ADHVAGATI

It was heartening to note that all the people whom we stopped on the way to ask for directions to Govindanahalli were aware of , and even proud of , The Panchalingeswara Temple . But though " Gavinalli Panchalinga" ( as pronounced locally) is well known within K.R.Pete district, this ASI protected monument has little publicity outside . Too bad. Of the many Hoysala temples, this shrine , dated 1238 AD, is unique. While most Hoysala shrines have eka- , dwi- or tri- kuta vimanas, this one is Pancha kuta, with five towers . And in another radical departure, they are all lined up in a row and not around a central vestible. It definitely looks different, though the pillars, decorative figures and the tiered pagodas bear the unmistakable hoysala stamp. It has a single cell and this is a long pillared corridor, with five shrines to the five forms of Shiva placed in a row ( Ishana, Tatpurusha, Vamana, Aghora and Sadyojatha ) Each shrine has its own Nandi...

We had no plans to explore beyond HosaHolalu as we had no clue what to search for and where. Besides, the grandeur of the HH edifice had left us satiated.....or so we thought. Just before we left, the ASI man who had guided us around it urged us to visit Kikkeri , which , he said, had an older and equally marvelous temple less than 15 kms. away on the Channarayapatna road ! His words ignited our curiosity and off we went, excited at the prospect of discovering another gem. Kikkeri turned out to be bigger than a village, smaller than a town and with a bustling crowd of busy looking locals who gave three different directions when asked about " the temple". One trader ,nodding wisely, insisted what we were looking for was Kikkeramma temple ." Temple in kikkeri " would obviously mean the one dedicated to the guardian deity. But kikkeramma sounded very un-hoysala so we just sailed on for a block and enquired again. A gent in an ox cart questioned ,...

Think Hoysala Art and Architecture, the immediate recall is of the gloriously ornamented soapstone sundaris  and  the star shaped plinth of the temples of Belur and Halebid. M ysoreans would throw in a Somanathapur  and a Talakkad , perhaps.  But it comes as a surprise to learn that at the height of Hoysala temple building frenzy, between 11th and 14th. century, close to 1500 temples with the signature style (of lathe turned pillars, star shaped plinth, multi tiered friezes, profusely ornamented human forms and stellate vimanas) were built in the Deccan Plateau.  Of which a 100 are reported to survive in various states of repair. A hundred ? ! Thats news ! There I was , totally ignorant of the existence of any beyond five. The above mentioned four were done a dozen times. The only other name,  Nuggehalli , has always been in the bucket list, but the distance from home makes it a destination to plan for in advance and being of no urgent value, it keeps...