Thread by @hmvprasanna

Beginiing with the unparallelled Channakeshava Temple, Belur:

Photos captured on an early November 2010 morning

Kedareshwara Temple, Halebeedu:



Photos, again from November 2010 visit...

Parshwanatha, Adinatha and Shantinatha Jinalayas, Basadihalli:

On the outskirts of Halebeedu...

Brahmeshwara Temple, Kikkeri:

A visit way back in 2010...

Kaitabheshwara Temple, Kubatur:

One of my favorites, among the earliest, from Vinayaditya's times. Visited in 2014

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Bhadravathi:

This visit was part of a long weekend getaway in & around Shivamogga in 2013

Channakeshava Temple, Haranahalli:

Photos from a visit in mid 2014...

Someshwara Temple, Haranahalli:

Not as well maintained as the Keshava temple of the same village, but a beauty!

Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Hosaholalu:

One of the most beautiful Hoysala temples ever! Lesser known. Mid-2014 visit..

Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu:

The lesser widely known they are, the more beautiful they seem to be!

Chandramoulishwara Temple, Shivalaya, Arasikere:

Closest Hoysala temple to my hometown. Photos from a 2013 visit

More from the hometown...

Sahasrakuta Jinalaya, Arasikere:

From an early 2014 visit.

Channakeshava Temple, Arakere:

A very little known simplistic beauty. Again, from the 2014 visit.

Quite possibly, where it all began for the Hoysala architecture...

Kedareshwara Temple, Balligave:

Mallikarjuna Temple, Nadakalasi:

This Nadakalasi is a beautiful place, nature-wise too!

The other temple from the twin temple complex of Nadakalasi, the Rameshwara Temple:

Very little known gem. Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Sindhaghatta:

Most serene face of the main deity I have come across

More from that village of Sindaghatta...

Sangameshwara and Janneshwara twin Shiva temples:

Channakeshava Temple, Anekere:

Little ekakuta temple with nice overall structure

The Kondajji Varadaraja temple with a mysterious story around it is up next:

Huge statue of Varadaraja is imposing!

Channakeshava Temple, Turuvekere:

From a memorable visit in 2010...

Moole Shankara Temple, Turuvekere:

Another little known Hoysala masterpiece...

Once grand, the Lakshmi Narayana Temple @ Adagur was in sad state in 2010 when I visited:

Hope things have improved

Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana began his temple extravaganza here. Abhinava Kolhapura - Doddagaddavalli Lakshmi Devi

Mahalingeshwara Temple, Santhebachahalli:

Renovation has affected the beauty of the temple a bit, still a good one!

Keshava Temple, Marle:

Most likely the earliest twin temples built by Hoysalas, and the village is charming too!

The other one from the twin temple complex at Marle, Siddeshwara Temple:

Not many people are aware of this amazing beauty: Panchalingeshwara Temple, Govindanahalli:

One of the Mallitamma period beauties. Lesser known Channakeshava Temple, Aralaguppe:

Channakeshava Temple, Tandaga:

Almost no one knows about this temple outside, say, a 10 km radius from the village

Near Turuvekere & Aralaguppe, two Hoysala temples away from public attention - at Nagalapura: Kedareshwara Temple:

The other temple from Nagalapura, Channakeshava:

The main deity has left front hand on thigh, like Venkataramana!

This was towards the end of the glorious Hoysala era: Anantha Padmanabha Temple, Hosa Budanur:

The other, comparatively more beautifully carved Kashi Vishveshwara Temple of Hosa Budanur:

The grand Hoysaleshwara Temple at Halebeedu:

And now for the highly underrated Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Javagal:

These are photos taken in 2010, and there was a systematic restoration that happened afterwards around 2014. Sculptor Mallitamma's showpiece!

A massively dilapidated temple at Chatachattahalli near Halebeedu, that of Chatteshwara, was restored appropriately of late. Here's how it looked before restoration:

Yet to visit again after restoration...

