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-history-and-art-culture-in-news","category-public","tag-9pm-daily-factly","tag-indian-express","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261617\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}