Lakshminarayana temple (1250 C.E.), a Hoysala
architectural showpiece, stands on a platform at Hosaholalu, Mandya District.
This temple was built by King Vira Someshwara of
the Hoysala Empire in 1250 C.E. The dating of the temple is based on the style
of the sculptures and architecture that compares closely with the contemporary
Hoysala monuments at Javagal, Nuggehalli and Somanathapura.
Temple
plan
The temple is a splendid example of a trikuta
vimana (three shrined) temple though only the central shrine exhibits a
tower (superstructure or Shikhara) on top. The lateral shrines are
square in construction with five projections and no special features. The
central shrine is well decorated and its tower has a sukanasi (called
"nose") which is actually a lower tower over the vestibule that
connects the shrine (cella containing the image of the deity) to the hall
(mantapa). The sukanasi looks like an extension of the main tower over the
central shrine. The material used for the temple construction is Soapstone. The
temple is built on a platform, a Hoysala innovation that elevates the temple by
about a metre.
Being a Vaishnava temple, most of the images
represent some form of Hindu god Vishnu, his consort and his attendants. There
are a hundred and twenty such images. In all there are twenty four sculptures
of Vishnu standing upright holding in his four arms the four attributes, a
conch, a wheel, a lotus and a mace in all possible permutations.
In the frieze that depicts the epics, the Ramayana
and the Mahabharata vividly illustrates the demise of many heroes of the famous
war between Pandavas and Kauravas.
The sanctum of the three shrines contain the images
of Venugopala, Narayana in the middle and Lakshminarasimha; all forms (Avatar)
of Vishnu.
Distances
The town of Hosaholalu is about 60 kilometres from Hassan and 45 kilometres from the heritage city of Mysore.
Religious
Significance
In honor of Anjaneya, during the Month of April
every year, a fair called the Rangada habba is held in the complex of
the temple. It is an overnight event where the people from the surrounding
villages of Mandya come wearing colorful disguises, dance and sing praises.
This fair is similar to Holi as the people spray saffron water on each other.
This is the best time to visit this temple.
Distances to the temple
K R Pet can be easily accessed from cities like Mysore, Bangalore and Hassan. By road, Hosahallu village is around 60kms from Mandya, 50 kms from Mysore and 160 kms from Bangalore.