The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : New book maps temples in Somanathapura region

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Sunday, Oct 12, 2008
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New book maps temples in Somanathapura region

Staff Reporter

S. Settar’s work on the heritage centre has both English and Kannada versions

PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Timeless: The temple in Somanathapura that has been dealt with in the book. —

BANGALORE: The Kesava temple at Somanathapura in Mysore district is one of the three jewels of temples sculpted during the Hoysala period (1100-1336 C.E.), the other two being the Chennakesava at Belur and the Hoysalesvara at Halebid. These three represent the best in their respective sub-styles: the Chennakesava in the ekakuta (with single sanctum), the Hoysalesvara in the dvikuta (with two sanctums) and the Kesava in the trikuta (with three sanctums).

The Kesava is the last ornate temple built during the Hoysala rule, and after this (1267 C.E.) their favourite stone idiom, schist or pot-stone, was replaced by granite (under Vijayanagara rule). This metamorphosed temple architecture and sculpture in the 14th century, especially in Karnataka.

New style

The Chalukyas of Kalyana were the founders of a new style of temple architecture, and this they achieved by making use of a fine-grained soft stone, abundantly found on both sides of the Tungabhadra. However, the Chalukyas had confined their building activities to northern and central Karnataka during their rule of about 200 years. The Hoysalas deserve credit for extending and elaborating this style to southern Karnataka. At one time, the Hoysala rule extended far south, but they did not carry their favourite medium to build temples in Tamil Nadu.

“I first visited this village in 1963… and attracted by its (the Kesava temple’s) wealth, I stayed on and slept the nights on the floor of the mahadvara of the Kesava temple for about a fortnight,” writes S. Settar, Visiting Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, and former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research.

An authority on Hoysala architecture, his return to Somanathapura after 45 years proved more rewarding than his first visit and resulted in a well-produced book with more than 80 photographs and maps.

Somanathapura is published by Abhinava in both Kannada and English and is the first of its kind on the heritage centres of Karnataka, especially in Kannada.

Under five sections and 33 heads, Prof. Settar introduces nearly all the temples of Somanathapura. Why was this site on the banks of the Cauvery chosen by the patron in the 13th century? Who are the architect-sculptors of the Kesava temple and how much time did they take to complete it? Why are there erotic relief figures on the temple walls?

Prof. Settar raises and answers these and such other questions.

The book is being released on October 14 at 6 p.m. at The Indira Priyadarshini Children’s Library building (adjacent to the State Central Library building) in Cubbon Park. Playwright Girish Karnad will release the English version, while writer U.R. Ananthamurthy will release the Kannada version. This will be followed by a brief discourse on heritage literature.

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