If you are looking for unblemished symmetry, look no further than the Hoysala Veera Narayana Temple at Belavadi:

Another extremely beautiful, but lesser known temple complex very close to Hassan, Channakeshava Temple at Mosale:

And the Nageshwara Temple from the twin temple complex at Mosale:

Here's the Channakeshava temple at Hullekere. A Hoysala stunner that almost no one is aware of!

Yoga Madhava Temple, Shettikere:

Some over-enthusiastic liberties taken during the recent restoration exercise, but the temple is still, overall, quite beautiful. Particularly the murti of Yoga Madhava

And then we have this mystical Sadashiva Temple from Nuggehalli. A very rare (probably the only one?) Bhumija style architecture from Hoysala times:

If you have to pick one temple where the sculptor extraordinaire Mallitamma has left his impression in an unforgettable manner, it must be at the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Nuggehalli:

Soumyakeshava Temple, Nagamangala:

With a lot of contributions later by the Vijayanagara empire, but the original temple from Hoysala era.

Where the legend of Jakkanachari comes alive: Channakeshava Temple, Kaidala:

And here comes THE Keshava temple from Somanathapura:

Adi Madhavaraya Temple, Bellur:

Another case of overenthusiastic restoration with painting and what not, but there are parts of the temple that still show the Hoysala brilliance.

And yes, this is not Belur, it is Bellur (Mandya district) ಬೆಳ್ಳೂರು

Bellur also has the Hoysala Moola Sindheshwara Temple:

Nambi Narayana Temple, Tondanur (Kere Tonnur):



When Vishnuvardhana conquered this region from Cholas, he is said to have constructed temples here with Chola sculptors, which explains the distinct deviation to Chola architecture instead of Hoysala

Another Chola style temple built by Hoysalas at Tondanur, Venugopala Temple, Tondanur (Kere Tonnur):

Gangadhareshwara Temple, Kaidala:

The Hoysala connections remain only in the pillars and the inscriptions now, and all other later additions are very new. But definitely another temple from the Hoysala era.

Someshwara Temple, Matighatta:

Quite a few sculptures now not part of the temple but lying around the temple complex clearly showcasing the Hoysala era architecture, while the temple itself has undergone complete reconstruction

And the masterpiece! Amruteshwara Temple, Amrutapura:



Don't think I have spent so much time on a temple video creation as on this one. This one is a quintessential Hoysala beauty! You just can't leave the place once you are there...

Veera Ballala II 🙏

The heavily dilapidated Nakeshwara and Govindeshwara Temples at Koravangala:

Pictures from 2011-12. Haven't heard of any efforts since about restoration. A piece of Hoysala history biting dust...

Venugopala Temple, Nonavinakere:

Outer parts of the temple are fully reconstructed, but the inner parts - the pillars, the main murtis still glowing with Hoysala era brilliance.

It was ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ ಅಲಂಕಾರ (decoration with butter) for Venugopala when I visited

This is a temple I really loved! An absolute unknown Hoysala beauty at Vighnasante - the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple:

58th & last of the videos from the Hoysala temples I have visited so far: Bucheshwara Temple, Koravangala:

Hope to find out about more Hoysala temples (100+ still standing out of 500+ constructed) & update the thread as I visit & create videos around them

Restarting with the 59th and one of the most underrated and serene Hoysala temples:

Akkana Basadi, the Parshwanatha Teerthankara shrine at Shravanabelagola, constructed in 1181 CE, during the reign of Veera Ballala II:

No. 60. Channakeshava Temple, Channarayapatna, where, in a recent restoration effort, an inscription belonging to the times of Veera Ballala II was found.

A simplistic Ekakuta Temple:

Also, the town I grew up in, making this video extra special 🙂

No. 61. Shantinatha Basadi, Jinanathapura (close to Sravanabelagola)

From 1200 CE. Some of the best Hoysala Shilabalikas outside of the Belur temple are here...

No. 62. Dharmeshwara Temple, Shantigrama

Built by Queen Shantala's father Marasingayya, very recently restored too: