Historic Channakeshava temple in Belur — a masterpiece of Hoysala architecture — has turned 900 this year.
Channakeshava Temple
- The Channakeshava temple was built between 1106 and 1117.
- It was commissioned by Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana.
- The temple is regarded as architecture in the typical Hoysala style.
- It commemorates the king’s victory in 1104 and after winning a war in 1104, Vishnuvardhana took up construction of the temple, and according to an inscription, the temple was ready by March 1117.
- Belur, along with Halebid, is proposed as a UNESCO heritage site.
- Belur is 40 kilometres from Hassan city.
Hoysala style
- Style developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a state of India.
- Large and small temples built during this era remain as examples of the Hoysala architectural style, including the Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple at Somanathapura
- A negligible Indo-Aryan influence while the impact of Southern Indian style is more distinct.
About Vishnuvardhana
- Vishnuvardhana (1108–1152 CE) was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the modern state of Karnataka, India.
- He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in c.1108.
- He was a follower of Jainism and known as Bitti Deva, he came under the influence of the Hindu philosopher Ramanujacharya, converted to Hindu Vaishnavism and took the name “Vishnuvardhana”.
- Vishnuvardhana took the first steps in creating an independent Hoysala Empire in South India through a series of battles against his overlord, the Western Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI, and the Chola Empire to the south.
Source : The Hindu, Wikipedia
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