HERITAGE
Sculptural perfection
ARUNA CHANDARAJU
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The Somnathpur temple is one of the most exquisite specimens of Hoysala temple art.
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STUNNING : The temple captivates with the beauty and vitality of its carvings. - PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM
"IT was something that the gods wanted for themselves. The Keshava Temple in Somnathpur is so beautiful, Madam." The driver was trying to persuade me to use the extra day I had after wrapping up my work in Mysore to visit Somnathpur. "And only about 40-50 km, one-hour drive from here."
I agreed. After reaching Somnathpur, I discovered his real motive: he had relatives here and this was the best way of paying them a visit — on time I was paying for. He dropped me off at the temple, said he would visit his uncle and return in three hours.
Extraordinary temple
At first I was annoyed — it was probably the most literal way of being taken for a ride. But as I went around the temple, I thanked him, secretly. For this is one of the finest specimens of temple art in Karnataka and probably the most exquisite specimen of Hoysala architecture. More beautiful, though strangely less visited, than the Belur and Halebid temples.
The small village of Somnathpur contains an extraordinary temple, built around 1268 A.D. by the Hoyasalas of Karnataka — one of the most prolific temple-builders. Belur and Halebid are among their better-known works. While these suffered during the invasions of the 14th century, the Somnathpur temple stands more or less intact in near-original condition. Even the frayed postcards thrust on me by importunate peddlers at the entrance testified to its architectural splendour.
This small temple captivates with the beauty and vitality of its detailed sculpture, covering almost every inch of the walls, pillars and even ceilings. It has three shikharas and stands on a star-shaped, raised platform with 24 edges.
I noticed as I entered that the outer walls had a profusion of detailed carvings: the entire surface run over by carved plaques of stone. There were vertical panels covered by exquisite figures of gods and goddesses. Vishnu seemed the most popular, with many of his incarnations being depicted. Shiva Brahma, and Indra (on Airavata) weren't left out, and there were plenty of female deities too — Durga as Mahishasuramardhini and Saraswati. There were shapely nymphs too, some carrying an ear of maize (a symbol of plenty and prosperity, I later learnt). The elaborate ornamentation, very characteristic of Hoysala sculptures, was a remarkable feature. On closer look — and it is worth it — the series of friezes on the outer walls revealed intricately carved caparisoned elephants, charging horsemen, stylised flowers, warriors, musicians, crocodiles, swans, and a few erotic scenes.
Signed works
Interestingly, many images on the outer walls carry names of the artists carved on their pedestals — Mallitamma (lots of credits), Baleya, Yelamasaya and Choudeya. Signed works of art as at any current art gallery! Goes to show how much respect the artists commanded. I recalled that the stunning Ramappa temple in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, is actually known after its architect-sculptor rather than the king who commissioned it — probably the only temple in India to be named after its sculptor.
Impressed by what I saw, I returned to the entrance, bought one of those cheap-in-price-rich-in-typos guides that abound at Indian monuments and gleaned some information. The temple was actually commissioned by Soma Dandanayaka or Somnath (he named the village after himself), the minister of the Hoyasala king Narasimha the Third.
The temple was built to house three versions of Krishna. I went in looking for them. The richly ornate ceilings in the pillared hall held me transfixed for some time with their depiction of scenes from the epics and Puranas.
The inner centre of the temple was the kalyana mandapa. Leading from here were three corridors, each ending in a shrine, one for each kind of Krishna — Venugopala, Janardana and Prasanna Keshava, though only two remain in their original form. In the darkness of the sanctum sanctorum, I tried to discern the different images.
The temple's sculptural perfection was amazing, wherever I looked, including the doors of the temple and the three elegantly carved towers. So it wasn't hard to believe the legend that the driver told me with during our journey.
When it was completed the temple was so stunning that the gods coveted it. The temple began to move skywards. The shocked master sculptor, Jakkanachari, began to mutilate some of the images to halt this ascent. His ruse worked and the temple came down again, but settled down a little imperfectly in the process, slightly on the side of the Garuda sthamba. So, even today, you can see the stone pillar of Garuda standing a little to the side of the entrance and not exactly opposite it as temple vastu shastra dictates.
How true that story is, is anybody's guess, but there is no disputing the still-evident charm of this small temple.
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