The prominent empires originating from the Kannada lands are Kadamba, Ganga, Western Chalukya, Rashtrakuta, Kalyani Chalukya, Hoysala, Vijayanagara and Keladi Nayaks. Each of these kingdoms patronized arts & culture of our land. The rulers invested significant amount of their resources in temple building and subsequent preservation of those temples. In those times, temples were centers of social activity. Temples are where leaders, prominent members and general people gathered for meetings. It was also a place for education, celebrations and other constructive activities. Rulers had got temples built to celebrate victories in battles, to honor a family members’ wish, or to promote arts. The byproduct of temple building was construction sources of fresh water like wells, tanks, ghats on river banks, etc. Then mantapas (pillared halls) for travelers were constructed and development of roads happened. Temples received grants and donations many of which have been recorded in stone inscriptions. Temple building was one of the economic drivers in those times. While newer temples were built the older temples were renovated and repaired. That’s how temples built during the earliest periods have survived to this day. For example; temples built during Chalukya times have been renovated in the Hoysala times or Vijayanagara times. That’s the naturally ingrained cultural continuity plan of our Dharma. After the collapse of Vijayanagara empire, the empires formed by invaders tried hard to disrupt that continuity but failed. Thousands of our temples were desecrated and destroyed yet we have thousands of them in the present age. It is not luck that our temples escaped destruction, they were protected fiercely. People sacrificed their lives trying to protect our cultural heritage. We, in the present age, are fortunate to be experiencing the freedom of our culture.
It’s nice to see people visiting our ancient temples. Unlike the predigital times, today we have the luxury of seeing the sites virtually, not just photos but also the locations. However, everyone may not have the time to research the required info. That’s where blogs come to people’s help. Here’s an embedded map which will show you the exact locations of Hoysala temples, not all temples but a good number have been included. The map will be updated as and when new sites are discovered.
Alternatively you can open this map directly by clicking the linked text here: Hoysala temple locations.
It’s my opinion that stone sculpting reached it’s peak during the Hoysala times. The creativity and intricate details are bound to leave anyone flabbergasted. Most of the Hoysala temples are active i.e. poojas are performed daily and visitors can participate in the rituals. Many of the deity idols in these temples are original i.e. those idols were the ones installed centuries ago. The few idols I have seen are so beautiful that one cannot take their eyes off the idols. So do plan your trips, visit Hoysala temples and see the exterior beauty along with the inner beauty.
Before closing this post, I would like to add links to earlier map-based posts for the benefit of readers:
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